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Healthy food sales rise 10% in remote communities
by Gavin Broomhead 4 November 2015
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sland & Cape Retail Enterprises has announced a record increase in healthy food sales across all its remote stores in Cape York Peninsula, the Torres Strait and Yarrabah following the introduction of a new nutrition policy. The Far North Queensland retail store operator’s most recent sales figures show a significant 10 per cent increase in the amount of healthy food their customers are now consuming. Island & Cape accomplished this by providing healthy options in their takeaways and cafés, with all healthy options approved by the company’s nutritionist Tracey Fitzgibbon.
Island & Cape Badu Island employee Sineva Ahmat. Image supplied
The healthy options include fresh sandwiches, salads, toasted sandwiches, salad rolls, whole BBQ chickens, homemade savoury muffins, fruit salads and cooking hot meals with meat, vegetables and rice. Alongside this approach, Island & Cape’s nutrition policy for all takeaways and cafes includes: • 50% of all food space required to be healthy options and available throughout trade • All hot meals to be served with vegetables and a carbohydrate (rice, bread, noodles, potato) • Water, 100% juice and diet soft drinks to be displayed in the most prominent position • Bottles of water (600ml)
available at all times for just $1. Island & Cape Retail Enterprises General Manager Operations Kim Reynolds said the significant rise in healthy food sales was a great indicator of improving diet and nutrition. “We view our store sales figures as an important gauge as to what people in the region are eating,” Ms Reynolds said. “This percentage increase in the number of people buying healthy food is a milestone for Island & Cape stores. “I think it’s an exciting sign that our customers want to, and are able to buy good quality, affordable healthy food, and my congratulations go to everyone who is making healthier decisions.
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“Most of our prepared food specials have been comparable or cheaper than the price you’d see in major supermarkets in Cairns or Townsville, and we’re proud to have been able to provide this to our customers. “We also use healthy badging in our stores to educate our customers to recognise products which are the healthier choice by their badging. “Alongside this, we’ve been training our staff on how to read labels, so they can help customers make the right choice when they buy food and drink from our store. “We want to promote good health, nutrition and physical activity, and these latest healthy food sales results are extremely promising.” For each of Island & Cape’s stores, the data shows: • Aurukun – 39 per cent
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Nine trainees at Island & Cape Retail Enterprises’ Badu Island store. Image: Island Cape Retail
healthy food sales • Badu Island - Increased healthy food sales from 27% to 47% • Hopevale – Increased healthy food sales by $1,000 in preparation for the opening of the new café which will supply the community with hot meals, fresh sandwiches • Horn Island – Increased healthy foods sales from 25% to 42% • Masig (Yorke) Island – Increased from 24% to 27% • Wujal Wujal – Increased from 23% to 27% • Yarrabah – Increased from 8% to 21% • Napranum – Increased from 48% to 53%. Ms Reynolds said that Island & Cape would continue to monitor
healthy food sales in all their stores across the Torres Strait and Cape York Peninsula, and in Yarrabah. “We want our customers to buy healthier food, and we’ll do all we can to help achieve this,” she said. “Island & Cape always plays an active role in the communities where we operate,” she said. Island & Cape Retail Enterprises supplies groceries, fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy products and other general merchandise to its eight stores, which are located in Aurukun, Napranum, Wujal Wujal, Hopevale and Yarrabah, as well as Badu Island, Horn Island and Yorke Island in the Torres Strait. Ms Reynolds said Island & Cape and ALPA have a proud history of working closely with remote communities across northern Australia.