Supporting Healthy Choices: A Framework for Voluntary Action

Sign up, reporting and monitoring

10. This framework is intended to be sufficiently flexible to maximise participation, recognising that what partners will be able to contribute will depend on the nature of their business or organisation.

Sign up

11. The sign up process for Supporting Healthy Choices is simple. To sign up, partners are asked to specify which commitments they intend to work towards over the course of the next year. In doing so, partners will be required to submit a short action plan setting out the activity they have taken, or intend to take, in relation to the commitments they sign up to. Action plans will be published on our website.

12. All action plans should include the following:

• Details of the commitments a partner is signing up to;
• The action(s) a partner is taking/will take under each of these commitments;
• Details of other work that supports healthier choices but does not fall under a specific commitment; and
• Any other relevant information.

13. We encourage partners to sign up to Supporting Healthy Choices as soon as they are able, where possible within the first 3-6 months of this document being published. Sign up will, however, continue on a rolling basis throughout the year.

14. Partners are not required to sign up to all the commitments set out in this framework but are strongly encouraged to sign up to as many as possible which are relevant to their business.

15. The action outlined in this framework is not exhaustive and we welcome all work which supports healthier food and drink choices across Scotland. Partners are invited to include details of any additional or alternative work they are progressing in their action plan that supports improving the Scottish diet.

Reporting

16. Partners will be required to submit a short progress report to the Scottish Government annually. This report should be based on their action plan and should be submitted on 1 July each year. As part of this process, partners will also be invited to update their action plan to reflect activity for the following year.

17. The Scottish Government will use these reports to publish a summary of progress across Scotland annually. This will be a high-level report which will recognise and highlight progress and good practice where appropriate, and identify areas where further action is required. This report will be available on our website.

18. We will also continue to engage with partners throughput the year. Further information regarding the timescales for sign up and reporting is available online^[5].

Monitoring

19. Progress will be monitored by FSA Scotland at a population level through established surveys which monitor food and nutrient intake and consumer behaviour. This includes analysis of data from the Scottish Health Survey, the ONS Living Costs and Food Survey, commissioned surveys of children's diets and urinary salt survey to monitor population salt intakes. Kantar World Panel data on food, beverages and nutrients purchased into the home and NPD Crest data on purchase of food and beverages eaten outside the home will be used to monitor promotions and levels of salt, saturated fat, fat and sugar purchased in Scotland to identify any changes.