Embrace the Trend of Healthy Eating

Unhealthy eating habit is closely linked to the development of obesity and increases the risk of chronic diseases including heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes and some cancers. According to the Population Health Survey 2020-22 conducted by the Department of Health (DH), nearly 98% of persons aged 15 or above reported inadequate intake (i.e. an average of less than five servings) of fruit and vegetables per day. Meanwhile, among the population aged 15-84, nearly 55% were overweight or obese and nearly 30% had hypertension. Having a diet with less fat or oil, salt and sugar may help improve these health conditions.

Food premises are important partners in healthy eating promotion as eating out is common among Hong Kong people. According to the Population Health Survey 2020-22 conducted by the Department of Health (DH), nearly 80% of persons aged 15 or above reported eating out (including breakfast, lunch and dinner as a whole) at least once a week. Analysed by age group, 55% of persons aged 25 to 34 reported that they ate out for lunch 5 times or more a week.

The DH launched the “EatSmart@restaurant.hk” Campaign (ESR Campaign) in April 2008, whereby the public could easily savour the “EatSmart Dishes” which include “More Fruit and Vegetables” dishes and “3 Less” dishes (less fat or oil, salt and sugar) when eating out. The DH also set up a Campaign Task Force (the Task Force) comprising members from the government, catering industry, academia and relevant professional groups. The Task Force sets up goals and roadmaps for the Campaign, provides strategies and ways to achieve the goals, and seeks support from stakeholders for the Campaign. Through these, collaborations among different sectors will be promoted.

To encourage restaurants to provide a wider choice of healthy dishes and assist members of the public in putting healthy eating into practice, the DH launched the “EatSmart Restaurant Star+” Campaign (ESR Star+ Campaign) as the enhanced version of the ESR Campaign in 2019. Under a star-rating scheme, EatSmart Restaurants (ESRs) are classified into one-star, two-star or three-star.

We encourage restaurants to embrace the trend of healthy eating and nutritional cooking by creating signature “EatSmart Dishes”, which give the public a wider range of healthier choices. By joining the ESR Star+ Campaign, you can attract more customers who are health-conscious.