SelectSurvey 5a day and GBSF tools

5. a day logo licence application tool

Background

The Government 5 a Day logo can by used by organisations to promote increased fruit and vegetable consumption. The logo can be used subject to strict guidelines both for promotional activity and on pack. In relation to the latter the logo can currently only be used on fresh, frozen, canned, dried and juiced fruit and vegetables without added salt, fat and sugar.

PHE manage the government 5 a day logo on behalf of the 4 UK Health Departments. This is currently a hard copy application. PHE wish to utilise Select Survey to deliver a streamlined application process which would also reduce the administration resource currently being expended.

GBSF Nutrition Checker Tool

Background

PHE provides technical support to Defra and DH (via its own STA) in the delivery of the plan for public procurement which is underpinned by Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF). PHE has devleoped a set of guidance and tools to support caterers, commissioners and procureers in achieving their catering provision.

We have an existing (excel spreadsheet) tool on GOV.UK designed to help our users: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/healthier-and-more-sustainable-catering-a-toolkit-for-serving-food-to-adults.

The user adds figures to the spreadsheet according to their buying habits for catering supplies. In return, the spreadsheet performs a series of calculations. The end calculation indicates whether the user’s catering provision meets the GBSF. If it doesn’t, the user knows that they must make changes to comply with the minimum set of standards - these are either the ‘mandatory’ - or the ‘best practice’ standards.

• Users find the existing tool difficult to use and many of them cannot understand how it works.

More users than before will be looking for this information following a drive encouraging catering organisations to meet the criteria, including a commitment from the PM that government will meet these standards by 2017.

In order to support wider healthier caterign, we are aiming to improve our current tool and create a service that gives our audience the best digital experience online. The current excel format is frustrating for our users and fails to adequately meet their needs. The DT also fails to meet this need. We should be supporting users when they attempt to comply with the GBSF and at the moment that support is insufficient. The bottom line is that there is a demand for this functionality and GOV.UK does not currently meet that demand.