By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
THEY’VE swapped Coke for coconut water in a bid to cut down on sugar guzzling patrons, but Pepsi Max continues to fly off the shelves.
Casey Indoor Leisure Centre is part of YMCA’s healthy choices roll out across Victoria, which will see all YMCA sport centres enact the ‘traffic light system’ and reduce high sugar and fatty foods to make up just 10 per cent of their total offerings.
Casey centre manager Tony Jackson said the green (healthy), amber and red (some sugar content) traffic light system encapsulates the overall healthy scheme, which started in Cranbourne last December.
“We slowly started winding down on orders and educating people that come January 2016, there will be no sugary drinks for sale,” Mr Jackson said last year.
Piloted in Cardinia, the YMCA’s low-sugar concept took off in October 2014, and will be fully rolled out in Cranbourne by December 2017, in time for the opening of the expanded centre.
Cafe co-ordinator Kat Lay said left over bottles of Coke, Sunkist, Raspberry and Creamy Soda got thrown out to make room for copious amounts of water and low-sugar juices.
“We swapped our slushy ingredients for an all-natural fruit juice with no preservatives, and we push our fruit salads, wraps and rice paper rolls,” she said.
The healthy focus now means Ms Lay does an early morning market shopping in Cranbourne, where she buys fruit and vegetables to make the health wise additions on site.
“We make it all fresh here, and we’ve implemented focaccias, toasted sandwhiches and snack packs which include carrots, celery, capsicum, cheese and kabana, low-fat dip and rice crackers,” Ms Lay said.
“And people have responded really well, they still come up asking for the drinks we’ve removed, but I explain the changes and more than 90 per cent of people commend us.”
However Casey’s tastebuds haven’t quite adjusted.
Ms Lay said the sugar and carbohydrate free, Pepsi Max, is still a popular choice.
“Over the past four weeks I’ve noticed Pepsi Max and flavoured water sales have increased as a result of the roll out.”
The soft drink vending machine has also been turfed and combo packs now include water in place of soft drinks.
But Mr Jackson said parents will still be able to treat their kids after a good game.
“It’s a part of your childhood, and we get a lot of parents who treat their kids with a lolly after a game, it’s a part of the fun and growing up and we don’t want to take that away from people,” he said.
“And people particularly when they are active or have rushed here for a 50- minute game after work need a quick sugar or carbohydrate fix to get their energy up, so we will still stock those items.
“We’ll just have a lot less of them than we do now and they will make up the 10 per cent red zone.”
Mr Jackson said patrons could feel confident knowing that the juices and energy drinks available at YMCA centres had been chosen by accredited YMCA nutrition experts.
And once expanded, the centre will house two cafes with commercial kitchens, as well as an extra 10 netball and basketball courts.
“It’s about changing food habits and with 60 per cent of our patron base children, we have the perfect audience to educate and help combat the obesity epidemic,” he said.
