On 22 April, Tau officially signed the Nutrition Pledge at a public signing ceremony held at the Sandton City Library at Nelson Mandela Square, urging restaurants to reduce the amount of meals on their menus that contribute to weight gain.
“If we can give our people a longer, healthier and better life, there is nothing more that we can offer. We need to give the people of Joburg quality of life. What came as startling in our research was that premature deaths were mostly recorded in Joburg,” said Tau.
The call for health-based-only menus comes after a study, done by Statistics SA, showed that about 40 percent of South Africans were overweight or obese. The City is also working with the School of Hospitality and Tourism at the University of Johannesburg to promote healthy eating; and the South African Chefs Association has also endorsed the programme. The aim of the Healthy Lifestyle Programme and Nutritional Pledge is to encourage residents to take part in physical activities and eat healthy to reduce the number of people suffering from chronic diseases.
Restaurants who have come on board with the pledge include the Adega franchise, Wimpy and Ocean Basket restaurants.
The pledge is expected to improve life expectancy in the city and it is in line with the City’s Growth and Development Strategy 2040 (GDS 2040), which states that by 2040, Johannesburg will have a healthy community free of chronic diseases.
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