Introducing healthier foods and food environments at sports events

The WHO Department of Nutrition and Food Safety invites you to join the third, and final, webinar of the webinar series ‘Healthy foods are not just for athletes – Championing healthy food environments at sports mega-events’, which will take place on 3 October 2023, 14:00 –  15:00 CEST under the title, A conversation with sports event organizers: Introducing healthier foods and food environments at sports events. 

Sports events ought to be an ideal place to model and promote healthy eating as part of a healthy lifestyle. The high visibility of sports mega-events offers valuable opportunities for potentially larger impact reaching billions of fans worldwide, creating positive perceptions of healthier foods and beverages in the stadium and beyond.

On 24 August 2023, WHO released a new action guide for sports event organizers entitled ‘Healthier food and healthier food environments at sports events.’ The publication, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, Qatar, aims to support sports event organizers in improving the healthiness of their future events.

Sports events organizers are in a unique position to improve the food offer and the food environments at sports events. Through tendering food and beverage concessions, they decide what foods and beverages are served in, and sometimes around, stadia. They can take action to ensure not only safe food but also promote healthier food and healthier food environments in stadia, and during sports events but need to have the right tools to do so.  

This webinar aims to present the action guide to sports events organizers and gather their reactions including on the perceived challenges and opportunities to introducing healthier food and healthier food environments at sports events. 

Join this webinar to learn about the evidence supporting action for healthier food and food environments at sports events, which demonstrates that healthier food environments are achievable and desired by fans, and to hear about the concrete actions that can be taken to achieve healthier food and healthier food environments at sports events.

Moderator

Dr Francesco Branca, Director, Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, WHO