OLYMPIA Wash. With a menu-labeling mandate scheduled to go into effect in Seattle’s King County in January, the Washington Restaurant Association is testing a program that aims to help restaurants offer more healthful options on menus statewide.
As part of the pilot program, 12 restaurants will be selected to partner with a health-services firm. Officials from Stayhealthy Inc. will train kitchen staff members to meet certain standards for health based on a low-glycemic nutrition plan. Chefs will be taught how to modify existing recipes, or they can research new recipes to provide options that would be branded as “Stayhealthy Approved.”
If the pilot is deemed a success, the association will open the program up to members for a fee that is yet to be determined.
John Collins, Stayhealthy chief executive, said the company also would soon announce a program with two of the nation’s largest foodservice suppliers, which will offer Stayhealthy nutrition-education training and other services.