Healthy food options at KFL&A area recreation centres fuel families to play

For immediate release

Friday, September 9, 2016

Kingston – Children and youth perform their best on a sports field, ice rink, or court when they are fuelled up with healthy food and hydrated with water. In 2015, KFL&A Public Health conducted a survey about the food and drinks available in recreation centres within our communities. Seventy-three percent of survey respondents indicated that they buy food and drinks at the canteens or vending machines in KFL&A area recreation centres. The top reason that respondents gave for not purchasing food at recreation centres was that the options were not healthful, and 52% of survey respondents indicated that they would buy food more often if healthier choices were available.

In response to the survey, KFL&A Public Health has worked with local recreation centres to support them in having new menu options this fall.  Healthier snack choices such as fruit, vegetables, or yogurt will be available at local recreation centres, starting September 11, 2016.

To celebrate the new healthful food and drink menu options available, KFL&A Public Health is launching the Super Snackables campaign.  To kick off the campaign, KFL&A Public Health will be at various recreation centres throughout September and October with the Super Snackables mascot, Super Sam. Children and their families are welcome to visit the Super Snackables booth for a chance to win prizes, to have a photo taken with Super Sam, and to enter a social media contest. The contest will start September 11, 2016 and run through to October 28, 2016.  KFL&A area residents are encouraged to post photos of themselves and Super Sam, with Super Snackables promotional material, or a healthy snack at a local recreation centre on social media (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram), using the hashtag #SuperSnackables to enter the contest.

KFL&A Public Health and Super Sam will be at the following locations:

• WJ Henderson Recreation Centre Open House – Sunday, September 11, 2016
• Frontenac Community Arena Opening Night – Friday, September 16, 2016
• Strathcona Paper Centre – Saturday, October 8, 2016
• INVISTA Centre – Saturday, October 22, 2016

Specific times and additional locations will be posted on KFL&A Public Health’s Facebook Page.

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