The Heart Foundation will next month launch the extension of its famous Tick program to the foodservice market.

After two years of market research and planning the Heart Foundation Tick will be unveiled to the industry at Fine Food Australia in Melbourne in September.

Business manager foodservice, Tick program, Coral Colyer, said the extension of the existing Tick Program with a dedicated foodservice component was “great news for the professional market”.

“For the first time, foodservice establishments will be able to apply to use the Tick on approved menu items,” Colyer said.

The launch of activity at Fine Food will be preceded by the launch of some PR activity to the general public to let consumers know they can soon expect to see the Tick on meals eaten out of the home.

Colyer said that, just as in the retail sector, the Heart Foundation Tick in the foodservice market will assure consumers that the meals bearing its trade mark are a healthier choice—healthier because they have been independently tested to meet Tick’s strict standards for serve size, saturated fat, salt and vegetable/fibre content

Foodservice establishments interested in using the highly respected Tick on their menus will be able to apply via the Tick website. Online information will include a rundown of the application process and useful tips and hints.

Contract caterers and small to medium franchises and chains—including restaurants, cafes and quick service dining—are likely to be among the earliest establishments to have their meals and quality processes Tick-approved because they are most likely to have the strong processes and internal controls required to conform with the Tick Foodservice Quality Standard (TFQS), according to Colyer.