Our overriding goal is to improve the nutritional status of deep-fried chips served by New Zealand foodservice* by reducing fat (total and saturated) and salt content.<\/p>\n

New Zealanders love hot chips and we have an obligation to provide the highest quality possible, as an industry. Many chips can be high in fat and salt and so they have a big impact on people’s health. By making them healthier, we can in turn make our population healthier!<\/p>\n

Growth of The Chip Group™<\/h3>\n

Each year we have been encouraging both industry suppliers and food service operators to be more involved so this means The Chip Group™ is more inclusive and representative of the whole industry.<\/p>\n

Literature search<\/h3>\n

This was a big project we did in 2007 \u2013 it clearly indicated we are world leaders in our activities as there are no models to follow!<\/p>\n

Monitoring our progress<\/h3>\n

In 1999, 2007 and 2011 we surveyed outlets to give us an accurate picture of the industry \u2013 so we know exactly how much fat, what sized portions etc are being served. These national surveys have shown that the industry is making significant progress in the fat and salt content of chips. No time to relax though – we still have a lot to improve \u2013 the more people that train the better it gets!<\/p>\n

Development of Industry Standards<\/h3>\n

In 2008 we were thrilled to get unanimous industry agreement for Industry Standards for Independent Fast Food Operators and another set for Hospitality \/Food Service. Things got even better in 2009 when we were able to merge the Industry Standards and have one set that applies to the whole industry! This is what we have based all our online training on.<\/p>\n

Advocacy progress<\/h3>\n

We work with government so we make sure we all are working towards one common goal.<\/p>\n

Communication plan<\/h3>\n

We have a strategy in place to talk to all members of the industry and to our chip loving consumers. We want New Zealanders to know that we are a pro-active industry proud of what we do!<\/p>\n

Competitions<\/h3>\n

This is a highlight in the \u2018chip community\u2019 and has included People’s Choice Awards, best Chip Shop and Judge’s Supreme Awards over the years! Recently we have insisted shops have to be good enough to enter \u2013 so that means they have to do the training first and cook NZ made fries. We are thrilled that each year the standards just get higher! The consumers\u2019 top voted chips are consistently the better quality chips \u2013 so consumers like eating less fat and don\u2019t like them \u2018greasy\u2019! The competitions are annual and require CGBFP training to enter.<\/p>\n

Free online training<\/h3>\n

Go and check this out in our tabs! This is our way to lift the quality of chips for the whole industry \u2013 and from what consumers tell us \u2013 it works!<\/p>\n

When you complete the training you get a certificate. This is excellent to display for your customers to see. This tells the consumer that the operator is trained \u2013 so they are far more likely to get better chips. We are telling consumers to look out for the certificates. It also qualifies your business for entry in industry awards.<\/p>\n

Profile within health industry<\/h3>\n

We like key people to know what we are doing because we are proud that when we work together, we can make a real difference to the health of New Zealanders. So The Chip Group™ presents the results of our collective work at relevant conferences e.g. Agencies for Nutrition Action, NZ Dietetic Conference and Nutrition Society of NZ Conference.<\/p>\n