Food Service Guidelines

Food service guidelines, often referred to as FSG, are standards designed to promote healthier food, beverages, and food service operations in places where food is sold, served, or distributed. By implementing FSG policies and practices, we can increase the availability of nutritious options for consumers, making the healthy choice an easy one.

For the 2023-2028 REACH Program in Cuyahoga County, these food service guidelines will be applied in various Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx faith-based organizations, as well as in Cuyahoga County Government facilities, including vending machines, snack markets, and cafeterias.

Our goal is to implement organizational policies in these locations to positively impact the health of community members and employees throughout Cuyahoga County. In the short term, this initiative will provide greater access to nutritious food in the partnered faith organizations and County Government facilities. Over time, we expect to see long-term benefits, including improved health behaviors and outcomes—such as increased consumption of healthier foods, a higher percentage of individuals meeting physical activity guidelines, reduced tobacco use, decreased obesity rates, and increased adult immunizations. Additionally, we aim to reduce health disparities related to chronic conditions like hypertension, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.