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WooFood Revolution Coming to a Restaurant Near You

1/1/2012

2 Comments

 
The restaurant industry is a common scapegoat for health authorities and medical professionals when conjuring up contributors to the obesity epidemic. Usually filled with condescending rhetoric, the main theme is usually similar: high calorie, high fat, high sodium foods are bad for their patrons WooFood and the health of the community. These foods are contributing to the obesity-related problems that plague our society, and it is the restaurant’s responsibility to fix this. Unfortunately they rarely venture a business friendly solution.

Enter Matt Dewolf.

Along with his colleagues at UMASS medical school, Matt created WooFood, a non-profit company founded to improve the health and nutrition in the town of Worcester, Massachusetts. The concept is simple and genius. Restaurants who would like to be WooFood certified have to meet a set of certain criteria for their food options, such as healthful portion sizes, whole grain options, or healthful children’s menu foods. Depending on the level of certification each restaurant achieves, they will receive a WooFood certification of certified, silver, or gold, which can be displayed proudly in their windows. This allows the restaurant to demonstrate its healthy choices, and provides the customer with an easy tool to determine which restaurants are certified, and which are not.

The specific meals at each restaurant which meet WooFood’s standards are clearly labeled with an easily identifiable logo, signifying a healthy choice. Here are the founders describing it themselves:


There are now three WooFood certified restaurants in Worcester, and many more are in the process of becoming certified. Any potential solution to our nation’s health problems that may stifle businesses is not a real solution. WooFood is brilliant because it does just the opposite, and is a win:win for both the consumer and the restaurants. Thanks to these insanely smart, forward-thinking medical students, Worcester will be a healthier city for years to come.

Visit WooFood.org to check out their site or here to read about the team.

2 Comments
Alexandra
1/24/2012 02:45:52 am

WooFood certainly isn't on board with the low-carb movement, though. Their criteria for meats and oils are all about restriction - less meat, less butter, butter SUBSTITUTE!?!?!?

I'm surprised to find this article here without any mention of it being part of the same old low-fat paradigm.

Reply
Mitch link
3/18/2012 10:58:14 pm

Thanks for the comment Alexandra! (Sorry this is months late though) You are correct that we are not part of a low-carb movement. We advocate for whole grains in correct proportions google "healthy eating plate" from harvard school of public health for those that we use.

the "low fat" paradigm part of your comment misrepresents WooFood however; WooFood actually makes a point of NOT limiting fat, but rather emphasizes the type of fat. While animal fats including dairy and red meat have been consistently linked to chronic diseases, sources healthful sources like salmon, olive oil, canola oil, and many nut oils are actually linked with lower rates of these chronic diseases (think the Mediterranean diet in which up to 40 or 50% of calories are from fat - but good sources of fat). In fact, there is not a single criteria in WooFood certification that limits total fat or total calories from fat.

We do appreciate your interest though and the fact that you went as far as to check out the criteria!

Best,

Mitch Li
WooFood Co-founder

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