BURGERS and pies might be banned at Commonwealth Games' venues such as Celtic Park and Ibrox under plans to promote healthy eating at the 2014 event in Glasgow.
Junk food would be replaced by "healthy food only" during the 12-day games, it was proposed yesterday.
The move is among dozens of ideas for creating a "lasting legacy" for the event, which were unveiled by Alex Salmond, the First Minister.
A three-month consultation document stated that the games could be used to encourage venue owners and local authorities to make the healthy eating change permanent.
Last night, Rangers Football Club, which runs Ibrox, where the rugby sevens will be held, did not rule out maintaining the junk-food ban long-term. A spokeswoman said: "This is something we would look at with our caterers."
Other health-related measures include encouraging coffee shops to stay open later to provide an alternative to alcohol. The games organisers hope this will help achieve healthy eating targets to be launched this year, and reduce smoking.
The First Minister also called for £150 million from the National Lottery to help fund such measures because a similar amount of lottery cash is being diverted from Scotland to the London Olympics in 2012. The games themselves are estimated to cost taxpayers nearly £300 million.
Mr Salmond has called for the games to be the best ever, and to come in on time and on budget. In launching the consultation on the legacy proposals, he has raised ambitions further.
The First Minister said the games would make Scotland more confident. But he resisted the opportunity to "play the obvious card" and declined to say whether he thought they would make the country more ready for independence.
Mr Salmond said "galvanising" a generation of young people was a key target. "We see the potential for the games to stretch ourselves and raise our sights as a country," he said. "It depends on everyone being totally committed to this project. We have to have a common goal and be united."
Steven Purcell, the leader of Glasgow City Council, said recruitment of the 15,000 volunteers required for the games should begin soon so they could start working in their own communities.
Sir Robert Smith, the chairman of the games' operating company, said involving so-called NEETs – young people not in employment, education or training – would improve their self-esteem and help them to get jobs.
The First Minister said he was optimistic that lottery officials would agree to the extra funding to replace the £150 million diverted to the London Olympics. He said: "It is entirely reasonable to call for an equivalent sum to be returned to Scotland to help us deliver a real, lasting legacy for the whole of Scotland.
"It would simply not be acceptable to hold this event without the support of the lottery."
Mr Salmond said many of the chosen legacy targets would be specific, so that their success would be easy to evaluate after the games.
EVENT BILLED AS PANACEA FOR WIDE RANGE OF ILLSA RECORD number of gold medals and total medal tally are among targets for the "lasting legacy" for Scotland from the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
However, the 60-page consultation document highlights potential goals in every area of Scottish Government policy, from crime to transport.
It includes attracting other major sporting events to Glasgow before the games and a 4 per cent increase in tourists in each of the three years afterwards.
More people should be encouraged to take up sports, and employment in Glasgow increased from 66 per cent to 75 per cent by 2016. Cars would be banned from venues and event ticketholders given free bus and train tickets to cut emissions, as The Scotsman revealed last year.
The 15,000 games volunteers could be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as part of the wider drive to reduce deaths from coronary heart disease, especially among under-75s in deprived areas.
The use of Scottish products, including fresh food, would be maximised and promoted.
The East End of Glasgow would be regenerated with the construction of athletes' village – which would later become housing – and a new national indoor sports arena and velodrome.
The games could even help tackle crime: improving job opportunities for offenders might reduce recidivism.
The full article contains 728 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
