Media Release October 20 2016
DIABETES NEW ZEALAND AND PITA PIT PLATE UP
Diabetes New Zealand is delighted to announce a new partnership with Pita Pit NZ Ltd that will see both organisations
dishing up aligned messages around the importance of healthier food choices.
“We had been looking for a partner in the food sector for a while but it was very important to us to wait until we found
the right partner. When we started conversations with Pita Pit, it became clear very quickly that we had a lot in common
in our messaging around food,” Chief Executive of Diabetes New Zealand, Steve Crew, says.
“The range of fresh vegetables, grilled proteins and salad options that Pita Pit provide are in-keeping with our healthy
plate promotion and provide choices suited not only for people with diabetes but also for those wanting to make
healthier food selections.”
Everyone is at risk of diabetes and there are over 260,000 New Zealanders currently living with diabetes, with one in
four people believed to have prediabetes.
Crew says that “the one in four, in many cases, could prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes through changing a
combination of lifestyle factors including nutritional eating and regular exercise.”[1] For both type 1 and type 2
diabetes, food choices and exercise are all part of managing and controlling diabetes.
[1] A person’s risk of progressing from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes can be roughly halved if they lose weight, change
their diet, increase exercise and/or have drug treatment. (Ministry of Health 2014b. National Diabetes Work Programme. Wellington: Ministry of Health).
Duane Dalton, Director of Pita Pit NZ, reinforced the great fit between the two organisations. “The partnership with
Diabetes New Zealand was a natural alignment with Pita Pit. If we can assist those with diabetes as well as make people
more aware of the benefits of eating healthy then we’re adding further value to our communities.”
ENDS