People consume at least a third of our daily calorie intake while at work. What we eat and drink affects not just our health but our work performance too. If employees fail to eat regular well-balanced meals or drink enough water, they may get headaches, feel sluggish or have difficulty concentrating.
Evidence suggests that improving access to healthier food and drinks at work can benefit both employers and employees.
Ref: British Heart Foundation, 2013
How Can Employers Take Action?
- Visit the 'making the case' pages of the British Heart Foundation website to help make the business case supporting health at work.
- Include information about healthy eating, in newsletters, on notice boards and on staff webpages
- Get people engaged and involved in the process.
- Encourage and support people to introduce healthy eating into their day – this can help improve moods, reduce stress levels, and reduce risk of serious illness.
- Try coming up with a range of different ways or supporting schemes to help staff to eat healthier in work, as well as out of work.
- Encourage employees to bring in healthy lunches
- Run taster sessions to encourage people to try different healthy foods.
- Link into local organic box schemes enabling healthy fruit and vegetables to be delivered to the workplace.
- Have a ‘healthy choice’ at business lunches, meeting and functions.
- Provide a supportive environment containing safe storage for food, and posters promoting healthy eating.
- Stay up to date with changes across health and wellbeing by signing up for the Healthy Working Wales e-bulletin.
- Above all....make it fun! The more fun it is, the more people will want to get involved.
Find a Service
- Healthy Weight Healthy You offers a range of information and resources that are tailored to your needs. Their 'Find Your Journey' tool allows you to find the right content for you, to give you the best chance of success.
- Healthy Working Wales can support employers with fun and engaging ideas for promoting and encouraging Healthy Eating. For more information you can email us at WorkplaceHealth@wales.nhs.uk with your queries and one of our advisers will contact you as soon as possible.
Guidance and Further Information