Catering:Health Boost Or Hazard?

The employer is responsible for the wellbeing of his employees. This means that the working environment should not pose any dangers to the physical or mental health of the staff. The work station must be ergonomically sound, the climate must be appropriate, stress should be avoided, et cetera. Many bosses go beyond the necessary facilities and supply their people with additional perks, like recreational facilities – and good food.

TEXT HANS HOOFT

Working days can be long, strenuous and tedious. These hard hours can be interrupted by breaks, and they should be. But many workers skip those breaks, or spend them at their work station, sitting down. This has caused many physical problems, because people get too little exercise. It is even said that sitting is the new smoking: detrimental to your health. Of course, this should be amended: sitting too much and too long is bad. So stand up, go to the coffee corner and take a break. And do not fetch coffee for your co-workers – you deprive them of their own, necessary exercise. And when lunchtime comes around, do not eat your sandwich at your desk, but go for a walk – after you have had a healthy lunch in the cafeteria.

Bite
The problem with many (office) workers is that they are worried about the conditions on and around their work stations, but care less about the food and drinks they consume during their work days. In colder climates, it is reasonable that coffee or tea is the preferred drink, but warmer conditions require a different approach. Okay, you say, but water is just water, and tastes of nothing, really. You want something with a bite, so you take a soda drink. But do you realize how much sugar such a drink contains? Something similar can be said about food: the sandwich with a slice of cheese can get quite boring. So in the cafeteria, people usually go for the more tasty foods, the snacks. Understandable, but healthy?

Obesity
Every once in a while, we are presented with a new, ‘revolutionary’ diet that claims it will make us slimmer, healthier, et cetera. And that you do not have to stop eating, you will never go hungry. Particularly in the United States and Great Britain, but in many more countries, obesity is becoming a serious problem. But being overweight is not necessarily an indication of bad health. People can have a few extra pounds, but still be quite healthy and even fit. The human metabolism sometimes works in mysterious ways. Deep in our minds, we know that there is only one way to lose weight: eat less, and exercise. Still, there is something that should be added to this adage: know what you eat! So eat and drink better. And because we spend a third of our day at work, and take at least one meal there, in addition to what we grab during the various breaks, it is important that what you consume should be good for you – in more than one way: healthy and nutricious. And that is where the employer enters the game: he is the one who decides which foods and drinks can be had in the corporate cafeteria. But the workers have a say in this: usually, they have a say in what is on offer, and if they do not like what they are offered, they will not take it. And revert to the sandwich-andcheese, or they find their lunch elsewhere. For instance at the retailer with the large yellow M – although this global player has also felt the change, and now offers more healthy food like salads.

Certified caterer Of course, something can be said in favor of ‘eating out’ in lunchtime, like: you get some exercise (you have to walk to the fastfood restaurant), and you get out of the office which will refresh you, and may even boost your creativity. But is far more preferable when the employer provides good foodstuffs in the cafeteria. And because he is responsible for his personnel, the food and drinks on offer should be healthy. The best a company can do, is engage a certified caterer. Such a company can deliver the best foods and drinks, anything you want, and take care of all that is necessary to provide a good meal. And yes, this implies costs, but you get a lot in return. Unfortunately, many employers still decide on price, instead of looking for the best solution to the health problem. They do provide their people with ergonomically adequate facilities (these can be seen and felt), but do not consider their staff’s inner health in the long term. In the battle for talent, having the food and drink catering arranged in a sustainable manner can even be decisive to attract the high potentials.

Positive effects
Many companies now claim they operate socially responsible, they reduce waste, support social projects, work mainly digitally instead of consuming reams of paper, et cetera. But they forget the positive effects food can have on people: if they feel better (because they eat better), they are more productive. On the other hand: if in every break of their work day they stuff themselves with snacks, munch candybars and drink cokes, their bodies need to recuperate from these attacks – which affects their performance.