UK Workplace Caterers Commit to Healthier Food 

18/01/08 About three million meals are eaten at work every day, two million of which are prepared by contract caterers. Yesterday, the UK Food Standards Agency published the first stages of activity to give people across the UK improved access to healthier meals while they are at work.

The Agency believes that people should have the opportunity to choose food that is lower in salt, fat – especially saturated fat – and sugar, enabling us all to take control of what we eat and take positive steps towards a healthier, balanced diet.

Over the past year, the Agency has been working in partnership with major caterers, ARAMARK, BaxterStorey, Compass Group, Elior and Sodexho, along with the two biggest food product suppliers to the catering sector, 3663 and Brakes, to help them develop individual packages of commitments to provide healthier food for their customers at work. The five catering companies involved serve 1.5 million meals a day in the workplace and account for about 85% of the market.

Commitments have focused on the types of products and ingredients businesses buy, how dishes are prepared in the kitchen, the menu choices available, and nutritional information provided to customers in work canteens.

Examples of the voluntary commitments that businesses are making cover a range of activities, such as:

• swapping ingredients for lower fat, salt and sugar alternatives and making their use mandatory in all kitchens
• developing databases of healthier recipes to help chefs plan menus 
• removing salt cellars from tables 
• offering smaller portion sizes for overly indulgent foods 
• increasing the number of workplaces that have a dedicated healthy eating programme 
• providing more training on healthy cooking techniques for chefs and managers 
• developing new customer information and promotional activities for healthy options 
• suppliers to go further with programmes of salt and saturated fat reductions in their products and build on support and guidance for caterers on healthy meal practices

Rosemary Hignett, Head of Nutrition at the Food Standards Agency, said: 'Though we know people prepare and eat the majority of their meals at home, food eaten in the workplace does increasingly make up an important part of our daily diet.

'Meals consumed at work are often subsidised, they can account for at least one main meal per day - sometimes more - and in some cases employees are a captive audience with limited options.

'We know the catering sector is a key area and this is an important step in the right direction. We strongly welcome the commitments these businesses have made, which will enable people to make sensible choices about their diet, no matter where they eat. We’d like to see more businesses do the same and intend to develop this work further.'

Eating out is often a leisure activity but is also becoming part of our regular diet. The Agency intends to work with the full range of catering businesses to contribute to this work, in a way that fits the style of their business and meets the needs of customers. The Agency will monitor the progress of this work and further details of this activity will be published throughout 2008.

The commitments that caterers are making are publicly available and the businesses involved will report back to the Agency on their progress on a six-monthly basis.

The foods we eat outside the home make up an increasingly important part of our diet. Dietary surveys show that men consume about a quarter of their calories outside the home, and women about a fifth – and the food we eat outside the home tends to be higher in fat, salt and sugar.

For many people, the food they eat in the workplace forms a large proportion of the food they eat out. Around three million meals are eaten at work every day, two million of which are prepared by contract caterers. Meals in the workplace are sometimes the only option for employees and they can account for at least one main meal per day, sometimes more.

For these reasons, the Agency is developing a strategy for working with the catering sector, including workplace caterers, employers, restaurants and pubs. The approach encourages catering businesses to commit to activities that will help their customers to make healthier choices – the commitments are both voluntary and public.

Working with major workplace caterers is an important first step towards enabling people to make sensible, informed decisions to help achieve a balanced diet, no matter where they eat.

The Agency has worked closely with the largest catering companies operating in the business and industry sector in the UK, and is pleased to publish their voluntary commitments to practical changes that will deliver benefits to consumers eating at work throughout the country. This will result in positive changes to the 1.5 million meals served by these companies in the workplace every day, and around the same number again in other settings.

The Agency also welcomes commitments made by the two largest food suppliers to the catering sector, to continue action that will support the efforts of caterers, in every part of the sector, to provide healthier choices for their customers.