Work, employee diet and productivity

As of late, a lot of has been said (and done) about making a connection between poor quality school dinners and an adverse effect on how children perform academically, behaviourably, etc. - see for example: Food for thought (Lucy Wilkins - BBC News: Magazine) and TV chef welcomes £280m meals plan (BBC News: Education). Now that the nation's consciousness has been raised about the diet of children, it seems that attention has now turned to the diet of workers, i.e. claiming that a poor diet is significant factor in low business productivity. In the article Snacking at work blamed for unfit employees (Louise Gray - The Scotsman) it is claimed:

Workers said that stress and a lack of time leaves little room for healthy eating [and] [m]ore than half admitted struggling with low energy levels as a result, with a quarter calling for afternoon naps to be allowed.

The issue of employee diet clearly goes far beyond what is and may be good for businesses, but it seems the first part in addressing poor eating habits whilst at work may be to consider The lost art of lunching, i.e. reducing a typical workers lunch break to a few fleeting moments to gobble down a sandwich (Duncan Walker, BBC News: Magazine).

Also worth consulting is Why turning up to work could make you healthy to see how the British government wishes to offices into a training ground for fitness (Denis Campbell and Anushka Asthana, The Observer).

One new blog to add: Life in the NHS - about being a NHS manager and life in general.