To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an Art. - Nutritional Transparency for Healthy Workplaces.

Employees must have access to accurate information about the food and drinks being offered at the workplace. This is where nutritional transparency comes into play. By providing transparent information about the nutritional content of office food, snacks and beverages, employers can help employees make informed choices about what they eat and drink.

What is nutritional transparency, and why do we need it in our offices?

Nutritional transparency can be defined as “the disclosure of nutritional information that is accurate, understandable, and readily accessible.” This includes calorie counts, nutrition facts, ingredient information, and other nutritional data. As a result, employers can encourage healthy eating habits and create a healthy office environment by providing employees with this information.

Having healthy options available is essential to any beneficial office workplace strategy. By providing nutritional transparency, employers can ensure that employees have access to healthy and nutritious choices.

How can nutritional transparency help improve office health and productivity?

Nutritional transparency has the potential to reduce unhealthy snacking and encourage healthy eating. By providing clear information about what’s in office snacks, employees can make better decisions about what they eat, leading to more nutritious choices and improved overall health.

What are some benefits of implementing a nutritional transparency policy in your office?

Having a nutritional transparency policy in your office can have numerous benefits.

• Employees will have more information and control over what they eat, leading to healthier choices and improved overall health.
• Employers may find that transparency policies can help reduce costs associated with unhealthy snacks in the workplace.
• Providing nutritional information can help employees make more informed decisions, improving productivity.

How can you start creating a nutritional transparency policy for your office?

Creating a nutritional transparency policy for your office is easier than you think.

• Could you start by researching nutrition information and labels for the food and beverages in your office?
• Once you have identified the items that need nutritional transparency labelling, could you create a policy document outlining what information be included?
• Could you include signage or labelling to display the nutritional information?
• Finally, could you train your staff to properly present and explain the nutritional content of the office snacks and beverages?

A nutritional transparency policy can help create a healthy office environment that encourages healthy eating habits.

What challenges may you face when implementing a nutritional transparency policy, and how can you overcome them?

Provide Nutritional Information:

Food offerings:

For packaged foods and beverages, including items in vending machines and self-service bulk foods, sold or provided daily by (or under contract with) the project owner, the following nutrition information is displayed at point-of-decision on the packaging or adjacent signage:

1. Total calories per serving or package.

2. Macronutrient content (total protein, total fat, and total carbohydrate) in weight and as a percentage of the estimated daily requirements (daily values) per serving or package.

3. Total sugar content per serving or package.

For Dining Spaces in Workplaces:

The following requirements must be met for all menu items that are either sold or provided by the organization:

1. The number of calories in each standard food menu item, as usually prepared and offered for sale, is displayed on menus and menu boards.

2. The macro-nutrient content (total protein, total fat, and total carbohydrate) and total sugar content of each standard menu item are available upon request. Address Food Allergens If food is prepared on-site daily by (or under contract with) the organization, the following requirements should be met:

All restaurant/ food staff receives yearly food allergy training that covers, at the very least:

Overview of food allergies:

• Anaphylaxis
• Emergency response
• Communications protocols
• Reducing risk for cross-contact
• Use of recipes and ingredient disclosure
• Knowledge test

During hours of operation, at least one food staff member with food allergy training within the past year is present to handle questions and special requests from individuals with food allergies.

Food allergy signage:

Suppose food is prepared on-site daily by (or under contract with) the organization. In that case, the following requirement should be met:?

Point-of-decision signage prompts individuals to report any potential food allergies to a staff.

Label Sugar Content

For standard menu items sold or provided by (or under contract with) the organization, one of the following requirements is met:

1. Standard menu items do not contain more than 25 g of sugar per serving.

2. The total sugar content for each standard menu item, prepared and offered for sale, is displayed at the point of decision on menus and menu boards (in addition to calories as required).

3. An icon on menus and menu boards identifies standard menu items containing more than 25 g of sugar per serving.

Conclusion:

Nutritional transparency can be a powerful tool to help create healthy office environments and encourage healthy eating habits. However, implementing a nutritional transparency policy requires careful consideration of the various requirements and concerns, such as providing nutritional information, addressing food allergens, labeling sugar content, and more.

FAQs:

What is nutritional transparency?

Nutritional transparency provides detailed nutritional information about food offerings to customers or employees, either on the point of decision or upon request.