There is a food movement going on in the country. The focus is shifting away from the fast and cheap, toward foods that are fresh and “real”. And with this growing focus on healthy living and eating, it was only a matter of time before businesses began to see the benefit of promoting healthier lifestyles among employees.
Many companies are opting to ditch the high-calorie vending food options, replacing them instead with fresh or lower-calorie options in their bank of vending machines. Some are taking this a step further and offering micro-markets to their employees, such as Parks Pantry, which are set up like miniature convenience stores. Parks Pantry uses glass-front coolers and shelving units to display fresh-made salads, sandwiches, fruits and soups, or other popular snacks. Products are regularly restocked and rotated by a dedicated Parks Coffee employee. Each Parks Pantry unit is unmanned, and employees purchase products using a specialized check-out kiosk and assigned keytag.
According to Health.com’s article on Foods to power up your spring, eating well can make a person look and perform well. “Food, if it’s chosen well, can reshape our medical destinies for the better,” says Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale Prevention Research Center.
“We want healthier employees,” said Sharon Leese, vice president of human resources for Moravian Manor, a Lititz retirement community. “They have less days away from work and less work injuries,” she told the Intelligencer Journal / Lancaster New Era newspaper. “With the rising cost of health care,” she said, “we have to do whatever we can to make employees healthier.”