Workforce Nutrition Alliance Launches Online Guide

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• Workforce Nutrition Alliance Launches Online Guide

19 April 2021

A new set of innovative digital tools and resources has now been launched to support and guide employers to maximise the benefits to their business and their employees’ wellbeing.

Through the Workforce Nutrition Alliance, its founding partners, The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), have developed new online assessment and planning tools for employers to use in developing or enhancing their workforce nutrition programme. The tools are built on a four-pillar framework that supports: healthy food at work, nutrition education, nutrition health checks and breastfeeding support.
 

Global Health Concerns for Productivity

 

“Nutrition and hydration are important not just for worker health and safety, staying healthy is critical to the success of every business - including its bottom line."

– Dr Jo Lichten
Accredited Health Professional, Certified Speaking Professional 

 

One in three people worldwide suffers from malnutrition today, making it a massive global concern impacting individuals, businesses, and economies alike – in both developing and developed countries. 

The health impacts of COVID-19 on workforces are bringing heightened concerns to businesses worldwide. In response, employers around the globe are increasingly investing in the nutritional health of their employees, realizing the strong return on investment that comes with a healthy workforce.
 

Paying Attention to Physical Fuel

 

Dr. Jo Lichten is a recognized expert in the areas of workplace productivity and performance, and she spoke on our Workplace Excellence Re:Connect channel about motivation and realistic strategies for improving workplace performance, achieving optimal work/life integration and preventing burnout. 

Commenting on the promoting of this agenda through the Workforce Nutrition Alliance, Dr. Jo expressed its value technically. “Nutrition and hydration are important not just for worker health and safety, staying healthy is critical to the success of every business - including its bottom line. 

“Just look up the word calorie, and you'll realise that calories are a measurement of energy. Just as our cars and computers require fuel to operate, so do we! Humans turn food into fuel for physical, mental, and emotional energy. And, we operate better on healthier food options. 

“Since adults are 60 per cent water, staying hydrated optimizes performance as well. Research has shown that even just a one per cent dehydration can negatively affect energy level, mood, and performance.”

This clearly highlights how delicate the optimal state for the human body is. With changing routines suited to home working, many may have had the opportunity to reconsider their diets. This was a driving factor for the popularity of The Veganuary Campaign and Veganuary Workplace Challenge this year, with both corporate and individual support at an all time high. As offices repopulate, it’s the perfect time for employers to constructively support their workforce’s mental and physical health.

 

The Workforce Nutrition Initiative

 

“We are delivering these new tools at an important moment in time – when COVID19 is threatening the health and wellbeing of workers worldwide. By helping to bring healthier eating to employees at their workplace, we bring in a strategy for scalable success that can reach millions of people worldwide and have a powerful impact on fighting malnutrition globally, while protecting frontline workers and supporting our economies during these uncertain times,” said Lawrence Haddad, GAIN Executive Director.

“At The Consumer Goods Forum, our member companies understand the value of investing in the wellbeing of their employees, including their nutritional health. Through our partnership with GAIN, we are helping them to build better workforce nutrition programmes that ensure a healthy workforce today, and strong competitiveness into the future,” said Dr Wai-Chan Chan, CGF Managing Director.

Leading companies are now stepping forward to lend their weight to the expansion of workforce nutrition programmes across business sectors.

 

Freely Accessible Online Tools

The Workforce Nutrition Alliance has announced today that Olam International has been named a Lighthouse Leader for Nutrition Education in the workforce. Google, Inc has been named a Lighthouse Leader in Healthy Food at Work, and Unilever has been named a Lighthouse Leader in Nutrition Focused Health Checks.

Employers can now visit the Workforce Nutrition website to access the free online self-assessment and scorecard tool.

The process starts with assessing what an employer is doing now and helps guide them in developing a plan to enhance their programme. The tool can be used by an employer with one or multiple workplaces and enables them to assess their system-wide performance across different workplace types including factories, corporate offices, retail stores and warehouses; and across multiple regions.

The Workforce Nutrition Alliance is also developing an accompanying implementation support programme that will provide employers with access to leading technical experts that can guide them in putting their enhanced workforce nutrition programme into action. The programme will include resource materials as well as online video training courses.

In addition to experts from GAIN and The CGF, the Workforce Nutrition Alliance brings together key expert technical partners available to support employers, including: Access for Nutrition Index (ATNI), Alive and Thrive, BDA Work Ready, Eat Well Global, IGD, Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) Business Network, Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).     

The Alliance is also supported by a growing list of leading companies who are actively engaged in advancing workforce nutrition, including: Ajinomoto, A.S. Watson, Bel Group, Google, Grupo Éxito, Mars Incorporated, Migros Ticaret, Olam International and Unilever.
 

Picture: cooking utensils and food.

Article written by Bailey Sparkes | Published 19 April 2021

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