National Social Marketing Centre

 

Overview

‘Experience Food at Work’ was a pilot initiative that aimed to improve workplace eating behaviours at the Breckland District Council offices in Norfolk. Led by London-based design and behaviour change consultancy Uscreates, the project used creative research and co-design techniques to develop innovative methods to improve eating behaviours, such as encouraging staff to eat more fruit and vegetables during the work day and take lunch away from their workstation.

Five interventions were introduced: an honesty fruit bowl system; a visiting chef; a healthy lunch pack delivery service; health and nutrition MOTs with a dietician; and redesign of the communal eating facilities in the staff room.

One year after the interventions were introduced:

• 23 per cent of employees rated their lunch as healthier than a year ago
• The number of people who ate no fruit at work reduced by half
• 72 per cent of staff ate two or more portions of fruit at work
• The percentage of those who ate lunch at their desk every day dropped from 41 per cent to 29 per cent
• 70 per cent of action points for change set by employees at their MOTs had been achieved