Food manufacturers should get their own house in order

Marks & Spencer's chief executive Stuart Rose was recently seen giving up his Bentley and driving an environmentally friendly hydrogen-powered BMW to work in an effort to be consistent with the retailer's Plan A green credentials.

Surely it won't be long before such consistency is also demanded in the field of health and wellness. Perhaps we will soon find consumers questioning the exercise and eating habits of the board of directors for example.

Another potential issue that may become subject to consumer scrutiny is the way that a company feeds its employees. Company canteens often offer the very food, which the manufacturers are advising consumers, through labelling or other means, that they shouldn't be eating in large quantities. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) figures show that only 25% of UK organisations (combined private and public sector) provide a healthy menu in their employee canteen and only 2% have personalised healthy programmes for employees.

The food industry needs to think about consistency and transparency in this area as much as any environmental one. And if the threat of another media attack at the hands of ever more demanding consumers is not sufficient, figures indicate that there is even a financial incentive to companies taking better care of the nutrition of their employees. One UK based non-food multinational reduced its absenteeism rates by 15% following employees' completion of an email-based questionnaire on health and wellness on which they were provided with feedback.

With the average annual cost of staff absence standing at £618 per employee in the food, drink and tobacco sector (CIPD national survey 2006), the potential savings are not insignificant. In the US, where some companies have been even more proactive, absenteeism has been reduced by between 20 and 40%. There is even the possibility of reducing health insurance costs when active health and wellness programmes are in place.

There are thus potential multiple benefits for food and drink manufacturers putting in place an active strategy for improving employee wellness. One group of medical professionals attempting to facilitate this process, through the set up and operation of in-house schemes, has rapidly found itself inundated with take-up - change is clearly already underway.

Stephanie French​ is a freelance nutrition strategy consultant, http://www.nutritiondirections.co.uk​