Foods and Beverages Obtained at Worksites in the United States

Abstract

Background-Nutrition interventions are a common component of worksite wellness programs and have been recognized as an effective strategy to change employee dietary behaviors. However, little is known about worksite food behaviors or the foods that are obtained at workplaces at the national level. Objective-The aims were to examine the frequency of obtaining foods at work among employed US adults and the amount of money spent obtaining them, determine the foods most commonly obtained at work, and assess the dietary quality of these foods. Design-This is a cross-sectional analysis of data from the USDA Food Acquisition and Purchasing Survey (FoodAPS), a nationally representative household survey conducted from April 2012 through January 2013 on food purchases and acquisitions during a seven-day study period. Participants-The study included 5222 employed adult Americans. Main outcome measures-The study assessed the prevalence of obtaining any foods at work overall and according to sociodemographic subgroups, number of acquisitions and calories obtained, most commonly obtained foods and leading food sources of calories, and HEI-2010 scores that represent dietary quality. Statistical analyses performed-Prevalence estimates of obtaining ≥1 foods at work were compared according to sociodemographic characteristic using chi-square tests. Results-Nearly a quarter (23.4%) of working adults obtained foods at work during the week and the foods they obtained averaged 1292 kcal per person/week. The leading food types obtained included foods typically high in solid fat, added sugars, or sodium, such as pizza, soft drinks, cookies/brownies, cakes and pies, and candy. HEI scores suggest that work foods are high in empty calories, sodium, and refined grains and low in whole grains and fruit.

Barriers and facilitators to implementation of menu labelling interventions from a food service industry perspective: a mixed methods systematic review

“…Over the past decade, eating outside the home has been highlighted as one of the many factors contributing to poor dietary habits worldwide. Studies have shown that eating outside the home is associated with higher energy and fat intake, lower micronutrient intake [3][4][5][6][7], increased body fat and weight gain [8][9][10][11]. The average energy content of main meals served in both fast food and full service restaurants exceed public health recommendations (i.e.…”

Free Food at Work: A Concept Analysis

“…The term “free food” was most appropriately used in describing this concept; however, no definition of the term was found. Onufrak, Zaganjor, Pan, et al (2019) contributed the first quantitative examination of foods and beverages commonly acquired by employees in the workplace (both purchased and free). In this work, the authors named the food acquired without employee monetary costs as “free food.” “Free food” was mentioned in three separate studies that examined the workplace dietary behaviors of low-wage workers, but the term was not described or studied further (Blake et al, 2009; Strickland et al, 2015; Tabak et al, 2018).…”

“…Free food at work was a socially accepted currency that was exchanged for many reasons and from many sources. The types of free foods were often indulgent comfort foods, which were more desirable in stressful work environments thus impacting the influence on employee dietary behaviors (Clohessy et al, 2019; Horton Dias & Dawson, 2020; Onufrak, Zaganjor, Pan, et al, 2019; Strickland et al, 2015; Tabak et al, 2018).…”

“…Long-term health effects of regular free food consumption are not known. What little was described in the literature suggested that free foods were often high calorie and of low nutritional value, which could contribute to overweight, obesity, and other metabolic chronic diseases (Onufrak, Zaganjor, Pan, et al, 2019). Some employees who were concerned with eating healthy, may feel sabotaged, guilty, or shamed by free food at work (Cheung, 2003:; Horton Dias & Dawson, 2020; Taber, 2014).…”

“…In another analysis of a national survey, 16.8% of employees reported consuming free food at work with an average of 1,206 Kcal per person per week and accounted for 68.5% of all calories obtained at work (Onufrak, Zaganjor, Pan, et al, 2019). The leading types of free foods consumed were foods high in fat, sodium, sugar, and empty calories (pizza, sandwiches, soft drinks, cookies/brownies; Onufrak, Zaganjor, Pan, et al, 2019). Depending on workplace setting, the frequency of occurrence and amount of additional Kcal likely varies.…”