The Chips Are Down For UK Workers?

[Torneyboy]

 

 

 

The chips are down for UK workers

21/08/2003

 

The majority of British workers cannot resist chips, burgers and fry-ups at lunchtime, despite the fact that 42 per cent believe they are overweight and that more than one in 20 have suffered health problems as a direct result of their diet.

 

 

A report from recruitment company Pertemps has shown that chips are likely to feature on 10 per cent of workers? lunch menus every day, with two thirds of the entire workforce indulging themselves at least once a week.

 

Pertemps questioned 500 people working in factories, warehouses and other industrial jobs nationwide and found that cooked meals are their most popular lunchtime fare.

 

Dishes eaten most regularly included:

 

Burger and chips (22 per cent)

Jacket potato (20 percent)

Fry-up (12 per cent)

Pasta (12 per cent)

59 per cent of respondents dined at their work canteen every day, while nearly a third (32 per cent) used it two or three times a week.

 

Convenience was the most common reason for using a work canteen (56 per cent), while 30 per cent were attracted by the prospect of subsidised meals.

 

The majority of work canteens had a good selection of food. Seventy three per cent of respondents said their canteens catered for vegetarians and 13 per cent for vegans.

 

Fifty two per cent served healthy options for the calorie conscious and 20 per cent catered for people with food intolerances.

 

Eighty three per cent of work canteens provided fresh fruit.

 

However, 52 per cent of respondents bought fresh fruit only occasionally and 15 per cent never did.

 

Overweight workers risk the possibility of high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes and angina, with obesity also linked to diabetes and cancer. The Department of Health advises that up to a third of deaths from cancer and heart disease - the country's two biggest killers - could be prevented by better diet.

 

Tim Watts, chairman of Pertemps, said: ?While employers are generally doing a good job in providing healthy eating options at work, it?s disturbing to discover that so many staff threaten damaging their health with fried foods.

 

?Cutting down on these foods and replacing them with healthier options would have a major impact on health and well-being. The benefit for both staff and employers is clear, with fewer days of work being lost through illness.?

 

 

 

So you UK guys no more chips for lunch??