Why Feeding People Well Is Extra Important in Workplace Catering

“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are,” wrote French lawyer and gastronome Jean Brillat-Savarin in his 1826 book, Physiologie du Goût. He might also have added “tell me where you eat”. 

While interest in healthy, whole-food options is growing in many parts of the world, we have vastly less control over our own diets than we might think. Playing out against a backdrop of our own cultural references and personal relationships with food, research shows that our choices are heavily influenced by our environments, including what’s on offer, how easy it is for us to access, how it’s advertised, the language used to describe it and what price it is. 

As proven by the extensive research carried out by EAT-Lancet in constructing the Planetary Health Diet, human health and that of our environment are two sides of the same coin. What's good for the planet is, in general, what is good for our bodies, too — but, across much of the world’s population, neither is being sufficiently nourished. Recognising the hugely influential role of our food environments in our dietary choices means that those in control of those environments have the opportunity to change this for the better. 

Imagine the change we could create if restaurants and other food businesses made healthy, nourishing foods the most appealing, irresistible options on the menu? What if fibre-rich, protein-packed, whole food plant-based options were designed to be nourishing and satiating; comforting, crunchy, creamy or crisp, gooey or spicy, hearty or wholesome; made with local, in-season ingredients; and described with the provenance of these ingredients front and centre? What if eating well was simply a no-brainer? 

Why feeding people well matters even more in workplace catering 

While all types of hospitality business should be aiming for the above, nowhere is nutrition a more impactful consideration than for workplace caterers. In any workplace, the food available on-site forms a fundamental part of daily life, meaning that its nutritional value has a significant long-term impact on the health and lives of employees. This presents operators with a real responsibility to act as stewards for the wellbeing of their teams, and means that menu design should be considered with especial care. 

To highlight how organisations can ensure a daily offering that's  offering that’s healthy, sustainable and delicious, we spoke to two of the businesses in our Food Made Good network. 

Eddie Laposi-Jinks is Head of Social Value at Genuine Dining, a workplace catering company based in the UK. The first of Genuine Dining’s locations completed the Food Made Good Standard earlier this year, earning three stars. “Workplace catering carries a different responsibility to other sectors because it forms part of people’s routine. For many, it represents a significant proportion of their weekly diet,” says Eddie. “That creates an opportunity to support long-term wellbeing in a way that is subtle but consistent. Done well, it contributes not just to physical health, but to focus, productivity and a sense of being looked after.” 

Hsiu-Yueh Su, MS, RD is the Director at the Nutrition Department in Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taiwan, currently working through the Food Made Good Standard. “Hospital employees frequently face high stress, long hours and shift work, and often rely on heavy meals, fast food or convenience store meals for lunch,” Su explains. “We support a balanced diet by providing high-quality protein, low-fat, high-fibre healthy bento boxes to reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, hypertension and diabetes. The cafeteria also provides a comfortable dining environment to help relieve work stress.” 

Let’s explore what feeding people well at work looks like in practice. 

“Food at work is never just food.” 

“Food at work is never just food. It influences energy, concentration, mood and how people feel throughout the day,” says Eddie. “In a workplace setting, that impact is repeated daily, which means catering has a unique role to play in shaping habits, wellbeing and even culture over time.” 

At Genuine Dining, nutrition is not approached as a set of rules or restrictions, but rather sits within a broader view of what hospitality should feel like for diners. “The aim is not to tell people what they should eat, but to create an environment where the food naturally supports how they want to feel: balanced, energised, and able to perform at their best,” Eddie explains. This begins with menu design. Rather than labelling individual dishes as “healthy” or “indulgent”, the focus is instead on creating balance across the whole offer. “Variety, colour, fibre, plant-forward dishes, quality proteins and hydration all play a role,” says Eddie. “The intention is simple: people should leave feeling better than when they arrived.” 

Behind the scenes at Genuine Dining, there is also a growing focus on bringing more rigour into how food is developed and delivered. "Tools like Nutritics allow for better nutritional understanding across our menus, helping us to balance flavour, cost and wellbeing without compromising on any one area,” Eddie shares. “At the same time, platforms like Chefs Eye provide visibility on food waste, enabling teams to refine production and reduce excess. Where surplus does occur, partnerships such as Olio ensure that good food can still have value beyond the counter.” 

Eddie believes that this overall approach reflects a wider shift in how workplace catering is viewed. “Feeding people well is not only about what is on the plate,” he says. “It is about how food is sourced, prepared, served and, ultimately, valued.” 

What’s good for us is good for the planet 

Meanwhile, in Taipei, the Nutrition Department designed a low-carbon offering that would, by nature, emphasise plant-based foods and unrefined carbohydrates, recognising the link between dietary health and the health of our planet. “These foods help stabilise blood sugar and are expected to improve accuracy in medical practice,” says Su. The Department is also cognisant of the hospital’s role as a guardian of public health, within which the employee cafeteria serves as a practical health education setting. “By reducing environmental impact through low-carbon meals, the hospital not only fulfils our sustainability goals, but also demonstrates leadership in health equity and climate governance, encouraging employees to become pioneers of sustainable living while caring for patients.” 

“The core mission of this initiative is to promote low-carbon diets to advance the idea of sustainable development, raise public awareness and inspire changes in daily life toward more sustainable living,” says Su. To accomplish this, the Department designed low-carbon bento boxes, reduced food waste and began providing sustainability education. “We aim to influence employees' and the public's knowledge, behaviours and environmental impact. Additionally, through the spillover effect of outreach activities — including participant sharing, social media exposure, and follow-up promotion — we hope to engage more people with low-carbon diets, broaden societal support and practice, and fulfil the hospital's commitment to sustainable development and social responsibility.” 

Each low-carbon bento box is designed following the Green Dining Pledge, which includes choosing local ingredients, minimising processing, eating more vegetables, selecting diverse foods and eating appropriate amounts. In sourcing ingredients for the boxes, they’ve switched to organic vegetables and partnered with one of Taiwan's domestic organic vegetable suppliers. 

The team calculated the carbon emissions of the low-carbon bento design. “A low-calorie, low-carbon bento reduces emissions by 38.6%, and a vegetarian bento reduces them by 94.4%,” says Su. “Given that vegetarian meals can reduce carbon emissions by so much, we actively promote Meatless Monday, offering vegetarian bentos to employees at half-price.” This initiative increased demand for meat-free bentos to 100 boxes per day, effectively encouraging plant-based dietary choices. 

The challenges of providing Nutritious Workplace meals

Eddie says it’s important to avoid creating the appearance of a false choice between nutritious food and desirable food. “If something feels worthy or restrictive, people will simply choose something else. The answer is not to remove choice, but to make the better choice the most appealing one. That comes down to flavour, presentation, positioning and consistency. Good food will always win.” 

Format plays an important role in making healthy food an easy choice. “The way food is displayed, sequenced and served has a significant influence on behaviour,” he says. “A vibrant salad bar, a well-curated hot counter, seasonal grab-and-go options and thoughtful beverage offers all help guide decisions without needing to say too much. In a workplace environment, convenience matters. If the most nourishing option is also the easiest and most appealing, uptake follows naturally.” 

For Su, one of the challenges her team has faced is that local and organic products can be more expensive to procure. “The hospital has been very supportive, subsidising the additional costs of producing our low-carbon bentos — including increased procurement costs for local and organic ingredients,” she says. To encourage employees to return reusable containers, they launched a stamp-card programme, redeeming 10 stamps for one free bento. “Combined with the half-price Meatless Monday promotion, the hospital provides subsidies of up to NT$400,000 per year. This helps employees feel the tangible benefit of choosing meals that are good for their health and the planet, strengthening their sense of belonging to the hospital.” 

Telling the story 

This work can be communicated to customers in different ways. For the Nutrition Department, the goal is to promote the importance of ESG and low-carbon diets. “We aim to advance sustainable development, raise public awareness and inspire real change in everyday life,” says Su. To accomplish this, the Department has hosted sustainability and green food courses and low-carbon bento tasting sessions during lunch hours, targeting hospital staff, community residents and Taipei Medical University students and faculty.  

Inside the employee cafeteria, they’ve installed a low-carbon concept photo wall and rotate low-carbon dietary posters at the entrance. “We also spread the message through multimedia channels, including the hospital lobby TV wall, outpatient area digital posters, the health newsletter, and computer screensavers throughout the entire hospital,” she says. Completing the Food Made Good Standard will allow them to communicate their sustainability work even more effectively, while their tailored FMG action plan will support them in continuing to grow their sustainable bento initiative. 

For Eddie, there’s no need for heavy messaging at Genuine Dining’s sites. “In most cases, the food itself should do the talking,” he says. “Freshness, colour, seasonality and quality are more powerful than any label. With clients, the conversation is broader. Nutrition becomes part of a wider discussion around workplace wellbeing, culture and performance.” 

“At its best, workplace catering is not about control; it is about care, and creating environments where people feel energised, supported and able to make choices that work for them, day after day.” 

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