At Work - Overview

Because we spend so much time at work , it can have a big impact on our health. So it's important that both employees and employers take steps to create an environment that helps them eat better and move more. Although employees need to make the first move to improve their health, their efforts can be helped greatly when employers create policies and provide services that support employees' efforts.

If everyone works together, people can get healthier, be happier at work, and be more productive. Everyone wins.

Online Resources for Purchasing and Preparing Healthy Meals

In the fall of 2009 Governor Deval Patrick signed an Executive Order requiring state agencies to follow the Massachusetts State Food Standards  ensuring that healthy meals and snacks will be provided to their clients and patients. The standards encourage healthy food options such as: whole grains, fruits and vegetables (preferably locally grown), lean cuts of meat and poultry, alternative protein sources and non-fat dairy.

Although developed for state agencies, the Standards and the accompanying tools will help any company provide healthier foods for their employees or the individuals they serve. Audio and Video Clips for Preparing Healthy Meals is a collection of audio and video podcasts, some in Spanish, providing quick tips for making changes, learning new ways to approach the basics and easy-to-do substitutions for your food service. Healthy Eating and Nutrition Resources Online is a comprehensive library of links to a variety of resources including federal and state agencies, nonprofit organizations, along with academic and culinary institutions.

• EO509 - Fact Sheets for Buying and Preparing Healthy Foods (PDF)  file size 1MB