All that ‘free’ food at work comes at a cost

Study finds snacks in office add up to nearly 1,300 calories a week.

It’s no secret that cupcakes in the break room provide little nutrition. But a new report reveals that many Americans might be overindulging in snacks.

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently conducted a study, presented at a American Society for Nutrition meeting, to determine how many unhealthy foods employees consume while on the job.

To do so, they used data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Acquisition and Purchasing Survey, a national questionnaire on food purchases and acquisitions during a seven-day period.

The team specifically assessed the foods and beverages bought at work from vending machines or cafeterias or items that were snagged for free from common areas, meetings or worksite social events.

After analyzing the results, they found that nearly a quarter of the participants received food from work at least once a week averaging almost 1,300 calories. More than 70 percent of those calories came from food that was free.

Furthermore, not only were the foods high in calories, they also contained added sugars and high amounts of sodium. They also included very few whole grains and fruit.

“To our knowledge, this is the first national study to look at the food people get at work,” coauthor Stephen Onufrak said in statement. “Our results suggest that the foods people get from work do not align well with the recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.”

The researchers are encouraging employers to implement worksite wellness programs to promote healthier eating. They also believe foods in cafeterias or vending machines should follow proper food service guidelines.

“Since we found that a lot of the foods obtained by employees were free,” Onufrak, “employers may also want to consider healthy meeting policies to encourage healthy food options at meetings and social events.”