Bake’s off... Treasury warns staff about dangers of cake
CHANCELLOR Philip Hammond risked uproar among his civil servants — after moves were launched to curb office cake.
A “wellbeing” official at the Treasury suggested that office cake should be brought in less frequently.
The @UKCivilService Twitter account warned: “Are you guilty of snacking on cake when you’re at work? Could your office cake culture be a public health hazard?”
Liza Pawlowska, a member of the Wellbeing Workstream of the Mental Wellbeing Network in the Treasury, accepted that it is often “extremely difficult” to avoid processed treats such as cake.
“But I do think we need to be more mindful of what is on offer in the office (not just during Ramadan), and of those who may suffer from or be susceptible to diabetes, of those who have difficulty resisting, or of simply not putting a spanner in the works of your colleague’s New Year’s resolution,” she added.
“So, you ask, am I against ‘team cake’ on a Wednesday afternoon? I think it’s a great social tradition and should definitely continue to be a treat every once in a while, but perhaps the treats shouldn’t always be of the processed or sugary variety.”
She then added: “In any case, I’m not going to deny you the pleasure. Can you pass the strawberries and cream, please?”
Her words may appear at odds with those of the Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson — who famously said that his policy on cake is “pro having it and pro eating it”.