1 in 4 of your female colleagues and 1 in 3 of your male colleagues can die as a result of heart disease. these shocking statistics led to the establishment of the HSFSA’s Healthy Hearts @ Work Canteen Programme. The theme of this year’s past World Heart Day celebration was “Work with Heart”.

What is the Healthy Hearts @ Work Canteen Programme?

A company’s greatest investment is its employees. The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSFSA) has launched an innovative programme that can assist companies to invest in the nutritional well being of their employees. The Healthy Hearts @ Work Canteen Programme is designed to encourage healthy food choices and healthy eating practices at the workplace. The overall objectives of the Programme are to:

• encourage employers to make more nutritious meals and snacks available at the workplace (e.g. in staff restaurants/canteens, tuck shops or vending machines)
• educate and motivate employees to make heart healthier food choices
• encourage staff members to eat a variety of foods in line with the HSFSA’s healthy eating guidelines of:
• reducing total fat and saturated fat
• increasing fibre, vegetables and fruit
• reducing salt and sugar

This Programme provides companies with an excellent opportunity to implement a positive intervention that can benefit the health of the workforce.

Benefits of the Healthy Hearts @ WorkCanteen Programme

By adopting a healthy eating programme the company and employees will benefit from:

• improved productivity
• reduced absenteeism
• increased morale
• improved corporate public image
• improved cardiovascular health (reduced risk of heart disease and stroke)

Unhealthy eating and the cardiovascular disease link

Cardiovascular disease is the world’s number one killer, claiming 17.5 million lives each year. In South Africa approximately 195 people die every day due to some form of heart and blood vessel disease. Despite the high death rates caused by AIDS in our country, it is estimated that premature deaths caused by cardiovascular disease in people of working age are expected to increase by 41% by 2030. This will have huge negative impacts on companies and the South African economy as a whole.

The overweight and obesity pandemic is quickly becoming a global public health concern and statistics in South Africa are alarming, where 56% of women and 29% of men are overweight or obese. A contributory factor is that many South Africans are eating food that is prepared outside of the home.…in restaurants, take-away establishments and canteens. What is of concern is these quick foods are often unhealthy and are typically:

• LARGE or ‘super-sized’ portions which have a high energy density
• HIGH in fat (especially saturated and trans fats)
• HIGH in refined carbohydrates
• LOW in fibre and micronutrients (poor in vegetables, fruit, legumes and grains)
• HIGH in salt and added sugars

As a result many people are working in environments which promote the development of obesity as well as conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Healthy eating in the workplace

Attaining a healthy diet would require people to make wise choices when eating food prepared away from home. As food choices play a significant role in the development of cardiovascular disease, it is vital for employers to provide healthier food choices at the workplace and encourage healthier eating habits. This can play a major role in helping to reduce the obesity pandemic and the burden of cardiovascular disease in the South African workforce.

The Accreditation Process

• Catering Audit 
  To determine what changes are needed to provide healthy food choices, a HSFSA dietitian will conduct an audit at the workplace catering facility. The purpose of the audit is to assist the catering manager to adopt healthier cooking practices and provide healthier food choices for staff, without incurring huge costs. The aim of the Programme is not to change the entire canteen menu, but to provide guidelines and simple recommendations on how to make the canteen menu a heart healthy one.

• Monitoring Audit
  After the initial audit, the catering staff will be required to make the necessary changes, e.g. ordering low fat milk, buying wholewheat flour for baking, etc. A follow up monitoring visit will be done by the dietitian 8 - 10 weeks after the initial audit to check and assist in the implementation of the HSFSA recommendations.

• Certification with the Healthy Hearts @ Work Award 
  After successful implementation of healthy eating practices, the company will be given theHealthy Hearts @ Work Award, certifying that the restaurant/canteen provides healthy options meeting HSFSA standards.
  

• Follow-up re-certification spot-check
  To help ensure that the HSFSA recommendations and healthy catering principles have become incorporated successfully in the company’s restaurant/canteen over the long term, follow-up re-certification audits may be done every year. The HSFSA dietitian will conduct the re-certification spot-check and offer ongoing dietary advice to catering managers if required. Workplaces that qualify for re-certification will be presented with new certificates.

The HSFSA commitment

The Heart and Stroke Foundation SA commits to:

• Conducting catering audits, monitoring visits and re-certification spot-checks of the company restaurant/canteen,
• Providing companies with training, advice and guidelines as to how to make the staff restaurant/canteen, tuck shop and vending machines healthier,
• Providing healthy catering guidelines/resource tools with specific reference to fats, fibre, fruit and vegetables, salt and sugar Providing certification to companies that have successfully implemented HSFSA healthy eating guidelines,
• Providing ongoing assistance and dietary advice to catering managers (and employees via the Heart Mark Diet Line at 0860 223 222),
• Providing bi-monthly newsletters via email about topical health issues and tips about changing to a healthier lifestyle. 

Contact details

If you would like more information about the Healthy Hearts @ Work Canteen Programme, please contact Robin Key at robin@heartfoundation.co.za or 021 447 4222.