The workplace is where we spend a large proportion of our lives: about 60% of our time is spent at work! It is also the place where we eat at least one of our meals every day. Clearly, the workplace is an important setting to promote healthy lifestyles. Companies play a vital role in helping to improve their employees’ health, and thus decrease medical costs, reduce absenteeism and increase productivity.

Unhealthy eating and the Cardiovascular disease link

Cardiovascular disease is the number one non-infectious killer worldwide, and South Africa is no exception. Globally, 1 in 3 men and 1 in 4 women will develop a heart problem by age 60. An important contributor to this global pandemic is unhealthy eating , and in the context of many South Africans eating one or more meals away from home, what is being eaten in the workplace is very relevant in our fight against
cardiovascular disease. These quick, unhealthy foods 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. However, some small changes can result in huge rewards. The workplace should be a place where people are enabled and empowered to make healthy choices. By making healthy choices available and accessible, the risk of
cardiovascular disease can be significantly reduced!

Healthy Hearts @ Work Canteen Programme

The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa has developed the Healthy Hearts @ Work Canteen Programme to assist, guide and support companies in turning their workplaces into heart healthy ones.

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 healthy food choices and to encourage staff members to eat a variety of foods in line with the HSFSA’s healthy eating guidelines, specifically:
  • 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 which can help to fight the cardiovascular disease pandemic.

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 and buying whole wheat flour for baking. 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 the Healthy 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 recertification 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 recertification will be presented with new certificates.

The HSFSA commitment 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 1 43278 (0860 1 HEART)),
  
• Providing 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 Lucy Gericke at lucy@heartfoundation.co.za or on 021 403 6451.