Food at worksites
Work, food and health are connected! The availability of good and healthy food is important for the physical and social health of the employee, how well the work is performed and also safety at work. Worksites and working hours are very different, as is the amount and type of research done in this area in Denmark and Sweden.
Mapping of knowledge in Denmark & Sweden
A Danish/Swedish working group with researchers from the Technical University of Denmark and the University of Lund, Sweden, has mapped this area thoroughly. In addition a workshop in September 2008 contributed with valuable inputs and experiences from Danish and Swedish stakeholders involved in this area. The first output from this work was a Danish/Swedish report on Food at worksites ( "Mat på arbetet dygnet runt? Arbete - Tid - Måltid"). The report can be downloaded here, or you can order a free hardcopy by contacting Mie Bendtsen ( mie.bendtsen@oresund.org).
Uprising Nordic & Baltic cooperation
A conference on "Better Food at Work" took a step closer in order to expand the mapping to all Nordic & Baltic countries. Stakeholders involved in promotion of healthy eating at worksites were gathered to discuss knowledge from evidence based studies and best practices and to exchange knowledge and experiences. The conference took place in Tallinn in September 2009, and all Nordic and Baltic countries were represented. Excellent speakers, inspiring debates and networking were part of the conference, and a number of issues became clear:
1. A multi factorial approach is important in order to promote healthy eating habits at worksites
2. The Nordic and Baltic countries have very different histories and traditions regarding food at worksites and research within this area
3. There is a need for constructive cooperation across the Nordic & Baltic countries
Find the report & proceedings from the “Better Food at Work” conference here.
In addition, a special edition of the International Journal of Workplace Health Management (IJWHM), entitled "Better food at work: The Nordic Baltic experience," has been published ( Vol 3, issue 3). It includes selected presentations from the conference 'Better Food at Work'.
The "Better Food at Work" conference was arranged by Aalborg University (Ballerup Campus) in cooperation with the Estonian Institute for Health Development, Øresund Food and the Nordbalt programme/Nordic Council of Ministers.
Next steps for Food at Worksites
The need for cooperation across the Nordic & Baltic countries needs highlighting in the time to come - many constructive ideas were developed during the conference and a number of these are expected to evolve into interesting collaboration. Aalborg University (Ballerup Campus) has several activities within the area of food at worksites and food for many, and future collaborations and projects are bound to start up.
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