8 Ways to Help Employees Eat More Produce

2-minute read

With minimal time and effort, employers can adopt produce first as an overarching foundation for effective workplace nutrition programs.

This approach is inclusive; it’s beneficial for everyone and easy to remember:

Focus on produce first — giving top priority to nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.

Increased adherence to healthy change is the most significant benefit. Concrete, succinct concepts are easier for people to learn, retain, and act on than ideas with multiple rules and examples.¹ The most sophisticated and well-intentioned nutrition programs fail if participants think they’re too complicated or restrictive.

How Can You Simplify Workplace Nutrition Programs for Success?

Simplicity — the essential ingredient for long-term nutrition improvement — can:

• Promote healthy eating habits
• Improve participation with easy-to-remember, easy-to-follow guidelines
• Decrease confusion caused by information overload
• Streamline program planning
• Inspire long-term well-being
• Maximize compliance with dietary guidelines
• Reduce average healthcare costs/participant.

More ideas to promote success:

1. Make convenience count. Keep grab-and-go snacks like apples, oranges, and bananas easily accessible in cafeterias and vending areas. Label produce-rich choices healthy or sustainable for enhanced appeal.²
2. Concentrate on the spectrum of produce. Inspire employees to focus on color, variety, and freshness instead of counting calories or weighing portions.³ Brighter, deeper hues not only look and taste better, they also indicate higher concentrations of vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals.
3. Underscore education. Provide workers with plentiful practical tips (such as knowing what makes up a serving and putting produce at the top of the grocery list) as well as easy vegetable/fruit recipes.
4. Spread the word. Post produce first messages throughout work spaces — break rooms, cafeterias, online — to inspire consistent healthy choices.
5. Create a positive atmosphere and help make wellness-promoting nutrition habits permanent with support from coworkers and team leaders.
6. Remember happiness matters. Accentuate the emotional and psychological benefits of this simplified nutrition approach. The enhanced sense of well-being and satisfaction from healthier eating matters as much as with physical activity.
7. Call for action. Emphasize that physical activity in conjunction with a healthy, produce-based diet yields the best results. Good nutrition and an active lifestyle go hand in hand.
8. Unify your approach. Reach out to all levels of staff and leadership to be part of produce first to enhance unity and create a positive culture for change.

Studies show that people learn, retain, and act on simple guidelines like produce first more successfully than nutrition plans with complex rules. Employers who implement and enthusiastically support workplace nutrition initiatives like produce first see near-term gains — happier, healthier employees and increased retention — in addition to future reductions in healthcare costs. Read Produce First: A Compelling Case for Simplicity to learn more.

¹ Feldman J. The Simplicity Principle in Human Concept Learning. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2003:12(6):227-232, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1046/j.0963-7214.2003.01267.x
² Sleboda P, Bruine de Bruin W, Gutsche T, Arvai J. Don’t Say “Vegan” or “Plant-Based”: Food Without Meat and Dairy Is More Likely to Be Chosen When Labeled as “Healthy” and “Sustainable.” Journal of Environmental Psychology, 2024, Volume 93, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494423002657
³ Robinson L, Segal R. Healthy Eating. March 2023, https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/healthy-eating.htm