Health as a trend is nothing new. Guests have been making conscious food choices for years now, so we don’t need to tell you this. However, what has changed is the way in which a healthy lifestyle is practised now. A little cake to give you a mental lift is a good idea, finds today’s consumer.
From reducing to balanced
These days, everyone understands that food contributes to your well-being. It is reasonably well-known that you eat blueberries for the antioxidants and broccoli for the vitamins. However, where the focus used to be on less fat, fewer carbohydrates or fewer calories, these days the magic word is ‘balanced’.
Changed dietary habits
The protein transition process i.e. the changeover to fewer animal-based and more plant-based proteins, is the most well-known measure to make our food system more sustainable. Despite this, we are not seeing a mass shift to a vegetarian or vegan diet. Guests do want more plant-based options in company restaurants, but without completely giving up animal products. This is why there are now far more ‘flexitarians’ in particular, whereas fully plant-based diets are only slowly increasing in popularity. Statistics point out that about 2% of all Dutch people are vegetarian, with 0.5% of the population eating fully plant based.
Mental well-being
During long days full of deadlines and meetings, employees treat themselves to a little snack to have a ‘feelgood moment’. Taking a quick break with something tasty fits in well with a healthy lifestyle. This is because the definition of well-being has been broadened. In addition to physical health, mental well-being is important too. Staying mentally fit means not just getting enough exercise and healthy nutrition but also letting go of the reins sometimes and going for a piece of chocolate cake.
Enjoyment versus healthy food
It’s very true for the convenience generations – Millennials and Generation Z – that enjoyment is just as important as health. Research by the FSIN shows that an overwhelming 89% of the Dutch people find it important to eat healthily at work but 69% of Millennials and 66% of Generation Z-ers do say that they primarily visit the company restaurant or school canteen to enjoy their food. This makes it difficult to achieve fibre and saturated fat targets. Getting guests to eat less sugar, salt and fewer carbohydrates is easier to achieve with the right menu and smart preparation.
Balanced enjoyment
This is where the interests of employers and employees conflict. Companies want boot-camp sessions, salad buffets and meditation apps to keep their staff in top form. A survey amongst our clients reveals 73% of them have a vitality or fitness programme. As an employee, soon you will hardly be able to avoid your boss’s good intentions. However, a wagging finger will encounter resistance. Above all, employees want to eat what they find tasty. This can mean something other than a salad with soup, such as a comforting sausage roll, that affordable chocolate bar or a quick and convenient snack. We call this ‘balanced enjoyment’.
