Baptist Memorial Health Care has been working to make it simpler for team members to have healthy food choices available to them while at work. We got the scoop on those changes and what to expect in 2023 from Wellbeing Specialist Shannon Willoughby. Keep reading to learn more about these exciting changes and watch for BestHealth logos in the cafeteria!
What changes have been implemented to make it easier to eat healthy while at work?
We formed a nutrition committee in March, and we’re working with Morrison, our food service company, as well as vending and catering, so that we have healthier options for all three of those pillars across our system.
To make it easier to distinguish the healthier options in the cafeterias, we’ve put our BestHealth logos on items. Healthy foods include fruits and veggies, lean proteins, whole grains and healthy fats. We also have an appropriate standard for saturated fats, sodium and added sugars.
We’ve tried to make it psychologically easier to choose healthy foods in the cafeteria by moving things like chips and candy bars away from the checkout counters, replacing them with healthier options. In our vending machines, we moved all the healthier items to the top to be more eye-level and we put our less healthy items toward the bottom.
We’re also adding healthier options for Grab and Go in our Smart Markets so team members can eat well overnight when the cafeterias are closed.
We have updated the snacks and beverages in our Corporate Café to include healthier options and removed some of the things that are not healthy. Coke has been working in conjunction with Morrison to create more promotions for healthier items, such as combining a banana with Dasani water instead of chips with Coke. We’re working on changing the promotion on vending as well.
Have the changes also helped team members eat healthier at home?
We’ve gotten good direct feedback on the Farmers Market bags available for some team members to buy in the cafeteria and take home to cook. We’re ready to scale it across the system for next year so they’re available at all entities.
The bags come with recipes and are full of seasonal produce, like raw fruits and vegetables. We put a QR code on the bags so we can get feedback. Team members have really enjoyed them.
Why were the nutrition changes made?
Team members have been asking for healthier options, and the changes allow us to align better with what we’re teaching in our weight management programs. We want all team members to have healthier options for food while at work.
What’s ahead for 2023?
A goal for 2023 is to identify all the ratios of unhealthy versus healthy foods available in every entity and start moving that number so that more than 50% of offerings are healthy in all entities. Morrison will continue to update their retail menu to incorporate healthier items to help us meet that goal next year. And we’re also looking at moving the vending machine choices toward that goal of more than 50% healthy.
One big change will be on the catering menu. We’re going to include BestHealth menu options for catering, and we’re hoping to roll out the new menu in the first quarter. Our goal is not to force anyone into the healthy options, but to make sure they’re aware of them. The less healthy options will still be available. We’re also thinking about adding the BestHealth logo to food items available in the physician lounges.
As I mentioned earlier, we’re going to make the Farmers Market bags available across the system next year. Going along with that, we’re also hoping to bring back our teaching kitchen, an on-site kitchen where team members can experience hands-on cooking with a chef and a dietitian.
