Meal program provides healthy lunches to remote workers

The coronavirus pandemic has placed many disruptions in the day-to-day lives of employees, which has caused both mental and physical challenges. Research has shown that more people are now snacking or eating more now, due to the quarantine brought upon many. Read this blog post to learn more.


Disruptions from the coronavirus have infiltrated the daily lives of employees, causing challenges to both our mental and physical well-being. Focusing on proper nutrition is on the back burner for many.

Twenty-seven percent of people reported snacking more during coronavirus, and 15% said they are eating more often than usual, according to a study by the International Food Information Council. Forty-two percent have been relying more on pre-packaged foods than in the previous month, despite believing they are a less healthy option.

“The quality of fuel we put in our body ultimately controls the output,” says Michael Wystrach, CEO of Freshly, a meal subscription service. “So how well our brain functions, how our emotions and hormones are released, how productive we are, it really does start with diet.”

The coronavirus has exacerbated the challenge of accessing healthy food for many across the United States. While there has been a skyrocketing demand for groceries and grocery delivery services during the pandemic, 37 million Americans are considered “food insecure,” meaning they lack access to affordable and nutritious food options.

To address those concerns, Freshly created a new meal service called Freshly for Business to provide healthy and affordable meals for employees working remotely. The program allows employers to offer free or subsidized meal plans consisting of up to 12 meals per week. Employers including PwC and KPMG, among others, are partnering with Freshly, which costs an average of $8 per meal per employee.

“We used our platform to solve the needs of customers who are saying, we have a lot of employees working at home who are working hard but are strained and have a lot of challenges on their plates,” Wystrach says. “Employers wanted to provide them a benefit of healthy food by signing up a few dozen to thousands of employees very quickly.”

Lack of proper nutrition can have devastating and expensive consequences: In the U.S., 40% of adults are obese, and 90% of overweight individuals have prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes, a condition often caused by poor diet. According to the American Diabetes Association, the cost of medical expenditures and lost productivity due to diagnosed diabetes was $327.2 billion in 2017, the most recent data available.

“Type 2 diabetes is the fastest growing disease in America, and it’s principally caused by poor diet. It takes a huge toll on employers and employees,” Wystrach says. “One of the challenges now is the traditional lunch hour is gone and convenience is the pinnacle. But we make poor decisions when we rely on convenience with our food.”

Providing food in the workplace is a much desired benefit, with 73% of employees saying they want healthy cafeteria and snack options at work, according to a survey by Quantum Workplace and Limeade. However, just 32% provided free snacks and food, and only 17% had an onsite cafeteria available for workers, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.

As employers begin considering their return-to-work strategies and how they will make their offices safe and their benefits supportive of the health and well-being of their employees, providing meal options should be a major consideration, Wystrach says.

“Especially as we think about social distancing, the less you’re sending your employees out, the safer everyone is,” he says. “Employers will also be thinking about healthcare costs post-COVID. How do they keep overall healthcare costs down? It’s really in everyone’s benefit to provide benefits that promote health and wellness.”

Meal offerings and proper nutrition are a win-win for employers and their workers, Wystrach says.

“Health and happiness ultimately creates a more productive employee,” he says. “When you’re trying to find a win-win for everyone, it drives productivity, it creates happy employees, and it reduces cost over time. There will continue to be a focus on benefits that provide that.”

SOURCE: Place, A. (12 May 2020) "Meal program provides healthy lunches to remote workers" (Web Blog Post). Retrieved from https://www.employeebenefitadviser.com/news/meal-program-provides-healthy-lunches-to-remote-workers


Fresh Brew with Deborah Raines

Welcome to our segment, Fresh Brew, where we explore the delicious coffees, teas, and snacks of some of our employees! You can look forward to our Fresh Brew blog post on the first Friday of every month.

“I always try to anticipate the needs of the producer that I work for.”

Deborah Raines is an Account Manager at Saxon Financial Services. Deborah has been in the financial industry for over five years. She has worked as a customer service representative and as an assistant to a financial representative at a financial company.

When not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and her daughter Rebecca and exploring all of the different restaurants in Cincinnati. Deborah also loves to travel, some of her favorite travel spots include the beaches in North and South Carolina and busy streets of London, where she studied at the University of Westminster for a semester of college.

Chai Latte from Starbucks

Deborah loves a hot or cold Chai Latte from Starbucks.

Deborah isn’t much of a snacker when she’s sipping on her
favorite brew.

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Fresh Brew with Kelley Bell

Welcome to Fresh Brew, where we will be exploring the delicious coffees, teas, and snacks of some of our employees! You can look forward to our Fresh Brew blog post on the first Friday of every month.

“Wellness…health insurance costs less for healthy people so, be a person of excellence which is a person that cares what they put into their body.”

Kelley Bell is a Group Health Benefits Consultant at Saxon. Kelley has over 25 years of experience in the financial industry.  Kelley enjoys partnering with business owners and those responsible for choosing benefits for their employees.  She understands that every business is unique and is dedicated, accessible and proactive in serving the needs of each client.

When not working, Kelley enjoys watching her son play college baseball.  He is a sophomore at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia on a baseball and academic scholarship.

Water

Kelley favorite brew is water!

Fruits and Veggies

Kelley’s favorite snacks are fruits and veggies.

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Fresh Brew with Rich Arnold

Welcome to our brand new segment, Fresh Brew, where we will be exploring the delicious coffees, teas, and snacks of some of our employees! You can look forward to our Fresh Brew blog post on the first Friday of every month.

“I enjoy helping people over 65 understand Medicare and the many options they have. Explaining Medicare in easy to understand terms, clearly showing them the options based on their doctors and prescriptions, and letting them make a choice which they are comfortable with has been one of the most gratifying things I’ve ever done.”

Rich Arnold is a Senior Solutions Agent at Saxon Financial Services.

Over the years, Rich has been a teacher, an owner of several printing businesses, and retired after 10 years of running the Sharonville Chamber of Commerce. In his spare time, Rich is actively working with non-profits, helping with community projects and spending time with his 5 grandchildren.

Diet Mountain Dew

Rich is not a coffee drinker but enjoys a Diet Mountain Dew!

Honey Roasted Peanuts

Rich enjoys sipping on his favorite brew while eating Honey Roasted Peanuts.

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