Healthy eating at work

Resources to provide healthy food choices for staff and visitors in healthcare settings, developed by HSE Health and Wellbeing, in collaboration with Irish Heart Foundation and safefood.

Nutrition standards for providing food and beverages in healthcare settings

The Nutrition Standards for the provision of food and beverages in healthcare settings (PDF, 2.5MB, 36 pages) outlines the minimum standard for those providing food and beverages to staff and visitors. Applying these standards in food provision and menu-planning ensures staff and visitors have access to healthier food in healthcare settings.

Happy Heart Healthy Eating at Work awards programme

Through the Happy Heart Healthy Eating at Work awards programme, run in conjunction with Irish Heart Foundation, catering services in healthcare settings can access expert guidance and support to assist with:

adopting healthier cooking practices and healthier options without incurring substantial costs
ensuring healthier options are promoted and provided
ensuring food and beverages comply with HSE nutrition standards for staff and visitors

To get involved:

HSE training for catering staff

A suite of short online training modules are available on HSELanD at https://discoveryzone.hseland.ie/hse-nutrition-training-modules/

The training modules, developed by HSE dietitians, help catering staff provide high quality nourishing food for patients, staff and visitors.

Other resources

Healthy Eating and Active Living Programme
Tips and advice on healthy eating

Eating well while working from home

With many people working from home, the usual habits around what and when we eat have changed. The challenges of working from home can often make us feel less in control of our diets and eating habits.

Well@home tips for creating healthy eating habits while working from home:

Plan ahead: Plan in advance when and what you are going to eat. If possible, try not to set up your workspace in an area where food is consumed.
Keep snacks out of sight: Keep all foods, with the exception of a fruit bowl out of sight. Eat any meals/snacks in the place you would usually eat and avoid grazing at your workspace.
Take breaks: Enjoy your food at scheduled breaktimes to avoid mindless eating.
Hydrate: It is easy to mistake thirst for hunger meaning you might reach for snacks when your body needs fluid, so keep water next to your workstation or take breaks to hydrate.
Avoid excess alcohol in the evenings: Excess alcohol can have a negative effect on our physical and mental health and leave us feeling tired and dehydrated the next day which can affect the food choices we make

Source: Well@home leaflet from the Irish Heart Foundation

Calorie posting policy
Highlighting the calorie content of food and drinks

Vending policy
Nutrient profile of vending machine products