The death of the packed lunch

The homemade packed lunch is becoming a thing of the past with fewer than one in 20 workers bringing their own lunch to work. According to Protecting.co.uk, this means employees are turning to unhealthy snack foods or are missing out on a midday meal altogether, resulting in health and productivity issues that could hit company turnover.

The national health and safety law consultancy has found that this trend is happening because of the convenience of ready-made sandwiches, as well as office rules about eating at desks.

According to a survey of more than 300 workers:

? Only 5% brought in a packed lunch from home
? 14% used the staff canteen
? 13% went to a fast food establishment
? 16% bought sandwiches from a shop
? 9% have a pub lunch
? 22% eat sweets and crisps from the vending machine
? 21% don?t have lunch at all

Protecting.co.uk found a number of reasons why employees weren?t bringing in their own lunches and in the majority, it boiled down to one single factor: convenience.

The company says the number of people eating unhealthily ? buying only sweets and fast food ? should be a concern to employers. Particularly concerning are the numbers not eating at all so they can work through their lunch break.

Encouraging employees to take lunch breaks and eat healthy alternatives could pay off with healthier workers, fewer sick days and better productivity, particularly in the post-lunch slump when the usual suspects return from their liquid lunch at the pub, the consultancy says.