• About FDF
• Our Priorities
• Members list
• News
• Policy Briefings
• FDF Responses
• The Industry
  • About the Industry
  • Industry stats and trends
  • Industry Case Studies
    • Culture, Media and Sport
    • Careers
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Exports
    • Fewer transport miles
    • Good Employer
    • Health and Wellbeing
    • Local Community
    • Reducing C02 emissions
    • Reducing packaging
    • Reformulation
    • Zero Waste to landfill
    • Water efficiency
    • Workplace Wellbeing
  • Industry Standards
  • Exports
  • Food Sectors
  • Manufacturing showcase
• Events
• Publications
• Campaigns
• FAQs
• Polls

Industry in action

Fiona Dawson, Managing Director, Mars Chocolate UK, Chair, FDF's Health and Wellbeing Steering Group

Leading members of the Food and Drink Federation have long recognised that a healthy, committed workforce is vital to business success.

We know that the wellbeing of our colleagues has a direct impact on productivity and our bottom line, and we appreciate the importance of building a strong reputation as an excellent employer if we are to continue recruiting the best possible talent into our businesses.

As far as my company is concerned, Mars Chocolate UK has run a workplace health scheme for many years. The programmes have grown and developed over the years, aiming to provide all our employees with greater information about their own health, and helping them to make choices about how to lead more active, healthier lifestyles. We also look for ways to help our employees translate these insights into their day-to-day lives outside of the workplace.

We are not alone in this, and in this report highlight how other food and drink companies of all sizes have been doing similar things. These efforts have helped bring to life one of the commitments of the food industry's health and wellbeing action plan, launched by FDF in 2004.

Feedback from even the smallest member companies indicates that they are committed to workplace health despite often having very limited resources. We know from a survey conducted with a representative sample of member companies in 2009 that the majority of FDF members either have a scheme in place or plan to develop one. This report contains some examples of those schemes, which we hope will be an inspiration to others.

The FDF itself has a workplace wellbeing scheme for its employees, which has developed significantly over the past couple of years thanks to the team of twelve from all divisions that meet regularly to drive the programme and organise regular events and activities. Benefits such as a corporate gym subsidy scheme and an employee assistance programme support the events programme to enable FDF staff to take care of their health at work.

FDF is committed to working with its members to achieve our sector's ambition to be a shining example on workplace wellbeing, and will be reporting annually on the work its members are doing. We will showcase excellence through a workplace category in the FDF Community Partnership Awards and continue to share best practice via case studies, which are also available on its website.

At Mars, as at the FDF, we firmly believe that good health is good business – decreasing absenteeism and increasing engagement. It is long-term employee wellbeing that provides the most compelling reason to keep taking workplace health seriously.

More Information

FDF has published a booklet called Workplace Wellbeing: The Food Industry in Action (pdf, 984kb) which features many workplace wellbeing schemes .

top