Promoting Healthy Eating Habits in the Working Population: The FOOD Program

Objective: Promote healthy diets through offer and demand, drawing workers' attention to diet and modifying food offers through educating food suppliers. Methods: Target group today over six million workers and 430.000 restaurants. Activities in restaurants and companies: Monitoring is carried out by an annual survey. Results: 2015 over 70% of Italian workers have lunch break every day, 41% inside and 59% outside the workplace (Europe 60% and 30%). 70% consider local and seasonal products important and 21% declare to be familiar with the programme, and 25% are prepared to change their eating habits. Italian restaurant owners state that 90% of their staff has good level of knowledge and 67% are willing to serve balanced meals (85% and 56% Europe). Conclusion and implications: The programme is giving good results, but also confirms that there is still to be done, particularly in the field of education and information in workplaces