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Peterborough-based medical devices company Coloplast is showing that health and wellbeing is at the top of the agenda for its staff as well as its customers with the introduction of free fruit at its Peterborough office.
The free fruit initiative is part of an on-going employee wellbeing programme. As well as being good for your health and an important part of the diet, fruit can also boost concentration, keeping Coloplast staff on top of their game and helping to avoid the afternoon lull.
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Peterborough-based medical devices company Coloplast is showing that health and wellbeing is at the top of the agenda for its staff as well as its customers with the introduction of free fruit at its Peterborough office.
The free fruit initiative is part of an on-going employee wellbeing programme. As well as being good for your health and an important part of the diet, fruit can also boost concentration, keeping Coloplast staff on top of their game and helping to avoid the afternoon lull.
The afternoon lull is caused by the drop in blood sugar that comes following a typical lunch containing foods such as sandwiches, pasta, cakes and biscuits. These refined foods make blood sugar rocket, causing the body to produce lots of insulin to bring the blood sugar back down to a normal level, at which point the body stops producing the extra insulin. The problem is caused by the insulin already in the system which continues to remove sugar from the blood stream, causing the drop in blood sugar.
Fruit, on the other hand, releases its energy slowly, helping to keep blood sugar stable and avoiding the highs - which can make you feel bloated - and the lows, which can make you feel tired and lethargic.
Sam Sedwill, HR director at Coloplast, explains how the free fruit initiative came about: "The health and wellbeing of our staff is very important to us at Coloplast. When we were in consultation with our staff over the new employee wellbeing programme, one of the ideas that came up was helping staff to eat more healthily.
"We lead such busy lives these days that convenience tends to win over health and, more often than not, we find ourselves snacking on chocolate and biscuits. We wanted to offer staff a healthy alternative that didn't rely on them remembering to bring fruit with them every day. By providing free fruit we are helping our staff stay healthy, helping towards their 5 a day and if it increases their concentration, that's an added bonus!"
Coloplast's chef manager, Duncan Town, says the fruit is going down a storm: "Since we launched the free fruit initiative we've had very little fruit left over, usually only a few apples and a few bananas. Anything left is used in the restaurant, so nothing is wasted. It's proving to be very popular and is a great way of helping people to eat more healthily. I've already noticed that people are eating less puddings from the restaurant at lunch time and are opting for fruit instead, which they can take back to their desks and eat later in the day."
If you want to join a company that is recognised in the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies to Work For, cares for its customers and works to improve the wellbeing of its staff visit the website.
Contact Information
Tammy Norris
63 Park Road
Peterborough
PE1 2TN
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