The global burden of malnutrition, poor mental health, depression, and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) continues to grow, contributing significantly to mortality
and poor health, reduced productivity, and economic stagnation. With over 60% of the
population engaged in the workforce and spending more than half of their adult lives at
work, the workplace offers a strategic platform to address these challenges. One
important aspect of worker wellbeing is nutrition, which fuels the body, improves
cognitive and immune function, and reduces sick days and NCD risk.
To understand how nutrition is integrated within employee wellbeing, GAIN reviewed 14
global wellbeing frameworks across policy institutions (2), governments (4), academia (3),
private service providers (4) and non-profit organizations (1), as well as 23 company specific frameworks in key sectors such as consumer goods (6), retail (5), finance (4), tech
(2), energy (2), agriculture (2), and pharmaceuticals (2). All frameworks were found to
include a mental health dimension, reflecting a dominant understanding of employee
wellbeing through the lens of mental health. Although nutrition was integrated in 23 of 37
of analyzed frameworks, it was only featured 15 times as a standalone dimension.
In some cases, it was subsumed under entry points such as physical and mental health.
Despite this, there is a shared recognition across sectors of the role of food and nutrition
play in employee wellbeing, and there is strong evidence of a relationship between
nutrition and mental health outcomes. Poor dietary habits are not only a major
contributor to the rise of NCDs, but also to declining employee mental health and
reduced productivity. To address this, organizations should endeavor to include nutrition
as a core component in their wellbeing frameworks and actively implement interventions
that promote mental, nutritional, and physical wellbeing and health of employees. Also,
for wellbeing frameworks to be truly effective, nutrition must be recognized not only as an
essential dimension but also be backed by strong indicators. Prioritizing nutrition within
workplace wellbeing is a strategic investment in workforce productivity and economic
resilience