Healthy food pays off with sales surge

What employees eat during their lunch break can either help or hinder not only their job performance, but overall health and wellness.

The days of looking at mystery meat swimming in unidentifiable or unappetizing sauce in the corporate cafeteria could be a thing of the past. These days, more companies embrace transparency as they offer healthier and more appealing food options.

As an example, B. Braun Medical Inc. of Bethlehem and its food service partner, Metz Culinary Management, based in Dallas, are embarking on wellness initiatives for employees and guests – turning them on to healthier options and driving increases in food sales.

Metz, B. Braun’s food service provider for eight years, recently began to offer more cafeteria food with better nutritional value and that pairs well with fitness programs offered by the medical device manufacturer.

Metz now also provides the amount of calories, saturated fat and sodium for every menu item and offers half-order portions if people want them, said Blair Asbury, general manager of Metz Culinary Management at B. Braun. By using more signs that list calories and correct portion sizes, people can make better informed decisions, she said.

“One of my goals was to work with our cafeteria committee and the wellness committee to continue to offer better offerings in the cafeteria that have nutritional value,” Asbury said.

Other nearby companies supplied by Metz include Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network’s two facilities in Allentown and Pocono Medical Center in East Stroudsburg.

“We have a very sophisticated customer base; they ask for things like this, even when we do catering,” said Steve Kline, general manager of Metz Culinary Management at Good Shepherd. “It really helps us having a dietitian on staff. They think about their selections a little bit more.”

In the cafeterias at Good Shepherd’s rehabilitation hospital and long-term care facility, Metz tries to make as much food as possible from scratch, including burgers, Kline said.

Metz also partnered with a produce company from Lancaster to offer fresh fruits and vegetables.