Healthy eating boosts workplace performance by 25% — Nutrition expert

State chairman of the Institute for Dietetics in Nigeria, Oyo State chapter, dietician Tunde Ajobo has advocated for a stronger focus on healthy eating in the workplace, pointing out that employees who eat a healthier diet are 25% more likely to perform well.

Speaking at a day seminar organised by the Institute for Dietetics in Nigeria, Oyo State branch, to commemorate the 2025 World Food Day in Ibadan, Ajobo stated that a poor diet is associated with increased absenteeism, illness, and workplace accidents.

According to him, since most adults spend a large amount of their life at work, encouraging healthy eating at work is essential for preserving general health, lowering illness risks, and increasing productivity.

He highlighted common nutrition issues in the workplace, such as limited access to healthy foods like fruits, poor nutrition knowledge, work-related stress, and poor access to potable water. He also pointed out that poor eating habits are linked to fatigue, obesity, and other noncommunicable diseases.

“The fast pace of work often encourages employees to opt for readily available, often unhealthy options like fast food or sugary snacks, making it challenging to prioritise balanced nutrition. Also, work-related stress can trigger emotional eating, leading to poor food choices and overeating,” he said.

Dietician Ajobo listed core components of a workplace wellness programme that need to be promoted to include regular nutrition education, a cafeteria and food service reform that prioritises sales of fruits, vegetables, and healthy snacks like nuts and yoghurts; as well as a healthy break time culture and physical activity integration.

He stated that regular access to healthy foods, including seasonal fruits, vegetables, and natural spices, can be ensured for people in workplaces through cooperation with local farmers’ markets and organisations that study food production and healthy food technology.

Ajobo made a case that a workplace wellness programme that is inclusive, evidence-based, long-lasting, and comprehensive will be successful.

“The workplace environment and its people influence each other’s health. A successful workplace wellness programme is inclusive, evidence-based, sustainable and holistic,” he said.

Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, the Commissioner for Health, stated that access to safe, nourishing, and reasonably priced food is essential to the health sector’s collaborative purpose because poor nutrition impairs health outcomes, learning capacity, and community well-being.

With reference to the Sustainable Actions for Economic Recovery (SAFER) initiative, the Accelerated Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project, and the training and expansion of the Maternal, Young Child, and Infant Nutrition (MYCIN) program, Dr Ajetunmobi reaffirmed Governor Seyi Makinde’s commitment to implementing nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions that address malnutrition at all levels.

“Together, we can ensure that no child in Oyo State is stunted, no mother is malnourished, and no family goes to bed hungry. As we commemorate World Food Day 2025, let us renew our commitment to build a future where every meal nourishes, every child grows strong, and every household thrives in good health,” she said.

Professor Grace Fadupin, a former president of the association, declared that World Food Safety Day is a wake-up call for everybody to make food available to all nationally and to ensure food security.

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