Why you need a caterer on the board

So says Drew Fobbester of MyVitality, speaking at the 'How Healthy Is Your Business' seminar organised by foodservice consultants Tricon. He also highlighted the '£250 billion' opportunity for UK business and industry – the estimate of how much extra the economy would make if we all functioned to our full potential and productivity, and counteracted absenteeism through illness. "Enormous benefits can be achieved simply by encouraging staff to eat more healthily," he said, adding "research shows that eating more of the right foods doesn't just make people more alert, it also reduces many of the common illnesses that people simply put up with - including stress, high blood pressure and digestive problems." Tricon's Tony Horton spoke on the 'Future of Staff Catering', pointing to the trend towards healthier eating, as seen by the rise of outlets such as Whole Foods Market, the American chain's new Kensington food emporium. Said Horton: "When Tricon recently surveyed one major organisation's workforce, the results clearly showed that the majority wanted a health-focussed foodservice operation. "We need to offer real choices," he said, "The way forward is through evolution, not revolution, but the seeds of change are already here." Michel Roux Jnr also spoke at the seminar, speaking appreciately of the work of contract caterers. As well as being Chef de Cuisine at the renowned Le Gavroche, Roux is also Chef Consultant to contractor Restaurant Associates. "Contract caterers are incredibly creative, giving their customers something different every day. "In a restaurant, even your very best customer probably only visits two or three times a month. For contract caterers, the best customer visits every day, maybe two or three times a day. So the menu has to be different and exciting."