Winner: Putting wellbeing at its heart, 14forty
Sponsored by: Waste to Wonder
The best way to employees’ wellbeing is through their stomachs, which is precisely why the winner of the Wellbeing Award, 14forty, has transformed its food offering.
The service provider has increased its use of plant-based and plant-forward recipes so its clients can nudge their employees towards healthier nutrition choices. The launch of its Plantilicious plant-based menu in early 2021 was a huge success with consumers who were nudged towards healthier choices through a combination of education, presentation and delicious recipes. To broaden the focus, 14forty has implemented a number of initiatives to support employee health and wellbeing such as D&I initiatives that encourage people to bring ‘their whole selves’ to work and policy changes to help people at different stages of their life (menopause, parenthood, adoption, caring).
14forty partnered with the University of Cambridge to produce PACE labelling, which explains how many steps would need to be taken to use up the calories in each dish. With sustainability also high on the agenda, a further research project with the University of Oxford saw 14forty develop Eco Labelling, which rates dishes from A to E depending on how good it is for the environment.
Results gleaned
The project was a huge success, most clearly illustrated through two key statistics:
- 58% growth in sales of plant-based menu options (January-December 2021)
- the percentage of transactions containing a healthier dish have more than doubled in 2021.
Not only are clients and their employees boosting their health, but they are also helping to reduce the carbon emissions associated with meat consumption.
In 2022, 14forty has 45% of its menu offering completely plant-based recipes – up 15% from last year. It has required fresh thinking such as using pulled oats to create meat-free meatball-style dishes ranging from Japanese-style Donburi bowls and pulled oat balls to Meatless Meatball Marinara Subs.
Even when not serving fully plant-based meals, 14forty has reduced portion sizes of animal protein, substituting the difference with plant-based protein sources and/or vegetables.
Plant food is popular, with the workplace restaurant on site at National Grid in Warwick yielding CSAT scores of more than 85%, and a 50% Nett promoter score.
The initiative is also creating food ambassadors within our chef brigade and having a positive impact on their careers. Sous chef Nicola Harper won Chef Team of the Year with Wayne Corbett at the Tilda Awards, as well as Silver at the International Salon Culinaire pastry challenge. She then earned a spot on the Compass-wide Forward with Marcus Wareing apprenticeship programme where she is improving her culinary skills and learning about wellbeing and sustainability.
Best practice learning point
Good communication remains paramount if any implemented strategies or initiatives are to succeed. Action plans made at board level require everyone in the business to play their part and become ambassadors.
Key quote
‘As a chef it’s fantastic that you can inspire people in this way and help them understand how making healthy food choices is good for them and good for the environment, too. There’s no doubt it’s a big topic in the workplace restaurant, and that the new menu is popular with our customers.’ – Sous chef Nicola Harper