Healthy options in the workplace are a key component to employee weight loss and a healthier bottom line. We strive everyday to provide a means to make achieving a healthier workplace easier for everyone.
Richardson, TX (PRWEB) September 24, 2013
North Texas' premier fresh fruit delivery service, Orchard At The Office, continues the workplace wellness charge with a new offering in its healthy fare lineup, the Orchard Office Select fruit case. Wellness programs are now essential for organizations that want to combine increased productivity with a reduction in healthcare costs. In a 2012 Deloitte survey of US employers, 67% believed “unhealthy lifestyles” were the primary reason for high healthcare expenditure.
Any company, large or small, can now take the first step in establishing a wellness program by providing fresh fruit to their employees. The concept behind Orchard At The Office is simple: Hand-selected fresh fruit is delivered straight to the workplace with a mixture of popular staples such as bananas, oranges and apples and seasonal variations like plums, kiwi and nectarines. A wellness program of fresh fruit not only encourages a healthier diet and lifestyle for employees, it delivers a double benefit for employers. Less absenteeism means greater productivity and better health means reduced healthcare costs.
With annual obesity-related healthcare costs borne by employers tipping the scales at $73.1 billion dollars, many employers are working towards a culture of wellness in the workplace. "We wanted to provide a healthy incentive for our employees, instead of deferring to the vending machines,” says Cathy Ross, facilities manager at ORIX USA. “It’s a little treat for our workers, and it benefits us as well by encouraging a healthy lifestyle. And, wow – do our employees love it! There is usually a line to get to the fruit as it is amazingly fresh, and the selection is wonderful.”
Orchard At The Office founder, Kevin Long, says, “Healthy options in the workplace are a key component to employee weight loss and a healthier bottom line. We strive everyday to make achieving a healthier workplace easier for everyone.” In addition to the artfully arranged fruit baskets of 25 or 50 servings, the Orchard Office Select case provides the same extra-fancy, hand-selected fresh fruit in a 90 serving box perfect for larger employers or workplaces with break rooms.
Long points out, “Many employers are already providing high-calorie, low nutrition snacks like donuts for their employees. Substituting fresh fruit is a simple change that has real, measurable benefits.” Indeed, choosing a 70-calorie banana over a bagel in the morning meeting saves over 200 calories a day, resulting in a loss of 1-2 pounds a month for the average adult. Annually, those lost pounds translate to lower risk for heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.
By combining convenience, nutrition, and value, Long’s vision of a healthier Metroplex is taking shape one banana at a time.
