Waterloo region reacts to 'no cake in workplace' suggestion by UK food agency head

Bringing a cake into the office may be a great way to celebrate a birthday or other special occasion.

But the United Kingdom’s top food watchdog is giving some food for thought by comparing office snacking with workplace smoking, saying it’s just as bad for your health.

This left the Waterloo region with a big question: Can we have our cake and eat it too?

According to the chairperson of the Food Standards Agency in the United Kingdom, it’s not whether you can have it but whether you should.

Susan Jebb claims cake in the office should be viewed like secondhand smoking.

In an interview with The Times newspaper, Jebb made comments when it comes to being offered treats in the workplace and how people might feel pressured to give into temptation.

She said in part: “We all like to think we’re rational, intelligent, educated people who make informed choices the whole time, and we undervalue the impact of the environment.”

This discussion prompted some different reactions in Waterloo region.

“I know when I work in a place, and they give me cake for my birthday, I’m like, ‘oh my god, thank you,’” said Conestoga College student Tianna Neufeld.

“The more sugar you consume, the worse it is for your health,” said Waterloo resident Mark Pancer. “There’s a ton of evidence to show that, just as much as there is a lot of evidence to show that smoking will kill you as well.”

But some say let them eat cake.

“One piece of cake isn’t going to kill ya,” said one student.

“I don’t exactly agree [and] I don’t understand how using a drug like, I guess nicotine, for chain-smoking is bad [in the same way] as eating cake,” said another student.

However, others in the community have different viewpoints. Sakshi Bhatheja works in Waterloo and says it can be a challenge when co-workers bring in tempting treats.

“As much as we can’t quit smoking, we can’t quit sweets and cake, and it definitely bothers people, and it’s in their head,” she said.

While Neufeld agrees that consuming a large amount of sweets can be detrimental to one’s health, she says it doesn’t mean that workplaces should stop handing out treats altogether.

“Obviously, there’s a time and place for sweets, and I think just understanding that and us regulating it is important,” said Neufeld.

Leia Minaker, a professor at the University of Waterloo who has a PhD in public health sciences doesn’t believe cake should be kicked to the curb but rather encourages people to simply say no when offered a slice.

“The more opportunities there are for us to consume unhealthy, delicious food, the more we do it,” she said. “Though, what we need to think about, is the little things that add up over time.”

Minaker says there is a bigger conversation to be had amongst workplaces and households when it comes to making healthy choices.

“[It’s] not about restricting people’s choices. The way I see it, it’s more about providing opportunities for the default decision to be healthy, which is something that I think is a little more palatable for people to think about,” explained Minaker.