Which profession is the worst offender for snacking ‘al desko’?

26-Feb-2014 - Last updated on 26-Feb-2014 at 10:41 GMT

A third of all snacking takes place at our desks, according to a survey

Related tags Nutrition Snack foods Yoghurt

A third of all snacking takes place at our desks and marketing professionals top the unhealthy table, with lawyers at the bottom, according to UK research from yogurt brand Fruyo.

According to the survey from the Total Greek Yoghurt brand, over a quarter of diets fail due to unhealthy workplace snacking, with certain professions proving to be unhealthier snackers than others.

Work, work, snack

Boredom (41%) and an urge for an unhealthy treat (31%) topped the reasons for workplace snacking, followed by a lack of energy (26%) and comfort eating when stressed (20%). Media, marketing and design professionals cited stress as the top motivator behind their snacking habits.

Overall, the survey suggested people who work in marketing are the worst in terms of unhealthy workplace snacking. Over half (58%) of these professionals said they have either chocolate, cake, crisps or cookies every day, while only 11% said they snack on things like fruit and low fat yoghurt.

Lawyers came out on top in the survey with only a quarter saying they snack unhealthily at work. Meanwhile just under half of health sector professionals snack on treats every day, followed closely by teachers and accountants.

While 31% of snacking takes place ‘al desko’, 8% of respondents admitted to snacking in secret whilst at work behind their computer screens or in the bathrooms.

Commenting on its findings, Alison White, spokeswoman for the fat-free fruit yoghurt brand, said it was clear that many people feel pressured by their colleagues to snack out of sight.

Diet downfall

27% of respondents blamed snacking at work for past diet failures, with the top three work snacks being reported as cookies (37%), chocolate (32%) and crisps (30%). Meanwhile only 23% said they opted for fresh fruit, 6% for low fat yoghurt and 2% for crackers.

White said: “To help with this unease, and promote healthy snacking, we’re challenging local businesses, across the country, to make smarter choices and swap their usual cookies and crisps for healthier snacks to feel the difference both within themselves and across their workplace too.”

The brand has called for a month-long workplace ban on chocolate, cake, crisps and cookies dubbed the ‘Ditch and Switch’ snack challenge.