Office cake culture - controversial?

Obesity in the UK is a big problem, a quarter of adults in the UK are obese. Big enough that it is referred to as an epidemic. We have previously discussed who is to blame for the crisis, the individual? Or the government? Are the government correct in postponing a ban on unhealthy ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ deals due to the cost-of-living crisis? Or is the office now at fault?

Cake culture in the office has recently become controversial. From my office experience, sweet treats are usually brought in on people’s birthdays or if someone has been to the shops and feels particularly generous that day. Personally, I have never perceived this as negative. However, the Food Standards Agency chairwomen has compared cakes in the office to passive smoking. Stating “if nobody bought cakes into the office, I would not eat cakes.”

The statement is negating personal responsibility for one’s health, suggesting a forceful, dramatic nature to the consumption of cake in the office. Creating a culture where all things that are deemed ‘bad’ are banned or controlled allows people to develop an unhealthy outlook of a ‘healthy’ lifestyle. Instead, encouraging people to have a little bit of willpower will encourage healthier habits. Cakes and sweet treats can be part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle when taken in moderation. Being healthy is about balance not restriction.

Controversial statements like these are acting as a smoke screen for this convoluted blame game. As children, we are told to take responsibility for our own actions, so why can’t adults practise what they preach when it comes to weight. We need to get to a point where people take some personal responsibility for their weight. Is blaming co-workers for your own actions the best way to deal with the obesity epidemic?