"Cake in the office is like passive smoking" - is there a thread on this yet?

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www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64315384

My initial instinct in response to this is WTAF, and to start making a big batch of brownies.

Having said that, I do think it's our culture making us (as a nation) fat, and that this isn't the responsibilities of individuals only.

But still - what is there to go to work for, if not the office cake?

I agree, but no one will listen.
Fingers in ears etc.

This is an interesting point. So at one level, yes, you made a choice to eat the ice-cream. But there are also complex emotional and psychological drivers behind that choice. Prof Susan's PR statement study doesn't really factor that in; she's going after the presence of the food item (cake in her example) but not acknowledging that there are often powerful emotional drivers behind the pull towards it.

What? Please elaborate. You gave me a good laugh. 😂

I agree it's not the same as passive smoking, but it is one of those behaviours that is damaging to people's health. Of course people have autonomy over what they put in their mouths, but many have little self control, and that's a few hundred calories extra that had someone not brought the cake in they likely wouldn't have had. Of course cake as part of a balanced diet alongside an active lifestyle isn't an issue, but lots of people don't live like this. Obesity is worse for your health than smoking yet lots don't seem bothered by it.

Well I for one am delighted. All this time I thought I was just a greedy bitch. Now it turns out I’ve simply been passive caking for years! I can blame everyone but me when my jeans don’t fit!

I don't think it's a major issue - and I think the comparison to second hand smoke is poor.

However I have encountered a feeder - not in an office which I think would have ben easier environment to dodge them in- and it was at a time I was actively trying to lose weight and I did notice it was those days usually much later on I really struggled. Saying no didn't stop the individual - even the person who had serious allergies and couldn't have cake found it hard as after questioning they were baked for.

They were an absolutely lovely person - also knew their adult children two massively overweight and one health/fitness nut - she also baked for them and I think there were encouraging her to branch out.

It was your choice, but that ice cream has literally been researched and formulated to be as tasty as possible and to press as many craving buttons as possible in order to make money. Companies capitalise on this crutch, this desire to have low density high calorie quick hit tasty satisfaction. Whilst you made the choice to pick it up, it's on the shelves in the first place for a reason (money). Emotional eating market is a big one, I mean people don't binge on unprocessed food do they.

I was saying no to them every time - they never got the message and it seemed saying all those nos adversely affected my will power later on in the day - though my solution of tea and early night when I realised the pattern helped.

In our office someone pretty much brought cakes or sweets at least twice a week. I didn't ever have anything and only brought stuff in once from my holiday..it's not hard to say no...

In my experience it isn’t nice homemade cake that people bring in, it’s trays of donuts and supermarket flapjacks and cupcakes and other mass-produced rubbish.
In an ideal world we would all exercise self control and abstain from eating more cake than we should. However, we live in a world where 2/3 of us are overweight and where refined sugar and processed crap are constantly being pushed at us.
Willpower will only take you so far. For those of us struggling with our weight (and that’s most of us if 2/3 of us are overweight) or who have problems with disordered eating, being unable to escape from the constant barrage of junk food even whilst at work is extremely difficult.
I wouldn’t take in an array of alcoholic beverages and offer them to my work colleagues every day if some of them were alcoholics, because I know that that would make their life hard and test their willpower. So many of us spend our days battling with the urge to eat more than we should. I don’t know why people think they’re being kind by bringing in cakes and adding to that difficulty.

Well, it’s not exactly like passive smoking but the analogy is half right. People were still smoking in restaurants when I as a teen waitress and in the office my first few years in my graduate job. So in that respect, as in something exposed to at work whether you like it or not, it is similar.

People do force cake on you. If the cake is for you/in your honour, then you have to eat a square of it in full view and be grateful and thank the staff for being so thoughtful or you’re being incredibly rude. Once you’re a manager, you’re constantly being scrutinised so you have to accept a piece of cake and appear to eat it - I’d eat a bite or two and then quietly take the rest back to my office and secretly bin it. My Secretary used to always bring me cake and donuts and suchlike from birthday/baby/retirement/goings away celebrations within my directorate when I couldn’t attend due to upper management meetings…I had a few hundred staff and this would end up being a few times a week. I’d always thank her, take them in my office and discreetly put them in a hidden bin bag..put the empty paper plate in my visible office bin..and then smuggle the unwanted baked goods out when I left for the day in my bag.

Yes I know I’m a weirdo. I dont even like cake or donuts and I especially loathe both icing and frosting. I did the above to fit in with office culture which includes cake culture. I’ve seen the way people talk about those who refuse cake/donuts as being rude, virtue signalling and potentially having an eating disorder…gossip can be nasty…and I figured a bit of sleight of hand to fit in was better than giving anyone reason to gossip.

This isn't even someone chasing headlines. She is a member of the Times Commission looking at the NHS. It is probable that their conclusions will influence politicians.

Imagine "the NHS doesn't need extra funding - just tell people not to eat cake"

Obesity is a major cause of early mortality and poor health. It costs the NHS & other services billions but not because people have cake at work to celebrate someone's birthday.

Welcome to the Times Health Commission

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/6d4a3c4c-935b-11ed-8b99-f233af7a7956?shareToken=9bf0dd60aba3b2e80a6ecd1187646cbc

It's absolutely bonkers. Bringing in cakes and chocolates boosts moral. It's really not hard to resist communal cakes and biscuits, at one point they were right by my desk and despite my sweet tooth I didn't struggle with the temptation at all because I was far too busy. Most people either pass on it or take a little bit out of politeness or save it for later on their break or lunch. Obesity is not from a biscuit a day or a bit of cake a couple of times a week. If you have no self discipline and a terrible diet at all times, work won't make a dent. There are people who bring in their own biscuits, cupcakes, donuts and chocolate bar for their own packed lunch at work. What's next confiscate adult's packed lunch?! I don't think people are that weak or need nannying to this extent. Ridiculous comparison.

I used to work in an office, l can take.or leave cake tbh, esp if homemade, but l found there was always a little snarky remark if you dared to refuse. l am naturally very slim, maybe that's why they felt the need to comment, so l think this person has a point. All of these baking programmes don't help, you rarely see a healthy sized baker.

There's a really easy way to protect yourself from the threat of office cake.

Tell the fuckers that you're celiac. Some will still try to poison you at first, but after a while they get the hint and fuck the fuck off.

Means you can't eat all the sausage rolls and sandwiches on training days that have been festering in a meeting toom for four hours either. Which is definitely a good thing, especially as you get to escape to go to the nearest M&S or just hide in an office with your packed lunch away from Compulsory socialising with management.

Where I worked it was full of cake and other treats

Many young employees who could just eat the cake and exercise it off. I didn’t have it but still exercised, probably due to moving on from age where I could eat anything.

I read somewhere we live in an obesogenic society, probably not just the cake but sitting down all day at work doesn’t help

Hasn't the head of the Food Standards Agency got anything better to do?

What a waste of taxpayers' money her salary is.

I'm retired now but where I worked at the end of the office was like a big feeding trough with cakes, biscuits etc, it helped that our office was opposite Waitrose and M&S for refills, this wasn't just at occasions but every day, it did peak at Christmas though but you could refuse it without offending anyone as it was just always there.

I mean how long do you anticipate her spending on this one statement?

I agree that our food environment drives people to make unhealthy choices, but ultimately it is a choice (unlike passive smoking) and so a different issue.

It used to annoy me when people brought in cake 'just because', though. Cake for birthdays or leftover cake from a party or celebration, fine. But if people were baking every week and bringing it into the office and expecting people to eat it, I found that excessive.

I mean...not all fat people like cake.

Now if someone was to bring in a pizza I'd be interested.

That article is really OTT.

But, at the risk of sounding like an utterly joyless knobber, people do always make enthusiastic comments when I bring fresh fruit to meetings instead of biscuits and cakes. People seem to see grapes and berries as sufficiently "treaty" and it provides the same sharing experience without ruining anyone's diet intentions.

I never eat cakes etc. in the office and I really have sweet tooth. I have colleague who is exactly the same. Never saw her eating even tiny biscuit. Why people blame others for their own choices.

I hear you @SliceOfCakeCupOfTea 🍕 My willpower goes straight out of the window where pizza is involved.

But also pizza every now and again isn't going to make me obese. Unless I'm eating it three times a day. Which I could.