Projects - L (Lisanne) Geboers MSc

The food environment of small- and medium sized enterprises (SMEs)

Eating healthy and sustainable food is an important topic. Many people want to make healthier and more sustainable choices but are tempted by a food offer that does not motivate them in this. The environment in which we live influences what we eat. This is also referred to as the food environment, for example the supply of food and drinks in our living environment. Working adults consume approximately a third of their daily calorie intake in the workplace, making the workplace crucial for creating a supportive food environment to encourage healthy and sustainable food choices.

Food environments interventions in large-scale companies with worksite cafeterias has been proven promising, but less is known about the food environment of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which in total comprise 99% of all the companies in the Netherlands. 

First, the food environments that exist in SMEs will be studied and characterized using interviews and questionnaires. Next, the project will zoom in on the transport industry to study which underlying mechanisms steer lifestyle behaviour within this typical working population. Consequently, the possibilities for a healthy and sustainable food environment 'on the road' will be researched using the participatory research method of co-creation on both a national and regional level. This co-creation involves all relevant stakeholders (truck drivers, SME transport employees, experts, gas stations, suppliers, Branche organisations, etc.) to overcome the limited success of health promotion interventions that are designed using a top-down approach. 

The project is part of the “Regio Deal Foodvalley”, part 2: “Nutrition and Health, from early start to the old day”.

This PhD project runs from September 2020 to September 2024 and the supervising team includes: Prof. Dr EWML (Emely) de Vet (WUR) as promotor, Dr MP (Maartje) Poelman (WUR) and Dr Marleen Gillebaart (Utrecht University) as co-supervisors.