‘Cake culture’ backlash: Civil servants urged to cut back on sweet treats

Civil service staff have been warned that bringing cake to work for birthdays or other celebrations could be a “public health hazard”.

A tweet sent from official account @UKCivilService stated: “Are you guilty of snacking on cake when you’re at work? Could your office cake culture be a public health hazard?”

Are you guilty of snacking on cake when you’re at work? Could your office cake culture be a public health hazard? https://t.co/Su7YuI6h6R pic.twitter.com/YopMCUaDB3

— UK Civil Service (@UKCivilService) January 30, 2017

This linked to the organisation’s official blog, where a post suggested office workers needed to be more “mindful” of what was on offer and the impact it could have on health for those who had “difficulty resisting”.

Robert Buckland, MP for South Swindon, responded to the post by tweeting: “Sorry, but I will continue to bake occasionally for my Private Office Team. Everything in moderation.”

@UKCivilService sorry but I will continue to bake occasionally for my Private Office Team. Everything in moderation

— Robert Buckland MP (@RobertBuckland) January 30, 2017

The civil service warning follows dentists from The Faculty of Dental Surgery (FDS) recently saying ‘cake culture’ has made the workplace a main site of sugar consumption for Brits.

Citing NHS data, the faculty said 64,000 over-18s had been admitted to hospital because of tooth decay from 2016-2016.

FDS advised businesses to take action, such as keeping sugary products out of sight and marking a number of birthdays with a single cake. It also suggested substituting sugary products in meetings, such as biscuits, for nuts and fruit.

“Celebrating success with colleagues is a fundamental part of modern office culture, and treating ourselves once in a while to mark something significant can play an important part in this,” said the FDS. “However, with the rise of cake culture the workplace is becoming one of the main places we consume sugar, so we must find the right balance and think carefully about the impact of what we eat at work on our wider health.”