What does ‘well’ mean to you? Does being ‘well’ mean something different to everyone? According to the International Well Building Institute (IWBI), a certified WELL building meets specific health requirements in categories such as nourishment, fitness, water, and mind.
My name is Shannon Costello and I completed my food service management rotation at McKesson Corporation, a corporate service account in Dallas-Fort Worth. During my experience, I was fortunate to play a role in the first food service contract earning its WELL certification. Sodexo provides a cafeteria, micro-market and catering division to the McKesson Corporation that all meet strict nutrition guidelines. Some of the WELL guidelines include offering fruit and water at every serving station, using fifty percent whole wheat flour, and limiting portion sizes of the less healthy items. The entrée station arranges all their vegetable sides in the front of the display where customers can see them first. The salad bar must be accessible from all sides with identical offerings on each side. The most notable criteria is all vendor and in-house products must be less than 30 grams of sugar. One of my projects related to WELL included developing snack station and cooler planograms to entice better choices by placing healthier items in easy to see and reach places. I also contributed to the marketing and signage that includes nutrition content and promotes mindful eating. As I learned more about the WELL criteria, I also enjoyed educating the staff on the foundation of the WELL guidelines and how our team can encourage healthier choices.
While the IWBI’s nourishment criteria has great intentions, executing the guidelines does propose some issues. For example, some customers purchase multiple eight-ounce soda cans due to the restriction of offering larger cans. Another major problem my manager and I discussed is that while we can offer artificially sweetened beverages with zero grams sugar, we cannot provide house-made smoothies nor 100 percent fruit juice because of the high content of natural sugars. After the WELL auditor heard our concern, she suggested we make a proposal to the rest of the WELL audit team. This is just one future project but there are many opportunities related to WELL that open up a new set of doors for dietitians. So, what do you consider ‘well’? What nourishment criteria would you include in the WELL certification?
For more information on the International Well Building Institute and WELL certification, visit https://www.wellcertified.com/en.
My name is Shannon Costello and I completed my food service management rotation at McKesson Corporation, a corporate service account in Dallas-Fort Worth. During my experience, I was fortunate to play a role in the first food service contract earning its WELL certification. Sodexo provides a cafeteria, micro-market and catering division to the McKesson Corporation that all meet strict nutrition guidelines. Some of the WELL guidelines include offering fruit and water at every serving station, using fifty percent whole wheat flour, and limiting portion sizes of the less healthy items. The entrée station arranges all their vegetable sides in the front of the display where customers can see them first. The salad bar must be accessible from all sides with identical offerings on each side. The most notable criteria is all vendor and in-house products must be less than 30 grams of sugar. One of my projects related to WELL included developing snack station and cooler planograms to entice better choices by placing healthier items in easy to see and reach places. I also contributed to the marketing and signage that includes nutrition content and promotes mindful eating. As I learned more about the WELL criteria, I also enjoyed educating the staff on the foundation of the WELL guidelines and how our team can encourage healthier choices.
While the IWBI’s nourishment criteria has great intentions, executing the guidelines does propose some issues. For example, some customers purchase multiple eight-ounce soda cans due to the restriction of offering larger cans. Another major problem my manager and I discussed is that while we can offer artificially sweetened beverages with zero grams sugar, we cannot provide house-made smoothies nor 100 percent fruit juice because of the high content of natural sugars. After the WELL auditor heard our concern, she suggested we make a proposal to the rest of the WELL audit team. This is just one future project but there are many opportunities related to WELL that open up a new set of doors for dietitians. So, what do you consider ‘well’? What nourishment criteria would you include in the WELL certification?
For more information on the International Well Building Institute and WELL certification, visit https://www.wellcertified.com/en.
