Employers may be overlooking one of the most immediate drivers of workplace performance: diet. New research from global healthy eating app Lifesum reveals that more than two-thirds (68%) of employees say unhealthy eating leaves them feeling tired or unfocused at work, highlighting a significant gap in many employer wellbeing and benefits strategies.
“If employees are experiencing energy dips and reduced focus linked to what they eat, it has clear implications for productivity and long-term health,” said Emelie Fritz, Workplace Wellbeing Director at Lifesum. “Nutrition remains one of the most underleveraged factors in workplace wellbeing.”
While organisations have invested heavily in mental health and fitness programs, nutrition and appetite regulation remain largely under-addressed, despite their direct impact on energy, concentration and productivity.
More than half (57%) say food cravings affect their focus during the workday, while 52% experience afternoon energy crashes linked to what they eat.
The Productivity Link
Many of the foods associated with these effects – ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – are also widely seen as difficult to control:
- 92% believe UPFs are engineered to be hard to stop eating
- 82% feel regret after consuming them
- 69% have tried and failed to cut back
The Foods Behind the 3pm Slump
Employees most commonly linked energy dips and cravings to everyday UPFs, including:
- Fast food, soda and sugary snacks
- Pizza, frozen meals and sugary cereals
- Packaged snacks, desserts and processed meats
These convenience foods are typically associated with rapid spikes and crashes in energy, as well as repeat consumption.
A Growing Employer Risk
UPFs have been linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease – key drivers of absenteeism, presenteeism and rising employer healthcare costs.
- 68% feel tired or unfocused due to unhealthy eating
- 57% say cravings affect concentration
- 52% experience energy crashes
- 49% support regulation of UPFs
The Next Phase of Employee Wellbeing
The findings suggest workplace wellbeing is entering a new phase, one that goes beyond mental health and fitness to include nutrition, appetite regulation and metabolic health. As conversations around GLP-1 medications and food environments evolve, diet is increasingly seen not just as a personal choice, but a structural factor shaping employee performance.
