Cake in the office like passive smoking

As a "person of weight", I'd always partake in cake. It's one of the few perks of going into the office these days! While it isn't like breathing in damaging smoke, dieting is hard and a delicious sweet snack can be irresistible. I get their thinking, but for employers out there, it would not be discriminatory to ban cakes (or allow them) and so the answer is a piece of cake. Do what you like.

Stop it - Killer cakes! Oh please, people need to take accountability and some responsibility for their own actions. Just enjoy some cake or don't if you think it will make you fat because you are eating too much generally. What state are we in if we need Government to legislate on this?! It's pure madness.

Cake and treats are a universal symbol of celebration and togetherness in the workplace. The most harmful thing to the health of UK workers is lack of movement and work-related stress. Treats are nothing but a red herring. If we are going to start policing food consumption at work, where does it end? Can we expect a ban on morning lattes?

I cannot understand the logic behind comparing cake in the office to passive smoking, unless my understanding of basic biology is incorrect, those in the office who choose not to eat the cake are not going to be absorbing calories simply from being in the same room as a sugary treat! What if that cake is the only positive thing in the day of someone who is finding life and/or work particularly hard at the moment (I've been that person)? I can't help but feel that our nation's struggles with food are a product of these kinds of restrictions, and they are certainly not the answer.

How can cake be compared to passive smoking? If someone is smoking in the office it's impossible to avoid also passively consuming it. With cake, I clearly have a choice. I'm an adult. Companies could consider encouraging people to also bring in some kind of healthy alternative treat, but honestly... life's too short to have the powers that be messing with such rituals. So I'd say, "let them eat cake".

It now appears that the bourgeoisie aren't even going to let the proletariat eat cake in their workplace anymore. Another reason to work from home then. Qu'ils mangent de la brioche (or le Mr. Kipling).

One is not exposed to passive weight gain from prolonged exposure to sugary foods. One does not go home stinking of cake because your colleague on the next desk chain-scoffs fairy cakes. Excessive sugar and carbs and insufficient exercise are responsible for weight gain, not a well-meaning colleague trying to raise spirits in their workplace. Educate rather than restrict supply. We might end up with cake-dealers on every street corner. Perhaps we should ban WI tea afternoons - elderly suger pushers!

I already have kids, I have no desire to mother fully grown adults. Cake is one of the true joys of working in an office – what miserable sadist would take this little piece of sunshine from such a grey and soulless place? Plus if you can’t even say no to a bit of cake, how on earth can you stand up for yourself on the bigger issues?

Haha! Sorry kids, these cakes we baked at the weekend can’t be taken into the office, it’s now banned. There are much bigger ways to impact the health of the public, such as better advertising regulations as suggested, than making someone feel bad for taking cake into the office. We’re human and we should maintain some level of willpower to leave the cake alone, or eat the cake and do a little more exercise to back it up. I can see people dealing cake in office blocks across the U.K.

This is a bridge too far, we are all in control of our own actions. The next thing will be, do not offer to make a cuppa for colleagues as it will contain too much caffeine. Where will it stop? I understand healthy eating is important, I've always bought fresh fruit and cakes in the past so people can choose what they want. Similar to event catering options, there is always a healthier option as well as a nice stodgy option.

Is it really too hard to be more Zammo, and just say no? I am all for employer organised brunches, meals out, being healthier and with less emphasis on the booze, but a line does need to be drawn. Empower staff to be confident, to be able to speak up, ask and offer alternatives. It's not difficult. SME's do not need the FSA and the Government to tell people what to bring to work!

Ultimately it's a personal choice, we shouldn't be blanket banning cake! Cake represents generosity, sharing, and is a social thing. As an employer, we also provide fruit as a healthy option, so the choice is there if people want it or not.

Passive smoking is different, by the very nature of being 'passive'. Isn't one of the joys of being in the office when someone brings in a lovely cake to share? It brings people together, gets them talking, and moves them away from their desks for a moment or two. Let people choose. After all, you don't have to eat the cake if you don't want to!

We often use food as a way to bond, to create a community, but for some people this can feel exactly the opposite. As someone diagnosed with type 2 diabetes following two experiences of gestational diabetes, I appreciate the gesture, but feel there are other ways to bond, and we found creative ways to do this through the pandemic. In person, you could change this to healthier foods (we’ve had success in the summer with bring-your-own picnics), or perhaps a group walk and talk. Over the ether, create an ‘arrival’ moment where the first 15 minutes is spent in breakout rooms connecting and catching up on a personal level. There are a whole range of ways to connect as humans in the work place that avoid the sugar rush!