At first they appeared only occasionally. A small packet of biscuits, or a single tub of something cakelike, whenever there was something to celebrate. A brief email would go round the office announcing their appearance, just so that nobody missed out. We'd partake gratefully, a rare sweet treat to mark a special event, gobbled down with grateful thanks. That's how it used to be. And then things evolved.
Then they appeared slightly more often. A trayful of chocolate chip cookies, or a couple of packs of mini muffins, in honour of someone's birthday or "because it's Friday". They'd sit temptingly on top of a filing cabinet throughout the morning, slowly polished off by passers by as lunchtime approached. Eventually there'd only be one biscuit left, which nobody dared take for fear of looking selfish, which then hung around all afternoon until somebody dared to snaffle it. That's how it used to be. And then things evolved further.
Now they appear all the time. A bucket of chocolate brownies, a packet of segmented flapjacks and a box of rice krispie squares, perhaps with a tray of mini doughnuts thrown in for good measure. Any excuse will do. "Because the cat had kittens", "because it's Tuesday" or even "because I didn't think anyone else would bring anything in". They're no longer special, they're just part of the daily office routine. If by some strange quirk no nibbles have appeared during the morning, somebody is sure to nip out at lunchtime to buy something to fill the communal void. And there's always something left on the filing cabinet at the end of the afternoon, because supply now exceeds demand. One day's leftover cookies and fondant fancies will more than likely stay out overnight and reappear alongside tomorrow's new goodies. That's how it is now. It can't be good for us.
I wonder if it's the same in your workplace at it is in mine? I suspect it might be, because I see the same proliferation of cakes, biscuits and gooey sugary things piled up in every office I visit. And because our local Sainsbury's Local has recently promoted its best selling minibites and flapjacks from some rear aisle to the most prominent shelves at the front of the store, trying to encourage queueing office workers to pick up a pack or three on impulse. Which they willingly do. Supermarkets must be rubbing their hands with glee at people's desire to buy thinly-sliced over-packaged cakes and biscuits at exorbitant prices.
Obviously what's needed is a government campaign, or maybe a Jamie Oliver series, to encourage the nation's office staff to snack more healthily. A tub of sliced carrots would be far healthier at elevenses, and a packet of dried mango strips would be a much better accompaniment to the mid-afternoon cuppa. Maybe supermarkets could hide all their stodgy treats at the back of their city centre stores and place big packets of celery, pine nuts and sliced melon beside their checkouts instead. It's the only way to safeguard the collective waistline of the nation. But don't worry, you'd still be allowed mini jam doughnuts and chocolate treats for special occasions, just like in the old days. Surely the odd fat-packed nibble every now and then couldn't do any real harm, could it?
