Meat + Poultry - April 2005 - 32

while they are still on the clock. The
nutritionist gives them educational
materials and assistance in changing
their eating habits, says Ivester.
Approximately 80 percent of
Fieldale's employees are Hispanic;
therefore, its nutritionist is bilingual,
which helps to make communication
with the majority of employees easier.
A smaller proportion of employees are
Vietnamese and Laotian, and translators are also available to assist them in
getting the most from these programs.
Besides just dealing with the language
issue, the company has also tried to
address nutrition in a way that they
can relate to. It has purchased food
pyramid literature and cookbooks that
feature American, Asian and Hispanic
foods. Sample foods from different
ethnic groups help the nutritionist to
teach portion control with foods they
are accustomed, says Ivester.
P.S.F. also has a large Hispanic work
force, and it has translated written materials for its employees. At its Clinton
facility, P.S.F. has brought in North
Carolina State Cooperative Extension
educators to talk to workers about the
benefits of eating healthier.
In addition, the extension has posted
fliers at the plant on how to cook and
eat healthy as well as how to shop for
groceries, says Gough. "It may sound
crazy, but we're teaching people how
to shop at the grocery store," he says.
"A lot of people shop on a daily basis,
and when you do that, you tend to go
when you are hungry and you buy
more junk food. We help them understand what to look for on food labels
and what the labels mean."
Wellness programs have tangible
benefits such as keeping medical
costs under control. Fieldale has gone
five years during one stretch without
increasing its employee premiums,
thanks to its wellness program. As
far as other benefits such as reduced
absenteeism she says it has not even
tracked that yet but plans to look at in
the next few years.
On the other hand, wellness programs also produce intangible ben-

efits. Wellness can boost productivity,
reduce turnover and improve employee moral. Companies that show their
employees that they care about their
well-being can be rewarded in many

ways, while improving the qualities of
lives for their employees.
We would like to hear from you- your comments
and questions about this article are welcome.
E-mail the author at: swhitaker@sosland.com

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