Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - November/December 2023 - 26

LIFTING THE LID OFF MENTAL HEALTH
IN THE FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY
disorders, depression, and substance
abuse.
According to global research by
Unilever Food Solutions:
84%
74%
73%
53%
50%
84% of chefs and cooks report
suffering from depression.
74% feel sleep deprived
to the point of exhaustion.
73% suffer from anxiety.
MORE THAN JUST " THE
BLUES "
Life is full of emotional ups and
downs, and everyone experiences " the
blues " from time to time. But when
the " down " times are long lasting or
interfere with an individual's ability
to function at home or at work, that
person may be suffering from a
common, serious illness - depression,
anxiety, or both.
53% feel pushed to the
breaking point.
50% are dealing with
substance abuse.
the physical problems that can come
from working long shifts. Standing for
hours, lifting heavy items, straining
your body, and working with sharp
equipment can all lead to accidents or
injuries. Similarly, other workplace
dangers could be affecting your
mental health and you may not even be
aware of them.
Foodservice work isn't as stressful as
say, bomb disposal or an emergency
room doctor...but it's not far behind.
A report from one of the largest
insurance companies in the U.S. found
that mental stress claims skyrocketed
in the restaurant business in 2021,
fueled no doubt by chronic labor
shortages and the return to work as
the COVID-19 pandemic loosened its
grip.
This may not be news to anyone who
has spent time as a server, cook, or
manager in the industry. The work is
fast-paced, stressful, and often comes
without much time for breaks. It
also features demanding customers
who often expect their every whim
to be satisfied. The " pressure-cooker "
environment in many establishments
also explains the high employee
turnover common in the industry.
Worse still, those who quit often do so
without notice. As a result, employees
are prone to exhaustion, sleep
26 NUTRITION & F OOD SER VICE EDGE | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2023
The hope with listing all these stats
(see sidebar) is not to dramatize or
hyper-inflate mental health issues in
the foodservice world-it's to draw
attention to how dire it actually is
and normalize discussing these issues
that so many of us face in and outside
the industry. We've all become a
bit desensitized to " the numbers "
after the media continuously posted
infection rates and death rates during
the recent pandemic. But behind those
numbers were real people, loved ones,
friends, and colleagues. The same
is true with the numbers provided
here, only they're not making it into
the news. No nationally-syndicated
graphics for depression rates amongst
foodservice workers. Only we can help
each other out, and only we can help
ourselves.
YOU DON' T HAVE TO GO IT
ALONE
A rising momentum of mental
health awareness is sweeping across
the industry. So many restaurant
managers and chefs are saying no
more to the status quo and toxic old
ways of doing things. They're creating
new paths for living in, operating in,
and working amongst the foodservice
space. And with that has come an ever
Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - November/December 2023

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