Dole’s CEO introduces wellness program to employees

By Heather Milo Acorn Staff Writer

LISA ADAMS/The Acorn 'TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE'-David H. Murdock, Dole Food Company chairman and CEO, introduces Dole's new Employee Wellness Program to the company's 310 world headquarters employees. The program is designed to help Dole employees achieve their personal health goals.

The Dole Food Company, the world’s largest producer of fruits and vegetables, believes healthy eating habits begin at home, and in the work place.

Last week the Westlake Village-based corporation announced the creation of the Dole Employee Wellness Program in an attempt to change the work place environment from that of a rushed, overpriced struggle against unhealthy eating habits to a resource of healthy food choices and opportunities for exercise.

David Murdock, Dole’s chief executive, hopes to lead his troops by example. Murdock said he considers himself a health-conscious person who plans to live to be 100.

"I live primarily on fish, fruits and vegetables," Murdock told his employees.

He said there are certain types of vitamins that only come from fruits and vegetables and that these foods can be excitingly prepared. He promised that his company would provide new healthy entrees at the Dole campus cafeteria.

Since Dole is in the business of selling fruits and vegetables, Murdock dismissed the idea that the program is self-serving. "I would like to think [helping our staff is] what we would do," he stated.

"The way we eat, the way we live, that’s the way our children will live," Murdock added. He believes that if parents are overweight then their families will be, too. He said parents must set a better example.

Regarding proper exercise, Murdock said he practices what he preaches. He rises early in the morning and works out for one hour a day, five days a week.

Also speaking to the Dole employees was U.S. Under Secretary of Agriculture Eric Bost, who encouraged the workers to take their health into their own hands. Bost reported the U.S. Government spent $117 billion last year on health issues related to obesity. Also last year, 400,000 Americans died from problems directly related to obesity.

Bost agreed with Murdock that the healthiest employees not only perform better for themselves and the corporation, but that their medical costs are cheaper.

A diabetic’s medical insurance costs $13,500 a year on average, whereas a healthy person without the disease pays only about $2,500, Bost pointed out.

Bost’s own, in-depth study on institutional eating habits comes from his work with the National School Lunch Program. The program was started by the government before the First World War when many men weren’t healthy enough to pass the armed forces physical. The problem in those days was that many people were undernourished. Now the problem is that they’re too chubby, Bost said.

Jennifer Grossman, Director of the Dole Nutrition Institute, talked about the struggle that many Americans have in keeping their diet healthy. She said more than just issues of willpower come into play. Grossman reported on a local university study that blames poor eating habits on a "toxic food environment" built around inexpensive fast food and junk food. Time constraints force the average person into making the wrong food choices.

"What if you lived in a healthy environment, where healthy foods are less expensive, not more expensive?" she asked the assembly, "where fruits and vegetables are just a stroll away?"

As part of the company’s push for better diet, a larger menu of healthy items with more fruits and vegetables will be available at lunch time. Some of the healthier items will be offered to the employees at lower prices.

For exercise options, free yoga and fitness classes will be available to the Dole employees in the early evenings after 5 p.m.

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