Meetings are frequent and can stretch for hours at the World Health Organization’s regional office in Manila. A perk? Staff are often served snacks or meals to keep everyone focused and energized. Until just a few months ago, it was usually pizza loaded with cheese and washed down with sugary beverages. Sausage wrapped in bacon was another favorite, according to Katrin Engelhardt, technical lead for nutrition at the Western Pacific office’s NCD and health through the life course division.
But things at the office — mainly cheesy, fatty, sugary things — are changing.
Late last month, during a brown bag on climate change and its health impacts in the region, staff members were noshing on a lunch of pesto pasta, chicken, baked garlic bread, a serving of fruit and unsweetened watermelon juice.