20th October 2016
Media Release
BUSINESSES REAP REWARDS FROM GROWING GREEN
Growing your own doesn’t have to be limited to the home garden. A leading New Zealand seed company is on a mission to
challenge New Zealand businesses to improve lunchtime nutrition in the workplace. They’re encouraging them to grow their
own nutrient rich microgreens and sprouts in the office to help improve staff health, happiness and productivity.
Kings Seeds adopted 2nd of November as Healthy Eating Day as a way to get businesses talking about staff productivity in
a different way. Although typically not a consideration when it comes to employee workplace performance, food actually
plays a big part. A recent article in Harvard Business Review* refers to a study published in July 2014 British Journal
of Health Psychology that indicates that what you eat, especially for lunch, affects your productivity and mood. The
outcome was that the more vegetables and fruits people consumed the happier, more engaged, and more creative they tended
to be.
Barbara Martin, co-owner of Kings Seeds, said; “Microgreens and sprouts are just one small part of the bigger picture,
but like anything you have to start somewhere. They are a nutritious, low cost, easy option for businesses to
demonstrate to staff that their health and wellbeing is important to them.”
“So many of us spend the bulk of our day at work, we’re often sedentary and that can lead to poor food choices. The
desire to have an easy high fat, high sugar or high carb lunch (or no lunch at all) sometimes overrides the need to
choose healthier options. Offering something as simple as microgreens and sprouts for staff can be a start in creating a
more productive workplace.”
Barbara adds; “When they are available close to hand in the office, it becomes an easy decision for employees to quickly
add extra nutrition (and flavour) to their daily lunches and snacks.”
To get the ball rolling and collect some valuable feedback, Kings Seeds recruited two Auckland offices to take part in a
‘Growing Green Trial’. Each was sent a ‘Seeds for Sprouting Starter Kit’ along with a ‘Microgreens Starter Kit’ from
Kings Seeds, which included everything they needed to get sowing and growing.
Extra Mile Company, a leading incentive company took part in the trial. CEO, Eugene DeVilliers, said; “We jumped at the
opportunity to put into practice one of our corporate values and that is supporting staff health and wellness. Each week
we do a shared team lunch (different teams cook), and staff took up the challenge with enthusiasm to include the office
grown microgreens and sprouts into each week's meal”.
DeVilliers adds; “I think watching them grow in the office made all of us more aware of what we are putting into our
mouths and how easy it is to make healthy lunch choices and that’s got to be a good thing!”
MOVIO, an innovative global leader in marketing data analytics for the film industry, were also delighted to take part
in the trial. The organisation is already committed to offering positive wellbeing choices to staff, such as fresh
fruit, weekly yoga classes and a running club.
Callie Ewin, Talent Manager, People & Culture for MOVIO said; “We are a relatively healthy company and are always open to trying new things - particularly if
it contributes to staff wellness! Our team loved the microgreens; we left a pair of scissors next to them so everyone
could simply help themselves. Staff would put them in sandwiches, on their salads, add to their soups, etc. The sprouts
were equally as popular, and staff would often just take a handful as a snack. They also added a nice bit of greenery to
the office, and made for a great talking point around the kitchen bench. It’s a brilliant initiative and something that
will help improve the wellness of our staff. We plan to keep growing the sprouts, especially with summer just around the
corner. Plus, they're the perfect addition to the MOVIO monthly BBQ!”
Although they are small on size, microgreens are packed with nutrients and flavour, and international research supports
this. According to a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry**, microgreens can contain anywhere from
four to six times more nutrients than mature greens (including vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene). Even easier to grow
are sprouts in jars which add crunch and taste and can nutritionally offer vitamins, minerals, fibre and protein to
lunches or snacks.
To grow microgreens or sprouts in your office, order your Microgreens Starter Pack or Seed for Sprouting Starter Kit
from www.kingsseeds.co.nz.
Ends
So what are microgreens and sprouts? Microgreens are seedlings of herbs and salad greens and are packed full of flavour and nutrients. They are easily grown
in a seed tray filled with seed raising mix. Simply sow microgreens seeds and after they have grown to about 5cm you can
begin harvesting them by snipping them off and adding them to your lunch.
Sprouts are super easy to grow and initially start as dry seeds. To grow your sprouts you just add the sprout seeds to
your jar, add water, soak, then drain and let them grow. Sweet and tender sprouts are crunchy and tasty and are a
fantastic addition to lunches. Nutritionally they can offer vitamins, minerals, fibre and protein.
For information on growing microgreens watch: http://www.kingsseeds.co.nz/Tips++Techniques/Find+it+on+YouTube.html