Natalie Barone, an officer manager, and her boss James Henderson made a resolution back in January to stop giving their members of staff chocolate and crisps, and to give them twice-weekly deliveries of fresh fruit instead.

The public relations firm, Pelham, is one of a growing number of employers offering this perk.

James says: “We’re in a serviced building where chocolate and crisps are freely available, and we were being charged for what our staff were having. It was costing us £300 a month and I didn’t feel it was particularly healthy. We decided to cancel the arrangement.”

Natalie now arranges for baskets of fruit to be delivered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at a cost of around £1.75 per employee per week.

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The supplier, Fruitful Office, claims to have been the first company to supply top-quality fresh fruit to workplaces in the UK. It now has plenty of competitors who have boarded the five-a-day bandwagon, and the trend looks unstoppable. Fruitful Office alone reports growth of 20 per cent month on month over the past 18 months, with most new orders being initiated by secretaries and PAs.

According to its co-founders Daniel Ernst and Vasco de Castro, it is not just about healthy eating. Their research has shown that for health and safety reasons toasters are now banned in some offices.

The pair have had to be increasingly careful to offer not just fresh fruit but also near-immaculate eco-credentials. Fruit is locally produced where possible and sourced at markets, and only seasonal produce is bought. Although imported fruit is used, it is never air-freighted, and for every basket or box sold a fruit tree is planted.

The basket service, currently available only in Central London, is eco-friendly, as the empty baskets are collected weekly for re-use, cutting down on packaging.

Feedback from customers is positive, with some describing the rush for the fruit baskets.

As a perk, it also seems to be popular, outranking water coolers, exercise plans and gym membership.

“It encourages healthy eating without being forceful, and I truly believe it makes a difference to the office environment in a positive way,” says one PA who has set up the service in her own office.

www.fruitfuloffice.com

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