Unilever Food Solutions #FairKitchens Initiative Pledges Support to Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention on World Mental Health Day

The #FairKitchens movement aims to bring awareness to mental wellbeing issues including suicide and depression, and highlight resources to improve employee mental health in the foodservice industry

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Unilever Food Solutions

Oct 01, 2019, 07:30 ET

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Oct. 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The #FairKitchens initiative pledges to support and raise awareness of mental health problems in the food service industry in recognition of World Mental Health Day, October 10, 2019. The #FairKitchens movement is meant to bring attention to the warning signs of suicide, depression, substance abuse, and other mental health problems affecting workers in the foodservice industry, and provide resources that can help facilitate helpful conversations and foster a supportive culture in the workplace.

In 2017, a study conducted by Unilever Food Services reported that over 60 percent of chefs feel their work has had a negative impact on their mental health. It is a serious finding echoed in other industry studies: a 2015 survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found that the accommodations and food services industry had the highest incidence of past month illicit drug use (19.1 percent) and past year substance abuse disorder (16.9 percent), while a 2016 study published in the peer-reviewed Comprehensive Psychiatry journal reported that the food service industry has the second-highest prevalence of suicidal ideation, with 5.7 percent of workers reporting they had considered killing themselves within the last year.

The theme of this year's World Mental Health Day has been designated by the World Health Organization as suicide awareness and prevention. A somber topic that has particular relevance to the food service industry in the wake of chef Anthony Bourdain's suicide in 2018, chef Benoît Violier's in 2016, and chef Bernard Lousieau's in 2003, World Mental Health Day is an appropriate time to examine how topics like suicide and other mental health problems can be approached in the foodservice industry. The team behind #FairKitchens hopes that by drawing attention to these problems, they can create a supportive culture and environment for kitchen teams to recognize and and ultimately help team members suffering from mental health issues.

"Our mission has always been to foster supportive kitchen environments," said chef Einav Gefen, Executive Corporate Chef at Unilever Food Solutions. "The truth is that these issues are too common and far too prevalent in the industry—and we want to provide resources that train teams to be better equipped to support team members who might be suffering from depression, substance abuse, or contemplating self-harm."

#FairKitchens offers resources such as this guide for recognizing and approaching various mental health problems on a kitchen team, and their TEAMS FairKitchens code to establish healthy and supportive work environments. Through these resources and more, #FairKitchens hopes to jump-start the movement towards a healthier, safer kitchen culture.

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text TalkWithUs to 66746.

Find out more information and show your support towards the 'FairKitchens' movement by visiting fairkitchens.com.

About Unilever Food Solutions

We are proud to be part of Unilever, one of the world's leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods, with sales in over 190 different countries. As the dedicated foodservice business of Unilever, we lead the industry in providing innovative and high quality professional food ingredients and value adding services created by 300 professional chefs, covering 50 cuisines, in 200 million dishes a day. We provide products and services created by chefs for chefs and aim to do this in a sustainable way. For more information, please visit http://www.ufs.com/

Media Contact: Alison Seibert, The James Collective
[email protected]

SOURCE Unilever Food Solutions