The Google Food Program

Google employees don’t get to move around a lot and are mostly fixed behind their desk. Making sure that the people working at Google don’t lose sight of the social aspect of work, the founders have always made sure that the teams have lunch together. This was easily done 17 years ago with one communal table. Nowadays things are just a little bit different. With over 50 thousand employees worldwide it’s no wonder that they’ve gone beyond the communal lunch table to create The Google Food Program.

Eating together is still very important at Google as collaborative working is their work culture. Food is a proper connector for coworkers from all departments. At Google they believe in the magic of the ‘casual collision’: random encounters with coworkers which could lead to great new things. That doesn’t happen when you dine aldesko.

Teaching people how to cook and eat right is another vital part of the program. There is no point at eating healthy at work then going home and having junk food for dinner. Having healthy employees in body and mind is important to Google, because a happy, healthy employee works harder and skips less, but also costs less in health care. These high demands of Google are not only set for their employees but also for their surroundings. They actually believe that their Food Program can be used for a better world.  This fits into their corporate tradition and is emphasised in their motto: Do no evil. This sounds a bit silly, but Google does take this very seriously and really strives to be not only the best tech company in Silicon Valley but also in the world.

Want to find out more about the Google Food Program, go to Volkskrant for a full detailed report.

Are you interested in the food & tech revolution? Get your tickets to Amsterdam Talks Tech VI: The Food Edition here, for a night of dynamic talks, ideas sharing and short docs on the synchronisation of food & tech.