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New research from CSIRO: Australian diets are “Worse than ever”

Did you know that only 35% of Australians are getting their recommended daily intake of vegetables? The recent CSIRO Healthy Diet Score report paints a clear picture of our nation’s eating habits, and the results have serious implications for workplaces across Australia.

Over an eight-year period, the CSIRO surveyed more than 230,000 Australians and assessed their diets based on a range of factors, including quantity, quality and variety, scoring them out of 100.

The average diet score over the entire 8-year period was a disappointing 55/100. What’s even more worrying is that these scores have been on a downward trajectory, declining from 56 in 2015 to 53 in 2023. This means that Australian diets are not just bad, but they’re also getting worse.

Key Findings from the Report:

The report highlights that where a person works matters significantly, with those working in Logistics (51.5/100) and Manufacturing (51.9/100) having some of the worst diets of any occupation, far below the average of 55/100.

Retired Australians and personal trainers rate at the top of the list (59.2 and 58.9/100 respectively), with more time and focus placed on health. Retired Australians and personal trainers, on the other hand, emerged as the top scorers (59.2 and 58.9/100, respectively), reflecting their greater focus on health and well-being.

Younger and middle-aged Australians, who make up a significant portion of the workforce, have significantly poorer diets than older Australians, with 7 points differentiating 18–50-year-olds and those over 70 years (53 vs. 60 respectively).

The Workplace Connection:

It’s clear that diet quality is closely tied to occupation, with frontline workers suffering the most, despite the direct correlation between their physical wellbeing and productivity. The results are concerning, yet unsurprising when considering the typical working hours, unhealthy options, and subsequent eating culture prevalent in these types of workplaces.

This brings us to an important conclusion: Employers can play a pivotal role in the health and productivity of their employees by ensuring access to healthier food options at work. When employees have access to nutritious meals and snacks, they are more likely to make healthier dietary choices, leading to improved wellbeing and increased productivity.

Improving Diet:

While Australians may appear generally fit and healthy, our collective low diet score, which seems to be deteriorating over time, indicates that we have substantial work to do.

The good news, as Dr. Gilly Hendrie, CSIRO Research Scientist emphasises, is that “a healthy diet can be achieved with some simple changes… The things to keep in mind is reduce, increase and add variety.” In other words, Australians need to reduce the amount of processed junk food that we consume, while increasing their intake of wholesome foods such as fruits, vegetables and dairy, aiming for variety.

It’s never too late to make positive changes in eating behaviour and overall health and wellbeing. Improving our diet isn’t just a matter of personal health, it’s vital for the wellbeing and productivity of the entire nation. Let’s work together to create a happier, healthier and more productive future for all.

Click here to see the full report from CSIRO: https://www.csiro.au/-/media/News-releases/2023/Total-Wellbeing-Diet-Health-Score/Diet-score-2023-Report_September.pdf

Source: Baird, D., Hendrie, Gilly (September, 2023). CSIRO Healthy Diet Score 2015-2023. CSIRO https://www.csiro.au/-/media/News-releases/2023/Total-Wellbeing-Diet-Health-Score/Diet-score-2023-Report_September.pdf

Morsl transforms workplace eating culture: Amazon and beyond

Discover how Morsl’s health-focused micro-markets create healthier, happier & more productive workplaces through the lens of Amazon AustraliaA testament to Morsl’s success is its presence in the massive Amazon BWU2 fulfilment centre in Australia. Kelly Godschalx, Amazon’s Regional Procurement Operations Manager, describes BWU2 as Amazon’s largest fulfilment centre in the southern hemisphere. It spans more than 200,000 square metres across four levels.

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Micro markets take the lead: Growth outpaces that of vending machines by more 300%

According to the latest Vending Market Watch ‘State of the Industry’ report, more and more workplaces are switching from legacy vending machines for the healthier and more diverse range offered by micro markets. The report sheds light on the US vending and micro market industry and uncovers evolving trends and growth areas. With the US micro market industry being a few years ahead in maturity, this report offers crucial insights into the rapidly changing workplace food service and employee wellbeing landscapes in Australia.

As we delve into the highlights of the 2022 report, the evidence is clear – micro markets are creating a transformative shift, revolutionising the traditional workplace vending landscape.

Outstanding Growth: Micro Markets Outpace Vending

In 2022, the industry has seen a huge surge in micro market locations and sales growth across the US, far outpacing the growth in vending machines. The Vending MarketWatch report shows that the number of micro market locations in the US has increased by an incredible 18% across the year, compared with vending machine numbers, which grew by a modest 4.5%.

Micro markets have been steadily gaining popularity as more and more workplaces replace their legacy vending machines with a more modern and flexible alternative. Unlike the limited choices offered by vending machines, micro markets can provide convenient access to a wide range of fresh products, including fresh fruit, sandwiches, wraps, salads, and sushi. With over 30,000 micro market locations in the US as of 2022, there is a rapid shift occurring which is revolutionising the way employees access food at work.

Trend towards health: Healthy Product Sales Up 40%

One of the fundamental highlights from this year’s report is the whopping 40% growth in sales of healthy products within micro markets. The growing awareness and focus on health and wellbeing by both employers and employees is driving demand for more nutritious options. With a large range of healthy options, micro markets are fuelling this exciting shift and becoming the obvious choice for employers trying to improve the health, happiness, and productivity of their teams, not to mention a highly attractive benefit for existing and prospective employees.

The data from 2022 is clear – the micro market sector has seen a exceptional year of growth, with a remarkable increase in the number of micro market locations and rapidly increasing demand for healthier products. These trends indicate a clear preference for the enhanced experience and range of options offered by micro markets, catering to the changing needs and preferences of employees in the post-covid work environment.

In response to the growing importance of employee wellbeing and the need to attract top talent, Australian employers are increasingly focused on enhancing company culture and improving on-site amenities and benefits. As the Australian industry leader in healthy micro markets, Morsl is uniquely placed to solve these problems across the office, industrial, and healthcare sectors, creating happier, healthier, and more productive workplaces.

To read the full report: State of the Industry for Vending and Micro Market Report: 2022 was a year of continued recovery | Vending Market Watch

Source: Rogers, M. (2023, June 21). State of the Industry for Vending and Micro Market Report: 2022 was a year of continued recovery. Vending Market Watch. https://www.vendingmarketwatch.com/reports/article/53063695/state-of-the-industry-for-vending-and-micro-market-report-2022-was-a-year-of-continued-recovery

Morsl Reinforces Industry-Leading Position with New Strategic Appointments

Morsl, Australia’s first and leading self-service micro-market operator for workplaces, has recently made significant strategic changes to its leadership team.

James George has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer, Roberto Carrano as National Head of Operations, and Thomas Beaven as Marketing and Communications Manager. These strategic appointments come as Morsl solidifies its position as the industry leader in unattended retail, driving its mission of ‘Making Healthy Easy’ for all, across Australian workplaces.

After 2 years as an advisor to Morsl founder Karla Borland, James George will now step into the business directly as Chief Commercial Officer, helping to drive Morsl’s commercial strategy, new product development and data insights. With a wealth of experience in driving innovative start-ups to succeed, James brings invaluable expertise to his newly appointed role.

James brings an impressive recent track record as a strategy and scale-up advisor, but also previously as co-founder of Concise Consultants – a CRM and customer strategy consultancy. After being acquired by Iris Worldwide, James helped grow Concise from a boutique London-based firm to a global operation with offices across Europe, the US, and Asia-Pacific. James’s background will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in supporting Morsl to achieve its ambitious growth targets.

Further bolstering the leadership team, new National Head of Operations, Roberto Carrano, joins Morsl after three years at Cali Press, a prominent Sydney health food café chain. During his time at Cali Press, Roberto played a key role in propelling the brand’s growth, overseeing its expansion from five, to an impressive thirteen locations across Sydney. He also led the introduction of new product lines that resonated with the health-conscious customer base and launched the brand’s successful catering platform.

As head of Operations at Morsl, Roberto will be responsible for scaling the day-to-day operations to ensure the seamless execution of new launches as the start-up continues to grow. His extensive expertise, coupled with his passion for wellness makes him an ideal addition to Morsl’s team, supporting its continued success.

Thomas Beaven has recently joined Morsl as Marketing and Communications Manager. He brings with him valuable experience from his previous role at DHL Supply Chain, where he played a key role in managing both internal and external communications, social media, and the execution of major customer events and sponsorships. Prior to DHL, he was part of the core operations team at TEDxSydney, managing customer service channels and supporting sponsor relationship management.

Thomas’ customer-centric mindset and understanding of the logistics industry will be critical in driving Morsl’s ongoing promotions schedule, social media strategy, and customer engagement efforts, essential components in supporting revenue growth.

Morsl Founder and CEO, Karla Borland says, “Following our successful capital raise last year and a strong start to 2023 with 7 new market openings in Q1, we are excited to welcome James, Roberto and Thomas to the Morsl team. It is our mission to transform Australian workplaces into healthier, happier, and more productive spaces, providing easy access to delicious, healthy food options. These three strategic hires will be fantastic assets to the Morsl team as our growth accelerates across Australia.”

Morsl currently supports over 10 000 employees with access to fresh, better-for-you food and drink options via automated, unattended 24/7 micro-markets powered by best-in-class technology.

Find out more about Morsl’s innovative solutions below.

Morsl Expands with Warehouse Space in NSW and VIC

Brand New Warehouse

Morsl has made another giant leap forward by taking on its very own warehouse space. For the last few years, we’ve been using a 3PL (third-party logistics provider) to build scale and expand nationally. Today, we have the necessary scale to bring operations in-house to support our growth.

Brand New Warehouse

Brand New Warehouse



Having our own warehouse space will give us greater flexibility and control over our operations, allowing us to respond more quickly to the needs of our customers, upkeep our Self Service Markets, and manage our inventory more efficiently. Plus, It also allows us to further invest in our infrastructure and equipment to support our growing business.

Being able to support our Micro Markets at a higher capacity means we can increase our offerings, improve our service levels, and satisfy the growing demand for convenient and accessible food options in workplaces. 

The Morsl team is very excited about another benefit of this move: we will officially now have a Morsl HQ. This will be a place for the team to come together regularly as the company embarks on what is expected to be its biggest year yet. With this, we know it will give us a sense of ownership and a sense of pride, and belonging to the company, fostering a stronger company culture to outwork the mission and vision of Morsl.

This move is a big step forward for Morsl, and it is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire team. We are excited to see what the future holds and are confident that this move will be the driving force behind our continued growth and success.

For more information on Morsl, please email us at info@morsl.com.au