• For workplaces that provide food for shiftworkers, there should be healthy snack and meal options available, including healthy vending machine offerings. This can support shiftworkers in making healthier choices, and avoiding having to reach for fast food or unhealthier options.

• Workplaces should aim to provide nutritious options such as fruits and vegetables, oats or muesli, yoghurts, lean protein, and cheese and crackers. Providing these foods will remove one of the barriers for shiftworkers when it comes to meeting their nutrient requirements, especially during night shifts where nutritious options are often hard to find.

• Access to simple cooking facilities can also help shiftworkers to maintain a healthy diet by cooking nutritious meals at work or allow them to re-heat pre-prepared food. Some particularly useful appliances would be fridges, microwaves, kettles, and stoves. Other items to consider are food storage options (e.g., eskies, mini fridges), particularly for shiftworkers who need to take their food with them.

• Hydrating with water is important for shiftworkers, who should be aiming to consume 2-3 litres of water per day. This is particularly important for industries where workers sweat a lot or are very physically active. Ensure that shiftworkers have access to water, and if necessary, electrolyte supplements or low-sugar sports drinks.

• Due to the nature of their work commitments, shiftworkers will often need to consume meals at non-traditional hours (e.g., breakfast food in the evening before night shift). Workplaces who provide food for their staff on-site should consider incorporating this flexibility to encompass the variety of shift schedules of their staff.

• Vending machines, or ready-made meals, can be provided in the workplace to allow access to food around-the-clock. Ensure that these offerings are balanced and will help to meet the nutrient requirements of shiftworkers. This can be particularly helpful in the event that workers don’t have an opportunity to prepare their food in advance, and don’t want to rely on the ultra-processed foods that are often available overnight.

• The culture within a workplace surrounding health and wellbeing, including nutrition, can heavily impact how shiftworkers approach looking after themselves. As a result of the demanding environments that many shiftworkers have to operate within, an ‘anything goes’ mentality can become common, particularly during night shifts.

• Supporting shiftworkers to look after their health and well-being, including by meeting their nutrient requirements, benefits both the individual worker and their employer through reduced fatigue and better sustained energy and productivity across the shift.

• Consider offering education on nutrition for shiftworkers, as meeting these requirements while engaging in non-traditional work can be uniquely challenging. This education can be offered during induction or orientation, or as a refresher throughout employment. This education benefits not only the individual, but their colleagues and workplace as well, as shiftworkers who look after their health and wellbeing are less likely to experience workplace errors, injuries, and accidents.

• External sources of support may be required for shiftworkers. This could be provided through workplace health and safety officers or employee assistance programs, or for nutrition specifically, through access to a dietitian.