It saddens me deeply that the chair of a national agency should be so dismissive of the human relations aspect of work (People should not take cakes into the office, suggests food watchdog chief, 17 January). Many friendships develop in occupational settings, and I recall fondly playing cricket for my first psychology department, and playing an elephant in my first hospital Christmas pantomime. Decades later, I am still in contact with friends I made in those two jobs.
The late Bill Keatinge demonstrated the value of a weekly collective tea break with a few biscuits or cupcakes. The then London Hospital Medical College had many departments, but the friendliest and perhaps the most stable and productive was the department where Prof Keatinge budgeted for someone to make tea, where workmates who wanted a sit-down chat knew they would all be welcome. I would not support a constant exposure to sugar and fat (that might be obesogenic), but in work settings where there is no opportunity to play a pantomime elephant (or even to have a leisurely lunch together), it may be quite supportive sometimes to share tea and cake.
Woody Caan
Retired professor of public health
