Why is eating at work prohibited in France?
Reflecting the national character of sacred lunch, France has long explicitly prohibited 'workers from eating at work'. The NPR of the American Broadcasting Station introduces one theory as to why such a culture was born.
Drop that fork! Why eating at your desk is banned in France: NPR
Article R4228-19 of the French labor law ' Code du travail ' states that 'it is prohibited to allow workers to eat on the premises assigned to their work'. I am. Although this law is widely used in modern times, its history is as short as 100 years, and there were some opposition when it came into effect.
According to Martin Bruegel, who studies the history of food culture, it is believed that such a law was born because of concerns about a 'pathogen epidemic.' In the 1890s, when industrialization accelerated, the culture of lunch that was traditionally eaten at home changed, and it was becoming common among workers to bring it to the workplace such as a factory to eat it.
However, it is not very hygienic to eat lunch in the dusty and smoke-covered environment at that time, and it has led to the spread of infectious diseases caused by pathogens. Therefore, doctors were discussing how to clean the dirty workplace air.
According to Mr. Bruegel, there was a problem that people had to pay once to clean the workplace, as there was a slogan that 'the work site must be flushed like the toilet.' The best time to do that was when people were having lunch.
In response to this situation, the government enacted a law in 1894 that 'prohibits lunch at work.' This led to the work of taking workers out of the workplace, opening windows and cleaning the workplace once.
However, after this law came into effect, there were problems such as 'harassment of women on the street'. It is also reported that women went on strike seeking the right to eat at work, based on the idea that eating outside is terrible.
However, lawmakers insisted on leaving the law with an emphasis on worker safety. And over the decades, lunch outside the workplace, as required by the Public Health Ordinance, has gradually become an important part of French culture. It's now commonplace for work doors to close and bistros and restaurants to be crowded with regular lunch breaks, and separating work and lunch is considered almost sacred.
On the other hand, it seems that this law is not strictly adhered to, and the news site The Local France says, 'Every year in France, it is becoming common to have a quick lunch or a sandwich. So it seems that some French workers were surprised at the existence of a law prohibiting eating in the office. '
In 2021, due to the effects of the new coronavirus infection, we were temporarily allowed to eat at work, but in 2022 it has returned to normal. Bruegel said, 'Lunch breaks can improve your health, and eating together allows you to discuss issues, resolve tensions and different opinions, and have different perspectives. Culture is born. '
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