2026-04-15 13:22:30

A company has banned staff from sharing birthday cakes in the workplace over health and safety concerns.

Employees at exhibition stand designers Quadrant2Design, based in Poole, Dorset, were told the long-standing office tradition must stop due to risks linked to allergies and food safety.

The firm said the move was prompted by “growing legal, insurance and compliance risks” associated with sharing food of uncertain origin.

One employee, who asked to remain anonymous, criticised the decision as an example of “increasing overreach of modern employment regulation”.

They are quoted by the Daily Express newspaper as saying: “What makes this striking is the company can still provide food for clients and visitors. That raises questions about the consistency and practicality of rules businesses are expected to follow.”

The staff member added that workers had also been warned not to bring children into the workplace because of safety concerns.

They said: “These measures paint a picture of a workplace where long-standing social traditions, such as bringing in cakes for a colleague’s birthday, are being removed due to fear of legal exposure.

“It raises a broader question: are current employment and compliance expectations going too far?”

However, company founder Alan Jenkins defended the policy, insisting it was based on genuine risks rather than excessive regulation.

He explained that food shared among staff is often brought back from holidays abroad, where labelling standards may differ and ingredients such as nuts are not always clearly identified.

Mr Jenkins said: “Our experience is a growing number of people have allergies, sometimes undisclosed to the company or their colleagues.

“Allowing mixed food items from unknown sources, countries or labelling is a risk we’re not prepared to accept.

“Regulatory overreach is not a factor in our policy. It’s a measured response to clearly identified risks.”

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