Canadian Press: Judy Creighton, THE CANADIAN PRESS

The greasy aromas of burgers and fries floating over work cubicles as well as the lack of healthy food outlets available to employees has spawned a new nutritious meal service in Vancouver.

Also, recognizing that in corporate Canada, many employees must work long hours, sometimes into the evening, the service plans to meet their needs.

The company, Licious Living, is a healthy meal delivery service, currently only in Vancouver, but with plans to expand to Toronto in the fall.

"Our clients keep telling us that one of the obstacles to maintaining a healthy weight is the lack of choice," says Deanna Embury, president of the company. "They leave their office to grab a quick lunch and there just aren't any healthy, convenient options."

She and her partners Katie Rodgers and Aaron Keay saw the opportunity and moved to fill the niche.

"It wasn't just our clients," says Rodgers. "We work downtown too and we were sick of not being able to find healthy and yummy food. Fast food doesn't have to equal junk food."

One-quarter of Canadians report eating fast food daily, reports Statistics Canada. And the majority of Canadians aren't eating the recommended minimum of five daily servings of fruit and vegetables ("Overview of Canadians' eating habits" in the publication "Nutrition: Findings From the Canadian Community Health Survey," Statistics Canada, 2006).

At the same time, obesity is on the rise and many Canadians are trying to lose weight.

In response, there's been a trend toward healthier retail offerings. Salad bars are cropping up more and more.

But Licious Living's Embury says it is pushing the trend to healthy food even further.

Unlike a "wrap zone" or salad bars, the company's menu is large and caters to many tastes, she says.

The company is opening its first retail store in September in downtown Vancouver (located in the Bentall Centre IV at Dunsmuir and Burrard), with plans to open more locations across Canada in similar high-traffic business districts and urban hot spots.

The stores will feature freshly prepared balanced meals priced at $8 to $10 and they will be available for grab-and-go, pre-order, eat-in or delivered to clients marooned at their office desks.

Here is a sample menu: Steamed wild salmon and cauliflower on a bed of seven-grain rice with fresh herb tomato salsa; slices of jerk seasoned chicken breast, red and yellow pepper, arugula, tomato and light homemade mayo on whole-grain bread; or grilled lean beef, blue cheese, dried cranberries and celery served over mixed greens with a light vinaigrette.

For more information, visit www.liciousliving.com.

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