Corporate Food Gifts
Does food make a good business gift? Often, the answer is a resounding yes. It's so universally enjoyed by people that it is much more likely to please whoever you're giving it to - and that's the primary goal with giving corporate food gifts. On the other hand, if you do it the wrong way, it could completely blow up in your face. Some of the worst horror stories of corporate gifts come from the food arena - it's so easy to get it extremely wrong, much more so than with other kinds of gifts. You need to think through what you're doing and who you're giving it to before you decide to use food as your strategy for career advancement.
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Corporate Food Gifts
The biggest danger with giving food is simple: allergies. Most people don't even think about it, but a lot of people in our society today either have food allergies or other reasons that they can't eat the food you've given them. A few of the most common are diabetes, allergies to peanuts, and lactose intolerance. There may also be other dietary restrictions you should worry about - vegetarians will get offended if you give them a big slab of meat for Christmas, and some people may be on a restrictive diet to lose weight. Generally, you should avoid giving foods that people may not be able to eat, but there are a couple of exceptions to this rule.
First, if you are certain that the recipient is a big fan of a particular food, go ahead and give it to them. Meat might be a weird Christmas gift in general, but what if your boss can't stop talking about how much he loves to barbeque? You can get some great specialty sausages or briskets, and they would make an excellent, personalized gift in that case. Second, gift baskets can let you skirt a rule by giving a variety of foods. If you've got a basket that has cheeses, candies, and cakes in it, then chances are the recipient will find something they like in there. With corporate food gifts, diversification is a good thing. Third, making the food yourself can be a bad thing. You will be a little less sure that the food is good, for one - trust me, everyone always says you are a good cook, no matter what. If you do go that route, don't use dishes they'll have to return. Get decorative saran wraps, and make sure everything that you hand to them is disposable. Fourth, generally you shouldn't give fruitcakes to anyone you have a personal relationship with. It's a stereotyped generic gift that people aren't supposed to want - even if they do, it seems like you just bought something to avoid putting any thought into it.
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