Sodexo launches new planet-friendly menus globally

• Sodexo partners with WWF-UK and Knorr Professional to bring more sustainable meals to diners and contribute to a more responsible food system
• The Future 50 Foods Report, co-written by Knorr and WWF-UK identifies 50 foods that are nutritious and have a lower environmental impact
• Sodexo is the first global player to serve Future 50 Foods on a large scale
• Sodexo to roll out 40 plant-based recipes containing the Future 50 Foods, starting with 5,000 kitchens in Belgium, the US, France and the UK

Paris, 10 September 2019 – Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life services, announces that it is now working with Knorr Professional and leading conservation organization WWF-UK to bring more sustainable food choices to more consumers across the world. Sodexo will feature recipes inspired by Knorr and WWF-UK’s report, 50 nutritious foods that are healthy, flavourful, accessible and can be better for the planet than comparison foods.

The Future 50 Foods report launched by Knorr and WWF-UK in February 2019, brought together scientists, nutritionists and agricultural experts to identify 50 ingredients to contribute to a more sustainable food system. The list combines familiar foods, such as lentils, wild rice and kale, with lesser-known foods like fonio, pumpkin flowers and cactus, selected for their lower environmental impact and high nutritional value.

“When you see there are more than 20,000 known edible plants on our planet, and yet our food comes primarily from a dozen of them, there is definitely opportunity to change and discover new ways of eating. Today, we are helping consumers as they look for ways to adopt more sustainable diets. Future 50 Foods represents an exciting opportunity for our chefs to innovate in the kitchen and share Sodexo’s Love of Food with diners in a way that’s also good for the planet,” said John Wright, SVP Sodexo Food Platform.

Sodexo and Knorr Professional chefs and nutritionists have developed forty recipes using ingredients from the Future 50 Foods report and introducing them in kitchens globally. This initial roll-out includes more than 5000 locations in Belgium, the United States, the United Kingdom and France, including business and government offices, universities and hospitals.

This partnership builds on Sodexo’s commitment to providing consumers with more responsible food choices and contributing to positive impact on the global food system. Last year, Sodexo launched 200 plant-based meals in the US and in 2017 developed Green & Lean sustainable recipes in the UK & Ireland featuring balanced, responsibly sourced and healthier ingredients. Future 50 Foods supports the company’s nutrition, health and wellness commitments, menu strategy and sustainable sourcing guidelines.

Dominika Cabalska-Kaminska, Global Foods Director at Unilever Food Solutions, managing Knorr Professional, said: “The Future 50 Foods grow and are available in a wide number of countries and can be the side or center of everyday meals, and can be added and substituted into meals or used to create new types of dishes. The aim is to increase the intake of these foods to help improve the health of people and the planet. This partnership between Knorr Professional and our strategic partner Sodexo helps us to faster deploy and scale the Future 50 Foods initiative, and to create a deep understanding of it for professional chefs’ network.” 

Sarah Halevy, WWF-UK Sustainable Diet Manager said: “People are waking up to the fact that the food we eat is having a devastating impact on our environment. Not only is our food system a major contributor to climate change, it is the main reason that the planet’s incredible wildlife is being destroyed. It’s vital that we change the way we produce and consume food, moving away from an over-reliance on animal protein – carbon heavy foods which require vast amounts of space, water and feed to produce – towards more plant-based diets. Joining forces with chefs and the food industry is an important step, which allows consumers to choose sustainable dishes, helping to drive the change that we desperately need to happen.”

About Unilever Food Solutions

We are proud to be part of Unilever, one of the world’s leading suppliers of fast-moving consumer goods, with sales in 180 different countries. As the dedicated foodservice business of Unilever, we lead the industry in providing innovative and high-quality professional food ingredients and value adding services created by 230 professional chefs. Covering 50 cuisines, in 200 million dishes a day. We outgrow our competition thanks to strong brands such as KNORR, LIPTON and HELLMANN'S, and talented entrepreneurial people working closely with chefs and distributive partners on a daily basis. Unilever Food Solutions is an inspiring global company made up of talented professionals who are always willing to go the extra mile to deliver results for customers. In this positive and open culture, we find inspiration every day, empowering our people to make a 'bigger difference' at every level in the organisation. We provide products and services created by chefs for chefs and aim to do this in a sustainable way. For more information, please visit  

About WWF

WWF (Worldwide Fund for Nature) is one of the world’s largest independent conservation organisations, active in nearly 100 countries. Our supporters – more than five million of them – are helping us to restore nature and to tackle the main causes of nature’s decline, particularly the food system and climate change. We’re fighting to ensure a world with thriving habitats and species, and to change hearts and minds so it becomes unacceptable to overuse our planet’s resources. 

WWF. For your world. 

For wildlife, for people, for nature. 

About Sodexo

Founded in Marseille in 1966 by Pierre Bellon, Sodexo is the global leader in services that improve Quality of Life, an essential factor in individual and organizational performance. Operating in 72 countries, Sodexo serves 100 million consumers each day through its unique combination of On-site Services, Benefits and Rewards Services and Personal and Home Services. Sodexo provides clients an integrated offering developed over more than 50 years of experience: from foodservices, reception, maintenance and cleaning, to facilities and equipment management; from services and programs fostering employees’ engagement to solutions that simplify and optimize their mobility and expenses management, to in-home assistance, child care centers and concierge services. Sodexo’s success and performance are founded on its independence, its sustainable business model and its ability to continuously develop and engage its 460,000 employees throughout the world.

Sodexo is included in the CAC 40, FTSE 4 Good and DJSI indices.

Forward-looking statements

This press release contains statements that may be considered as forward-looking statements and as such may not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements represent management's views as of the date they are made and Sodexo assumes no obligation to update them. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

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