SODEXO PARTNERS WITH FOODBANK TO MEET GROWING DEMAND FOR STAPLE INGREDIENTS

Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life services, is proud to donate $32,000 to Foodbank’s Key Staples Program, to help the hunger relief organisation feed over 652,000 people per month.

Foodbank’s world-leading Key Staples Program proactively sources and manufactures essential food items like meat, pasta, flour and rice with the help of Australian businesses.

The demand for these staple ingredients is outstripping supply, hindering Foodbank’s ability to provide nutritious meals, meaning 65,000 people are being turned away every month due to lack of food relief, 17,550 of whom are children.

Sodexo Australia Chief Financial Officer and Country President, Mark Chalmers, said we’re very humbled to help Australians in need and we couldn’t be more grateful to support such an innovative program.

“Ending world hunger is one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals which forms part of Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow 2025 Corporate Responsibility Road Map. As a global company, it’s a collective goal we’re committed to achieving,” he said.

“Globally, Sodexo serves 100 million consumers every day, so we understand the Importance of the staple ingredients required to prepare nutritious meals.”

Foodbank Australia Chief Executive Officer, Brianna Casey said the organisation is thrilled to partner with Sodexo to help achieve their target of 50 million kilograms of food and groceries to vulnerable people each year.

“More than 3.6 million people experience food insecurity at some point every year, with 1 in 5 Australian children facing the same struggle,” she said. “The demand for food relief is rising, with charities reporting a 10% increase in demand last year. There is a real need to provide staple ingredients to these charities so they can be used to help put nutritious meals on the dinner tables of those in need.”

Foodbank’s Key Staples Program works by partnering with companies like Sodexo Australia to supplement the gap between the amount of staple foods rescued and what is needed by the charities and community groups to provide filling and nutritious meals.

To address this, Foodbank partners with food companies who donate or subsidise the ingredients and services to produce, process, package, and transport essential items.

Building on the Sodexo’s entire ecosystem – employees, families and friends, clients, consumers and suppliers – Sodexo’s Stop Hunger program has built a model of partnership between public and private partners with a unique potential for action.
Sodexo’s Stop Hunger program engages 427,000 Sodexo employee volunteers in 41 countries, contributing 100% of donations to NGO partners. Globally, Sodexo’s StopHunger program supports 1,200 NGOs and associations in the field.

“We’ve enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Foodbank Australia, spanning 5 years through our Stop Hunger program and we’re proud to continue our relationship in funding the Key Staples Program,” Mr Chalmers said.

“By working with Foodbank, we are well placed to achieve our Better Tomorrow 2025 commitments. We encourage other corporate companies to support Foodbank and its Key Staples Program, as we can only stop hunger by working together and takingpositive actions today.”

The partnership is part of Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow 2025 strategy, the company’s roadmap for the next stage of its corporate responsibility journey covering issues ranging from stopping hunger to reducing waste and increasing gender diversity.

For more information on Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow 2025, visit here

For more information on Sodexo’s Stop Hunger program, visit here

For more information on Foodbank’s Key Staples Program visit here

 

About Sodexo in Australia: Sodexo in Australia employs a diverse workforce of over 5,000 employees. Sodexo delivers a unique array of over 100 integrated services lines including: catering, facilities management, concierge services, security, asset maintenance and hospitality services in the following segments: Corporate, Healthcare & Seniors, Education, Justice and Energy & Resources both on and off shore.

 

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 organisational performance. Operating in 80 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. Through its more than 100 services, Sodexo provides clients an integrated offering developed over 50 years of experience: from food services, reception, maintenance and cleaning, to facilities and equipment management; from services and programs fostering employees’ engagement to solutions that simplify and optimise their mobility and expenses management, to in-home assistance, child care centres 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 427,000 employees throughout the world.

Sodexo is included in the CAC 40 and DJSI indices.