Sodexo teams up with organisations to tackle food waste

25th November 2011, 11:05am

Sodexo, a leading provider of on-site service solutions, has joined forces with a number of organisations to help highlight the problem of food waste, and the practical ways to solve it.

The 'Feeding the 5,000' event, held at Trafalgar Square on 18 November, was organised by food waste campaigner and author, Tristram Stuart, and highlighted the work of partner organisations, FareShare, FoodCycle, Love Food Hate Waste and Friends of the Earth.

The aim of the day was to help raise awareness of the amount of fit for human consumption food that is wasted in the UK every day, sometimes for purely aesthetic reasons, and what can be done to tackle the issue.

Sodexo supported the day by contributing a team of 20 volunteers for the field kitchen and outdoor cooking equipment.

The Sodexo employee volunteers were on hand to help serve lunch to over 5,000 people in the square on the day. All the food served was made from fresh and nutritious ingredients that would otherwise have been wasted.

The menu included a vegetable curry made from vegetables cast out because they were not cosmetically perfect, with rice. A live cooking tent showed the public how to cook and eat usually discarded animal parts such as hearts, lungs and offal. There were also 1,600 pints of apple juice ready to be drunk and celebrity chefs turning waste into well-seasoned goodies.

Other supporters of the event included the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson; the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres; journalist and campaigner Rosie Boycott; and celebrity chefs Thomasina Miers, Arthur Potts Dawson, Valentine Warner and Thomas Hunt.

Thomas Jelley, corporate citizenship manager, Sodexo, said: "Feeding the 5,000 was a fantastic event that made a strong point about an issue that needs urgent attention from social, environmental and economic perspectives. Participation was important to Sodexo because, as part of the 'Better Tomorrow Plan', our sustainability strategy to 2020, we are committed to reducing and recovering food waste.

"The event also ties in with our STOP Hunger campaign which aims to tackle hunger and poor nutrition in local communities. We care enormously about our relationship with FareShare and are pleased to have been able to help feed so many while raising awareness of the scandal that is food waste."

Related Articles:

• 15 Nov 2011 - Sodexo schools achieve bronze Food for Life Catering Mark
• 01 Jul 2011 - Sodexo gives away thousands of apples to local schools
• 09 Jun 2011 - Sodexo achieves gold in corporate responsibility index
• 22 Mar 2011 - Sodexo named Business Superbrand for third year
• 03 Dec 2010 - Sodexo wins award for best practice in corporate responsibility
• 19 Nov 2010 - Sodexo relaunches its Healthwise website
• 25 Oct 2010 - Sodexo strengthens its prestige sales team
• 30 Jun 2009 - Sodexo secures Red Tractor certification
• 07 May 2009 - Sodexo manager wins Train to Gain award
• 12 Mar 2009 - Sodexo to fund training at Hoxton Apprentice
• 05 Sep 2008 - Sodexo celebrates new term with host of contract wins

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