For Immediate Release
Portland, Oregon: April 28, 2003
Sodexho Partners with Food Alliance:
Serving the Rapidly Growing Market for Sustainable Food
Sodexho, leading provider of food and facilities management services, will soon feature foods from farms and ranches endorsed by Food Alliance, a leading certifier of environmentally friendly and socially responsible agricultural practices.
Sodexho will begin to offer Food Alliance certified foods on in its menus at select venues throughout the Pacific Northwest and Midwest regions. College and university campuses such as Seattle Pacific University and University of Minnesota, Morris will be among the first Sodexho accounts to offer Food Alliance certified products.
Over 175 farms and ranches growing more than 200 different products have been certified under Food Alliance’s eco-label program. Obtaining certification means meeting a rigorous set of criteria for: pesticide reduction and elimination; soil and water conservation; wildlife habitat preservation; safe and fair working conditions; and healthy and humane care for livestock.
Food Alliance’s Executive Director Deborah Kane said, “We are thrilled to be working with Sodexho in these two regions. Over time, we hope to work with them across the country. As a major player in the food industry, Sodexho is showing real leadership and sending a strong message--that the sustainable marketplace is real and that visionary companies will work to meet market demand for environmentally friendly and socially responsible food.”
Over the last several years, the market for sustainably produced food has grown dramatically. Grocery stores, restaurants, food service companies and others are responding to consumer demand for products whose sustainability claims can be verified by an independent organization such as Food Alliance.
Kirt Ingram, Regional Vice President for Sodexho, said, “We pay close attention to our customers’ preferences. Increasingly we’re hearing that they want us to offer healthy food grown locally with respect for the environment and farm workers. We’re very happy about our new partnership with Food Alliance. Working together, we’ll be able to satisfy our customers and do the right thing.”
Sodexho USA (www.sodexhoUSA.com) is the leading provider of food and facilities management in the United States, with $5.5 billion in annual sales and 110,000 employees. Sodexho USA offers innovative outsourcing solutions in food service, housekeeping, grounds keeping, plant operations and maintenance, asset management, and laundry services to more than 6,000 corporations, health care, long term care and retirement centers, schools, college campuses, military and remote sites in North America. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, MD, Sodexho is a proud endorser of the Global Sullivan Principles for Corporate Responsibility
(www.globalsullivanprinciples.org).
Food Alliance (www.foodalliance.org), a national non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon, is dedicated to promoting expanded use of sustainable agriculture practices using market-based incentives. To accomplish this mission, Food Alliance operates one of the nation’s leading certification programs for environmentally friendly and socially responsible agriculture practices. To date, Food Alliance has certified over 200 different agricultural products, including fruits, vegetables, wheat, wine, livestock and dairy. Food Alliance has affiliate organizations in St. Paul, Minnesota and New York City.
Contacts:
Deborah Kane
Executive Director
Food Alliance
503.493.1066
Email
Sarah Cody
Public Relations Manager
Sodexho
301.987.4413
Email
Food Alliance
1829 NE Alberta, #5
Portland, OR 97211
Phone: 503.493.1066
Fax: 503.493.1069
info@foodalliance.org
www.foodalliance.org
