Sodexo, a global food services and facilities management company committed to improving Quality of Life, announced last month that it is working with food and beverage brand Knorr Professional and leading conservation organization World Wildlife Fund -UK (WWF-UK), becoming the first global player to serve planet-friendly Future 50 Foods on a global scale.
Sodexo will feature recipes inspired by Knorr and WWF-UK’s Future 50 Foods report, which identifies 50 nutritious plant-based foods that are healthy, flavorful, accessible and have a lower carbon footprint than animal-based foods.
To create the Future 50 Foods report, which was published by Knorr and WWF-UK in February 2019, a group of scientists, nutritionists and agricultural experts worked together to determine specific healthy ingredients that could 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.
“Sodexo has a long-term commitment to nutrition and sustainability as a worldwide leading provider of food services,” said Rob Morasco, Sodexo’s senior director of culinary development in the United States.
“Future 50 Foods represent an additional step toward more plant-forward and sustainable options,” Morasco continued.
“Incorporating a variety of foods into our diets is healthier and more flavorful and helps improve the planet’s overall biodiversity and soil health.”
For the menu launch, Sodexo and Knorr Professional chefs and nutritionists developed 40 recipes using ingredients from the Future 50 Foods report and are introducing them in more than 5,000 kitchens globally.
Initial rollout in the U.S. will feature five recipes in 2,500 kitchens across the country, including those at healthcare and corporate locations.
Recipes for meals such as Ancient Grain Granola Bowl, Ube Maitake Tartine, Vietnamese Ancient Grain Bites Plate and a Tuscan Chickpea, Polenta and Rapini Bowl will help consumers incorporate plant-based ingredients into their diets that support the ongoing bio-diversity of our food system and are readily available for purchase in most marketplaces. The Ancient Grain Granola Bowl recipe can be found here.
“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,” said Sarah Halevy, WWF-UK Sustainable Diet Manager.
“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.”
The partnership with WWF-UK and Knorr Professional builds on Sodexo’s commitment to providing consumers with more responsible food choices and contributing to positive impact on the global food system. Sodexo launched 200 plant-based meals in the U.S.
last year and rolled out its line of Green & Lean sustainable recipes in the U.K. and Ireland in 2017. Future 50 Foods supports the company’s nutrition and health and wellness commitments, as well as its menu strategies and sustainable sourcing guidelines.
Sodexo North America is headquartered in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 80 countries.
Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily.
The company employs 150,000 people at 13,000 sites in all 50 U.S. states and Canada and indirectly supports tens of thousands of jobs through its annual purchases of $9.2 billion in goods and services from small to large American businesses.
Sodexo is committed to supporting diversity and inclusion and safety, while upholding the highest standards of corporate responsibility and ethical business conduct.
In support of local communities across the U.S., the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has contributed close to $32 million over the past 20 years to help feed children in America impacted by hunger.
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