The Leading News & Information Service For The Facilities, Workplace & Built Environment Community

Record Year for Sodexo's Plant-Based Options

Falafel
04 January 2023 | Updated 05 January 2023
 

To mark Veganuary 2023, Sodexo has published its food sales data showing a year-on-year increase in the proportion of vegetarian and vegan meals sold across 476 of its UK and Ireland client sites.

The statistics shows that the demand for vegan and vegetarian meals climbed from eight per cent of meals sold in 2021 to 10 per cent in 2022. 

The organisation continues to develop and expand its plant-based meal options to enable its customers to make more sustainable food choices.

The food sales data also revealed that the East Midlands, which accounted for an average of 21 per cent of all meals sold by Sodexo from January to November 2022, was the region that sold the most vegetarian and vegan meals. The same period saw vegetarian and vegan meal sales of 15 per cent in both the North West and Wales, 11 per cent in London, 10 per cent in Scotland, and eight per cent in Ireland.

 

Health & Care Prioritised

 

Sodexo’s diverse range of client sites all reported strong sales of vegan and vegetarian meals. While Health & Care sites sold the highest proportion at 17 per cent, Corporate Services client sites followed closely with 13 per cent, a notable increase on 2021 when an average 10 per cent vegan and vegetarian lunch options were sold.

From selling just two per cent vegan and vegetarian meals in 2021, Sodexo's Energy and Resources client sites experienced the highest increase of all its businesses, accelerating to 12 per cent in 2022. Schools and universities remained constant at 5 per cent, while government sites experienced a moderate increase from five per cent to seven per cent.

Sodexo has long been committed to providing more vegan and vegetarian meal options to suit the changing demands of its customers. As part of its Social Impact Pledge, the organisation is focused on increasing the uptake of sustainable meal options by promoting and raising awareness of sustainable plant based choices to its clients.

 

Varied Recipes

 

Vegan options offered by Sodexo include lentil celeriac chestnut pie, potato mixed bean chilli, tofu summer tart, Southern Indian vegan chickpea curry, vegan mushroom burger, vegan chicken nuggets, aubergine masala and many more.

Claire Atkins-Morris, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Sodexo, said: “Whether people are vegan, vegetarian, or just want to try something new, it's great to see that more and more customers are trying plant-based meals across our sites. This really demonstrates a shift in consumer awareness, a wider range of options and a marketplace response.

“We are a proud supporter of Veganuary, and our community of chefs are encouraging more customers to try our plant-based meals by developing delicious vegan and vegetarian recipes that show the variety of meal options people have at our client sites. As part of our Net Zero commitment, we have set ourselves the goal of increasing the number of plant-based meals and recipes our clients choose from to 33 per cent by 2025.”

Toni Vernelli, Head of Communication & Marketing at Veganuary added: “We're delighted to see Sodexo reporting an increase in sales of vegan and vegetarian meals across their UK and Ireland client sites. Veganuary is here to support anyone who wants to try being vegan, but it makes our job a lot simpler when organisations like Sodexo are offering delicious, nutritious, and easily accessible options.”

 

Picture: a plant-based dish. Image credit: Sodexo.

Article written by Bailey Sparkes | Published 04 January 2023

Share



Related Articles

Veganuary - Planting The Seed Of Plant-Based Diets

As many people turn to healthy eating regimes in the New Year to offset festive indulgences, Sodexo, is giving customers a helping hand by encouraging the uptake of...

 Read Full Article
Sodexo Announces Year-On-Year Increase in Popularity of Meat-Free Meals

Across the 2.7 million meals sold in Sodexo’s UK and Ireland client sites in 2023, 11 per cent were vegan or vegetarian, an increase of one per cent from...

 Read Full Article
Catering Companies Prepare for World’s Largest Climate-Football Campaign

A national campaign will see more than 85 of the UK’s top football clubs promote plant-based burgers, pies and hotdogs. Between 2-5 February, the whole of the...

 Read Full Article
Veganuary Hits 2 Million Official Participants

A total of two million people have officially signed up to Veganuary - the global pledge to try vegan for 31 days - since the pledge began in 2014. More than 75...

 Read Full Article
Sodexo Signs New FM Contract With AstraZeneca

Sodexo has re-signed a five-year facilities management and food services deal with pharmaceutical and biotechnology company AstraZeneca. The companies have worked...

 Read Full Article
Sodexo Retains FM Contract With Wellington College in Berkshire

Sodexo has re-signed a ten-year soft FM contract with private school Wellington College in Berkshire. The contract is worth approximately £80 million and...

 Read Full Article
Sodexo Re-Signs Four Year Cleaning Contract With Clifton College

Sodexo has extended its existing FM deal with Clifton College in Bristol, adding cleaning and laundry services to the contract. The contract, which has a value of...

 Read Full Article
Compass Group Ensures Military Personnel Have Access to Vegan Catering

The Defence, Marine & Aerospace sector of ESS, part of Compass Group, is partnering with the MOD Vegan & Vegetarian Network with the joint objective of ensuring...

 Read Full Article
Younger Workers Driving Demand for High-Quality Workplaces

Research from Compass Group shows that younger generations of workers across the UK are demanding workplace change more than any other demographic, and are willing...

 Read Full Article
Eurest Joins with University of Oxford to Study Lunch Choice Psychology

Contract caterer Eurest has partnered with the University of Oxford to examine whether workers can be influenced to buy sustainably based on the food choices of their...

 Read Full Article