The 3,660 daily meals, served at six Pearson sites, now meet the Soil Association’s highest silver and gold Food for Life Catering Mark standards.
This means that Pearson staff can be confident they will be eating freshly prepared meals, free from undesirable additives, which encourage healthy food choices, support local producers, promote higher animal welfare standards and reduce environmental impact.
The awarding of the Catering Mark standards represents a major commitment on the part of Pearson to putting their corporate values at the heart of their staff catering.
Peter Hughes, director of CSR at Pearson said: “We believe it is important for companies to take practical action to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and we identified how food is produced, and supporting sustainable, organic agriculture as having a significant impact on our environmental footprint.
“We’re delighted to have achieved the Catering Mark standards for our largest UK offices, and to be the first FTSE100 company to have done so. Our catering partners and the Soil Association helped tremendously with our transition and we hope that more businesses will now support this initiative.”
Noel Mahony, co-chief executive of BaxterStorey, said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded the silver Catering Mark standard for our focus on working sustainably in our catering facilities at Pearson.
“The award helps the Pearson staff we serve to recognise that the food they eat at work is freshly prepared and sourced in an ethical and environmentally-friendly way.”
Peter Melchett, policy director at the Soil Association said: “Changing the food we eat at work can play a huge part in improving public health, and play a significant role in reducing companies’ carbon footprint.
“As was once the case in schools and hospitals, workplace catering is a black-hole, ignored by most employers. Pearson are one of a handful of companies leading the way in providing healthier and more environmentally sustainable food for their employees.”