Industry experts team up to celebrate 25 years of 'Healthwise'

Held on HMS Belfast, over 60 guests, including a number of Sodexo's key clients, attended a lunch to mark the 25th anniversary of one of the industry's very first health and well-being programmes. Healthwise' was embedded across all of Sodexo's business areas and has since become central to Sodexo's approach to procurement, its kitchen practices and its menu planning. The programme has been continually developed and updated in order to embrace the latest approaches to nutrition, well-being and lifestyle. To celebrate its anniversary year, Sodexo has held a number of activities across its business throughout 2010, these have included: staff healthcheck days, where Sodexo dietitians offered checks and advice to tie in with raising awareness of key health indicators through Sodexo's Better Tomorrow Plan and a staff pedometer challenge, designed to raise awareness around the importance of being active in the workplace. The event was hosted by Aidan Connolly, chief executive, Sodexo UK and Ireland, with keynote speeches from Dr Dorian Dugmore, who discussed the impact of health and wellness on the UK as a nation; and Matt Dawson, Sodexo ambassador and former England rugby international, who discussed the changes in food habits over the last 25 years. Connolly said: "We are very proud of our extensive work in the health and well-being arena over the years. As a company, we have been looking at ways in which to tackle such issues long before it became popular to do so. It is up to our industry to ensure that we do everything we can to help educate our staff, clients and customers about the lifestyle choices they make. Dawson, Sodexo ambassador, added: "As a sportsman, I had access to nutritional information and educational tools at my fingertips and, as a result, I was able to make informed choices about what I consumed. The 'Healthwise' philosophy acts as that tool for the wider public, extending a fuller understanding of health and well-being issues to an incredibly diverse audience." Dugmore said: "Sodexo is to be congratulated for really focussing on 'upstream medicine', preventing disease and promoting wellbeing. As a company, through Healthwise, Sodexo is really leading the way in corporate wellness."