Within Bradford’s city campus, Sodexo operates one main restaurant and five additional outlets made up of a halal deli bar, Costa coffee café and three retail units. It additionally manages hospitality at the university, providing everything from hot beverages to catering for high profile events such as conferences and weddings, as well as managing 62 guest bedrooms, housekeeping and three receptions across the estate.
Chris Spargo, head of commercial services at the university, commented: “Through our Ecoversity programme, we are embedding sustainable development through everything we do and serving healthy and sustainably sourced food is vital to that mission. We are therefore delighted that the Sodexo team on site has achieved this award.”
The Food for Life accreditation is awarded to food providers by the Soil Association as an independent endorsement of the quality, provenance and sustainability of the food they provide, looking at criteria such as use of fresh ingredients, complying with national nutrition standards and meeting UK standards for animal welfare.
To achieve the Bronze award, the Sodexo team at Bradford had to demonstrate, among other requirements, that:
• At least 75% of the dishes on the menu are freshly prepared
• All meat is from farms that satisfy UK welfare standards and can be traced back to the farms
• All eggs are from cage-free hens
• Meals do not contain undesirable food additives, hydrogenated fats or GM ingredients
• No endangered fish is served
Sodexo account manager Lee Gallimore said: “The Sodexo team at Bradford has worked really hard to produce fresh, seasonal menus, which offer students healthy and tasty choices.
“While working towards the Food for Life Mark, it was important that we didn’t compromise the range of food available to both the students and staff. It has involved a process of reviewing ingredients and fine tuning menus, so that we always consider sustainability and nutrition, in addition to our continual focus on great choice and taste … we are delighted to share this award with the university.”
Rob Sexton, CEO of Soil Association Certification, added: “This is great achievement on the part of Sodexo – serving a Bronze menu means that food meets standards around freshness, traceability, provenance and sustainable sourcing; showing students and staff that Sodexo has taken care of all these considerations when it comes to food on the plate. Meeting these standards can deliver positive impacts all the way down the supply chain, providing benefits to the environment, local producers and public health.”