Our Supply Chain

Sodexo is a large-scale purchaser with more than 4,300 suppliers, so it is essential to develop trusting, mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with each one to guarantee the quality of our products across the supply chain.

We respond to client and customer expectations, and embed our own core values, by promoting purchasing policies that increase the use of environmentally sound and ethically sourced products. We encourage our suppliers to embrace our ethical principles and share our commitment to sustainable procurement practices. 

Local and regional sourcing
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) defines 'local' produce as being that sourced in the UK, and Sodexo's sustainable procurement policy was developed in line with Defra's guidelines, sourcing UK-grown produce whenever possible. All our Bramley apples sourced through Pauleys are British, as are 93% of our potatoes and at least 80% of our carrots, leeks, parsnips, cabbages and cauliflowers.

However, not every product can be grown locally; there is a limited range and, even then, certain produce will not be available all year round. This is why we have developed a regional sourcing strategy focused on sustainability, seasonality and provenance rather than just how far away the product is grown or reared.

For further information, please download our Sustainable Food Procurement Brochure.

Sustainable procurement strategy
We follow the same philosophy of developing long-term relationships with suppliers and producers to enable sustainable growth throughout the Sodexo Group. This sustainable procurement approach not only reduces our impact on the environment but also brings cost savings and supports growth and innovation.

We have adopted a strategy to buy supplies and services from more sustainable or renewable sources across our non-food services. This includes power, recycling and waste management, examining how we use chemicals for cleaning services and the disposable products we are all so used to. Even the uniforms our people wear are under scrutiny to ensure they are sourced from manufacturers that meet our Supplier Code of Conduct.

We work with our suppliers to ensure our customers' and clients' expectations for fresh and seasonal produce are met wherever possible.

Supplier Code of Conduct
We expect all suppliers to comply with our Supplier Code of Conduct, which is based on the principles of the UN Global Compact (see page 11). The Code, which sets out our desire to do business with suppliers, contractors and partners who follow responsible ethical, social and environmental practices, has been agreed by all core (Tier 1) suppliers and manufacturers.

We send a pre-qualification questionnaire to potential suppliers and core suppliers receive an annual survey containing questions about diversity and inclusion and environmental issues, including some specific to food suppliers. This helps suppliers to address any noncompliance issues, and informs the tender process. Should any supplier fall below the standards we require, we will work closely with them to improve, and only if this support is declined or no improvements are made will we disengage from that supplier.

Our core suppliers are 'preferred' for a reason: they are safe and reliable, can deliver the quantities we need on a regular basis, and meet our ethical, social and environmental standards.

Food safety standard
Food safety and traceability are paramount for Sodexo. If we cannot trace every single product back to the supplier, farmer or grower, we cannot give our customers a guarantee that the food we serve is safe to eat. Our Food Safety Supplier Code of Practice addresses the standards required for food products, the method of production used and the environment in which they are produced, in order to protect our business and ensure customer safety.

Before Sodexo goes into partnership with a potential supplier, Safegard carries out an audit to ensure it is operating to the high standards of food safety assurance we require. Suppliers are then regularly audited to ensure they maintain these standards and, more importantly, that our customers get a consistent service and the best-quality produce from the most reputable suppliers.

Reducing food miles
While Sodexo is committed to meeting varying demand for regional and sustainably sourced produce, we are also working hard to minimise our impact on the environment by reducing food delivery miles. For a business of our size, a traditional local model of delivery would have a negative impact on the environment so we are working closely with the Brakes Group, our major logistics partner, to simplify and strengthen the supply chain. Company-wide initiatives include:

• introducing minimum orders and rationalising the number of deliveries and product lines going to each client site to discourage 'little and often' delivery patterns
• consolidating deliveries in multi-temperature vehicles, allowing ambient and chilled goods to be delivered together
• installing in-cab route planning software

For more information please view our latest Corporate Citizenship Report.