Sodexo builds on 12-year partnership with Oasis with three year extension
Oasis Community Learning has retained Sodexo as its school meals partner at 48 academy schools for a further three years, with the option to extend by a further two years.
Sodexo first partnered with Oasis Community Learning over 12 years ago, and today Sodexo’s Food & Co offer - which comprises a modern and fresh menu - provides breakfast, morning break and lunch to 28,000 Oasis pupils, as well as hospitality services.
The new contract which starts in September 2023 will see the deployment of Sodexo’s digital pre-ordering system, School Food United (SFU), at all Oasis academy schools in time for the 2023-24 academic year.
Sodexo has also partnered with Rethink Food’s Futures programme to provide Oasis academy pupils with exciting learning opportunities with tower gardens introduced. The soil-free tower gardens enable the children to grow fresh produce from seed to salad in 60 days.
Tower gardens use aeroponic technology which is the process of growing plants in the air or mist environment without soil or an aggregate medium. Compared to soil gardening, aeroponic technology has been shown to increase yields by as much as 30% and triple the speed of plant growth, while using only 10% of the water and space. According to Rethink Food, research shows that children who grow their own food are five times more likely to eat it.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has always been a key focus for the partnership, in June 2022 Sodexo appointed Elizabeth Axon as social responsibility and engagement manager specifically to help maximise Sodexo’s initiatives across Oasis academy schools.
Initiatives include:
- Agents for Change programme which invites pupils to have a say in the school meals provision from menu through to dining hall design
- Carbon menu labelling at secondary academy schools. Sodexo has partnered with Klimato to raise awareness amongst pupils and staff on the impact their food choices have on the planet through CO2 labelling
- WasteWatch. Sodexo teams have been using the WasteWatch food waste reduction programme, powered by LeanPath at Oasis schools since April 2021. The amount of food waste reduced has helped prevent almost 80 metric tons of CO2. That is the equivalent to 20,847 meals saved