Sodexo ranked among top providers of planet-friendly school dinners
Sodexo UK & Ireland’s Schools business has been officially recognised as one of the country’s leading providers of healthy, sustainable school meals.
In ProVeg UK’s first-ever School Contract Caterer Ranking, Sodexo secured second place, while its subsidiary Alliance in Partnership ranked fourth.
Non-profit organisation ProVeg UK assessed England’s top 25 school caterers, ranking them based on how environmentally friendly their menus are. With schools increasingly prioritising health and sustainability, this ranking helps them identify caterers that align with their climate-friendly goals.
This year’s top-ranked caterers demonstrate that sustainability and efficiency can go hand in hand, even on a large scale. Sodexo and Alliance in Partnership cater for around 450 schools across England, Scotland, and Wales, offering planet-friendly dishes to encourage sustainable eating habits.
Their menus feature clear labelling to help students make informed choices and include a diverse selection of plant-based dishes, such as Dhansak Curry with Brown Rice, Quorn Loaded Punjabi Masala with Rice, Rustic Farmhouse Hash, Loaded Five Bean Chilli with Roast Potatoes, and Smoky Broccoli Soft Tacos with Rice.
Sodexo ensures vegetarian and vegan dishes take centre stage, placing them at the top of the menu daily and labelling them as planet friendly. Their menus also highlight the climate and health benefits of plant-based food, helping students understand the impact of their food choices.
ProVeg UK developed the ranking after identifying a lack of accessible information for schools and local governments seeking sustainable catering providers. The scoring system evaluates the promotion of plant-based foods, the quality and variety of plant-based dishes, and transparency in communication about sustainability.
At Sodexo, we are committed to delivering nutritious, high-quality meals while reducing our environmental impact. This recognition from ProVeg UK reflects our dedication to making sustainable, plant-forward choices a core part of our school menus. By providing delicious, clearly labelled, and accessible plant-based options, we’re helping students make informed choices that benefit both their health and the planet. I’m incredibly proud of our teams for their innovation and hard work.
This ranking gives us the opportunity to recognise the sustainable leaders in school contract catering, and allow schools to choose caterers who clearly align with their goals. We’re delighted at how many caterers showed an appetite to engage with our work.
Alongside the 75 catering partners that we work with on our School Plates programme, we’re glad that we can celebrate the wider efforts of those paving the way to healthier and more sustainable school food, for the health of children, and the planet.
ProVeg UK partnered with a data analyst to score their menus and websites against evidence-based actions to promote planet-friendly dishes. For the full ranking, visit the ProVeg website.
Find out more about Sodexo Schools