Sodexo’s Fresh Inspirations® Recognized for Matching Foodservice Strategy to the Care-giving Environment

2010 Best Concept Award for meeting needs of staff, family and visitors in order to improve the healing process
Aug 26, 2010 5:15 PM ET

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) GAITHERSBURG, MD -  August 26, 2010 — Sodexo Health Care’s innovative dining concept Fresh Inspirations has earned Food Management (FM)’s “Best Concept” for Best Management Company Corporate Concept for 2010. The annual program recognizes exceptional achievement and innovation in key areas of noncommercial foodservice, as judged by the FM editorial staff.  

The industry magazine lauded the program: “(Fresh Inspirations) recognizes that staff, family and visitors all have roles to play in the healing process and that ‘working in or visiting a hospital is a stressful situation…and that dining is an integral part of the care-giver’s well-being.’”   “We see our job as caring for the caregivers – to feed them, nourish them and inspire them so they can return to work – or to their loved ones – with all the strength and energy they need,” said Mario DeLuca, vice president for Sodexo Health Care’s retail operations.   The award recognizes Sodexo for developing a program though the company’s in-house strategic retail development team; Retail Brand Group that combines both in-depth market research and industry best practices to design a program flexible enough to be implemented in different kinds of host locations. Fresh Inspirations takes a holistic approach, matching a retail foodservice strategy to the care-giving environment.   Fresh Inspirations cafés have been opened in eleven hospitals; Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C.; Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, Penn.; St Joseph Medical Center in South Bend, Ind.; Botsford Hospital in Farmington Hills, Mich.; the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass.; Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, Calif.; NMC Bellview in Omaha, Neb.; Round Rock in Austin, Texas; Methodist Willowbrook in Houston, Texas; Doylestown Hospital in Doylestown, Pa., and Women & Children's Hospital (Kalieda) in Buffalo, N.Y. More than 70 additional installations are currently in process.   “By providing an opportunity to rejuvenate themselves, Fresh Inspirations provides the environment and nutrition that caregivers need to be mentally, physically and emotionally ready to give patients their best,” adds DeLuca.   About Sodexo   Sodexo in North America Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com), a member of Sodexo Group, is a leading provider of Comprehensive Service Solutions serving more than ten million customers daily in corporations, health care, long term care, retirement, schools, higher education, government and remote sites. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., Sodexo, Inc. operates in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with $7.7 billion (USD) in annual revenue and 120,000 employees. The Sodexo Foundation (www.SodexoFoundation.org) is an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $12.7 million in grants to fight hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at www.sodexoUSA.com/blog.   Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Daily Life Solutions Quality of Life plays an important role in the progress of individuals and the performance of organizations. Based on this conviction, Sodexo is the strategic partner for companies and institutions that place a premium on performance and well-being, as it has since Pierre Bellon founded the company in 1966. Sharing the same passion for service, Sodexo’s 380,000 employees, in 80 countries design, manage and deliver an unrivaled range of On-site Service Solutions and Motivation Solutions. Sodexo has created a new form of service business that contributes to the economic, social and environmental development of the communities, regions and countries in which it operates and to the fulfillment of its employees.   Key Figures (as of August 31, 2009) 
  Sodexo in the World
  14.7 billion euro consolidated revenue 380,000 employees 33,900 sites 50 million consumers served daily 80 countries 22nd largestemployer worldwide
  Sodexo in North America
  7.7 billion dollarsrevenue 120,000 employees 10 million consumers served daily 6,000 clients 700 facilities management sites

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