Ethical sourcing
As we feed 40 million people daily throughout the world, we have significant influence on the procurement chain in the food and agriculture industries.
Clients and customers are increasingly sensitive to the origin and quality of the food they consume. This requires very close cooperation with our suppliers in order to systematically comply with Food Safety and Hygiene standards and regulations.
We carefully select our suppliers in each country through a multi-criteria assessment approach that includes quality, traceability, safety, hygiene, economic, social and environmental factors.
We have developed programs to:
- Focus on the supply chain
We conduct rigorous annual audits and inspections, and ensure that we comply with transparency rules governing the supply of all our products including perishable products. - Build long-term partnerships
In North America and Europe, our procurement policy has the overwhelming support of our suppliers, as our control approach enables them to improve their day-to-day performance.
We are continuing our formal activities to assess and monitor suppliers.
In Ireland, Sodexo is committed to sourcing as much produce as possible from Irish farmers and growers to minimize the travel distance of food and its environmental footprint, while at the same time meeting clients' demands for local produce. Beef, pork and lamb are all sourced through two major suppliers who buy meat directly from local farmers. We work in partnership with suppliers to ensure customers get the freshest and best-in-season produce, which is locally sourced wherever possible.
For more details, read our Nutrition, health and wellness booklet.
