Making sustainable food, convenient

Sustainable food is not one size fits all, the way people view sustainability, particularly around food, varies hugely. But we know that our consumers are keen to eat more sustainably. 74% of people have a positive perception of sustainable food, according to our second international food barometer. 

We also know that while working, convenience is a top driver of food choice, as the eating habits of our consumers evolve, the way we deliver food services needs to evolve too. Sustainable food needs to also be convenient food to be right for our clients and consumers. Here are some examples of how we are making convenient and sustainable food a reality all over the world:

Smart kitchens in Brazil 

In Brazil we serve 195,000 meals using less energy every single day thanks to 210 Sodexo smart kitchens.  

 

By integrating smart devices and internet connectivity, these kitchens streamline tasks and enable our teams to cook in a much more energy efficient way. Our smart kitchens use on average 32% less electricity, 21% less water, 66% less gas and are typically 20% smaller than a standard kitchen. They also generate an average 30% less food waste and require a reduced amount of oil for cooking.  

 

 

Saving precious resources as well as reducing food waste doesn’t mean a compromise on quality or taste. Smart kitchen technology also reduces preparation time and enables us to always serve fresh food, as portions are instantly prepared before serving. This is much more convenient for our consumers who we know like the option to be able to eat at different times during the day. The fact that consumer satisfaction levels have increased by 12% across these 210 smart kitchens says it all.

Multi-client kitchens in Chile, France and India

In France, we are reducing food waste by 36% in sites using "Prêt-à-cuisiner” (“Ready-to-cook” new food model). This concept involves ingredients being prepared at a central kitchen and then delivered to our chefs and their teams at a site. In-season products are delivered peeled and cut or precooked, always with no additives or preservatives to retain flavor and nutritional qualities. This preparation method also reduces the risk of accidents by 90%, uses 25% less energy at the site, lowers maintenance costs and uses less water.

This concept frees up our on-site team’s time to cook, season and plate products as well as to provide our consumers with a better service. This way of working also enables us to provide consumers with a greater variety of options at locations where we’ve been restricted in the past due to limited kitchen facilities on site. We’ve seen a 13% increase in consumer satisfaction from the two central kitchens which are currently supporting 12 client sites in the Paris area.

We first introduced this way of working in Chile and it will be rolled out gradually at over 150 sites in France throughout 2025. A similar model has also just launched in Hyderbad, India. This multi-client kitchen is capable of producing 25,000 healthy, fresh and delicious meals a day.

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