Sodexo Bags Bronze at independent school in a First for Scotland

Sodexo, the world’s largest services company, has achieved bronze Food for Life Catering Mark at Beaconhurst School – the first independent school in Scotland, and only the second in the UK to gain the certification.

The company has won the prestigious national award for the standard of its school meals service at the Stirlingshire School, where 400 meals are served each day to its pupils, from nursery right through to senior school.

John Owen, Headmaster from Beaconhurst School said: “Healthy, tasty food that is locally sourced not only forms a key part of our school’s philosophy; it also makes sense! We have also recently been awarded our Eco Green Flag and our partnership with Sodexo underpins the school’s ethos. We have a fantastic community spirit across all our age groups from nursery to senior school.

“The quality of our food combined with the social interaction in the dining hall is a key part in how we achieve this community spirit and we are absolutely delighted that Marie Brunton, Sodexo Catering Manager at Beaconhurst has achieved this highly coveted award.”

The Food for Life Catering Mark is a unique, UK-wide scheme which rewards public and private sector caterers who serve fresh food that is free from controversial additives and better for animal welfare. At bronze, the Food for Life Catering Mark ensures that:

• At least 75% of the dishes on the menu are freshly prepared • All meat is from farms which satisfy UK welfare standards and can be traced back to the farm • All eggs are from cage free hens • Meals do not contain any undesirable food additives, hydrogenated fats or GM ingredients • No endangered fish is served Graham Box, managing director, Sodexo in Scotland, said: “We are delighted to have achieved the Soil Association’s bronze Food for Life Catering Mark at Beaconhurst School and especially so as it is the first independent school in Scotland to secure this accolade.

“This is an excellent achievement and I am extremely proud of the efforts our staff have made to ensure the health and wellbeing of the young people they cater for at the school.

We look forward to building on our partnership with the Food for Life Scotland team.”

Soil Association Scotland director Laura Stewart said: “We are delighted that Sodexo has achieved the bronze Food for Life Catering Mark for Beaconhurst’s school meals service.

Food plays such an essential role in our health and wellbeing throughout our lives, and it is vital that our children can enjoy fresh, seasonal, healthy and tasty meals that are not only good for them, but better for the planet too.

“The Catering Mark helps to provide much needed reassurance about where food comes from, particularly in these unsettling times in which food provenance is questioned.

“I’d like to extend my congratulations to the team at Sodexo and at Beaconhurst School for all of their hard work and dedication to achieving the award.”