Sodexo Receives an F Rating on its Quality of Food

Sodexo Receives an F Rating on its Quality of Food

Sodexo’s nutrition was reviewed by ‘Is it bad for you.com’ and received an F rating. Sodexo provides food to over 500 school districts and 850 universities over 80 different countries, including the University of New Haven. They are considered a world leader in life services, with a headquarters in the suburbs of Paris.

Sodexo received a letter rating of an F, with a review broken down into the short answer, long answer, side effects, ingredients, and alternatives. The short answer served as a thesis-statement type diagnosis, providing the basis for the remainder of the article.

‘Is it bad for you?’ is an organization dedicated to helping people worldwide live healthier lifestyles, with a mission statement of “create awareness, give you the truth.” Their goal is to empower and educate people to live healthier lifestyles through “trustworthy and easy-to-digest information.” They have a team of medical experts, and a Board of Certified medical doctors and nutritionists who review every article.

The author of the Sodexo review was DeeAnne Oldham, a professional researcher, writer, and editor. According to ‘Is it bad for you?’ she “believes that being informed is the key to a healthy lifestyle for all families” and “has a passion for clean, healthy, and organic eating.” Dr. Becky Maes, a certified nutritionist on the certified board, approved the Sodexo review. She is also an author and motivational speaker.

Sodexo represents their company as one that strives to make students’ lunches more nutritious through a variety of methods including revamping recipes, and adjusting marketing. However, ‘Is it bad for you?” argues that these revamped recipes are really just food from the previous day in a different sauce. While Sodexo boasts reducing childhood obesity ‘Is it bad for you?’ asserts that they are simply putting up a façade, hiding their over-processed, nutritionally inept options.

“Sodexo is not healthy. They are a mass produced food service company with great marketing. The food may sound healthy, but it is heavily processed and high in carbohydrates, fat, and chemicals,” wrote ‘Is it bad for you?’ in their review of Sodexo.

The review also cites the 2013 controversy regarding the recall of all Sodexo sourced frozen beef products in the UK within their long answer. The products were recalled due to the discovery of horse DNA in a sample of the beef. They continued to explain that it is increasingly difficult to find a cohesive ingredient list, due to the fact that Sodexo services so many different organizations across the globe.

While opinions on campus range on the basis of enjoying the food served, it is commonly accepted that Sodexo does not always provide the healthiest options. The review done by ‘Is it bad for you?’ confirmed the beliefs of many University students.

“If you want to live a healthy lifestyle there are not a lot of options. In FoD there are typically only two options in the vegetarian menu,” said sophomore Nicole Manall when asked if she perceived Sodexo to be a healthy company.

Even students who may enjoy the food typically hold the belief that it is not the best in regards to nutrition, as is the case with sophomore Danny Courtemanche.

“I don’t mind it as much as other students seem to, but I do I feel like a lot of the foods they make are processed. I’m not picky with foods but I know it’s not the healthiest thing I should be eating,” he said.

‘Is it bad for you?’ also created lists of symptoms, both short and long term, as well as ingredients to look for as potentially unhealthy. ‘Stomach discomfort’ stood alone as the only short-term symptom listed, however the long-term symptom list was much more detailed. Symptoms included obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and other unknown side effects due to the use of various chemicals. Fat, high sodium, and unknown processing chemicals were all listed as ingredients to be on the lookout for when eating Sodezo products.

They encourage parents and students to opt for home-made, packaged lunches, but that option is rarely a possibility in a university setting. The review of Sodexo leaves many college students wondering what their alternatives are; in a campus-wide community filled with nothing but Sodexo food, options are limited.

See the University and Sodexo’s response to the report here.