Since its launch in 1966, Sodexo has been focused on food services for institutions, businesses, schools, and hospitals. In 1971, it served its first school meals during a year when it also won contracts with companies and government services.
Gradually, it expanded largely and entered different countries with its services. The company provides a bouquet of over 100 service offerings to varied clientele — corporates, healthcare organisations, manufacturing locations, educational institutes, and in remote environments too.

Speaking on the same lines, Nitin Trikha, country segment director for education-India, said, “Our offerings range across food and catering, facilities management, technical services, workplace experience, energy management, and benefits and rewards services. Currently, we work with premium schools and universities across 15 states and 20 cities serving more than 50 million meals every year to 1,00,000 students and comprehensive campus care to manage 10,000 hostel rooms on campus.”
 

Speaking on measures taken to help the students to feel safe after the reopening of institutions, the company executive divulged, “Cleanliness and safety are the top priority for all stakeholders. In such a scenario, services like EduCare, specially curated to prepare education campuses for this ‘new normal, assume paramount importance. We prioritise safe commuting to the campus, entry point controls, frequent disinfection and cleaning of washrooms and classrooms, and providing nutritious, fresh, and immunity-boosting food on campus.”
 

Another key aspect of campuses will be about it being a facilitator of community creation. Communities help in continuous engagement with peers for more embedded learning and development and mental well-being. Sodexo runs various food programs, festivals, and engagements that also aim at nourishing as well as creating community experiences.
 

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Explaining how the company survived the pandemic, he said, “We were very quick to adapt to the situation. Pre-pandemic our business was vastly in the food services domain. But post-pandemic, we quickly realised that the facility management side of our business inside the campus is more relevant and educational institutions needed professional support. Hence, we rose to the occasion and developed a comprehensive campus management solution. We have received a tremendous response to the solution.”