"Sodexho has been at the forefront of encouraging wellness for several years," said Deborah Hecker, vice president of strategic planning and chair of the Sodexho Wellness Council. "All of our business lines have robust wellness offerings that include healthy recipes, menus, promotions and a variety of educational programs for our customers. Over the last year, the Sodexho Wellness Council has been able to take this solid foundation and build on it. We've made a commitment to researching wellness trends, understanding the needs of our clients and customers, and being the experts in wellness."
Each of the company's divisions has created a wellness program specifically designed to meet the individual needs of its clients and customers, while utilizing Sodexho's health criteria guidelines. The Council's divisional programs include Your Health Your Way(SM) in Sodexho's Corporate Services Division, Balance Mind, Body, Soul(SM) in the Campus Services Division, Be Smart, Eat Smart, Live Smart(SM) in the Schools Services Division, Wellness & You!(SM) in the Health Care Services Division, and HealthAbility(SM) for its Seniors. The Wellness Council ensures that best practices and innovative solutions are shared and implemented across its business lines, to continually refresh these business-specific programs.
Increasing obesity, and its health related problems, is an issue that requires more than just a focus on mealtime. While Sodexho's core expertise is in providing healthy foods that taste good, the work of The Wellness Council places great emphasis on the development of holistic solutions for clients and customers, such as weight management programs, lecture series featuring recognized wellness experts, nutritional counseling, and exercise and stress management education.
The Wellness Council has also launched the Sodexho Wellness Challenge, a program designed for Sodexho's own employees, which emphasizes improving lifestyle behaviors such as eating well, staying active and making time for friends and family. The Council has used this experience to also reach out to Sodexho clients to assist them in developing their own employee wellness programs.