Sodexo Helps Three Schools Earn USDA Recognition for Outstanding Nutrition Environment

Sodexo Helps Three Schools Earn USDA Recognition for Outstanding Nutrition
Environment
Student Well-Being Program Supports Silver and Gold Certification for Florida
and Rhode Island Schools

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Sodexo, a leading student nutrition
services provider, created specially-designed menus, well-being programs and
promotions, encouraged participation in physical activities and supported
nutrition education initiatives to help three separate schools from public
school districts in Florida and Rhode Island earn certification through the
USDA's HealthierUS School Challenge. The HealthierUS School Challenge is an
elite and comprehensive program to recognize healthy school environments that
promote good nutrition and physical activity.

Sodexo, and its student nutrition program at all three schools, partnered with
both the Santa Rosa County School District in Milton, Fla. and the Pawtucket
School Department in Pawtucket, R.I., to help three schools earn
certification. W.H. Rhodes Elementary School in Florida earned Silver level
certification status, while both M. Virginia Cunningham Elementary School and
Curvin McCabe Elementary School in Rhode Island earned Gold level
certification.

"Sodexo is committed to doing everything we can to support the student
well-being efforts of the districts we serve," said Lorna Donatone, president
of Sodexo School Services. "Certification through the HealthierUS School
Challenge is a tremendous accomplishment for our partner districts and we are
proud to play a role in helping them achieve their goals. The best part about
our work with this program is that the students are the people who benefit in
the end."

Sodexo's contributions to the certification process in the three schools went
beyond healthy menu planning and traditional foodservice work. At the
Pawtucket School Department, Sodexo created the Caught You Eating Healthy
program to encourage students to make healthy choices by rewarding them when
they are "caught" on camera with healthy items on their trays.

At the Santa Rosa County School District, Sodexo coordinated grade-level
specific nutrition education courses with health and science teachers and
encouraged student participation in physical activities like the American
Heart Association's Jump Rope For Heart program.

Sodexo's expertise in student well-being combined with its considerable
resources as a student nutrition provider to over 470 school districts across
the country make it an ideal partner for districts looking to gain
certification through this program.

"Sodexo is traditionally known for our breakfast and lunch programs in
schools, but we actually have a much larger presence in the districts we
serve, including nutrition education -- knowledge and skills that students
will take with them beyond their school years," said Roxanne Moore, registered
dietitian and Sodexo's national wellness director. "We are focused on the
overall well-being of the students we serve and that goes way beyond the food
they get in the cafeteria. We really want to give students the tools they need
to live a long and healthy life."

The elementary schools in Florida and Rhode Island join Ponderosa Elementary
School from Billings Public Schools in Billings, Mont., a school that achieved
Gold level certification in 2008, as the four schools Sodexo has assisted in
earning the honor.

Sodexo is committed to take measurable sustainable actions that ensure a
brighter future in the areas of health and wellness, environmental stewardship
and community development. Sodexo School Services focuses on nutrition,
achievements, environment, community and activity to promote student
well-being.

Sodexo, Inc.
Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com) is a leading integrated facilities management
services company in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with $7.7 billion (USD) in
annual revenue and 120,000 employees. Sodexo serves more than ten million
customers daily in corporations, health care, long term care and retirement
centers, schools, college campuses, government, and remote sites. Sodexo,
Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., is a member of Sodexo Group, and
funds all administrative costs for the Sodexo Foundation
(www.SodexoFoundation.org), an independent charitable organization that, since
its founding in 1999, has made more than $11 million in grants to fight hunger
in America. Visit the corporate blog at www.sodexoUSA.com/blog.

SOURCE Sodexo

Greg Yost, +1-301-987-4214, gregory.yost@sodexo.com