Sodexho secure Walsall Council deal
Sodexho, a leading food and facilities management services provider, has announced it has won an initial three-year contract with Walsall Council, to provide quality home meals to the council's vulnerable adults, elderly residents and those who have special needs.
In a contract worth over £2.3million in total turnover, Sodexho will provide approximately 350 + of the council's residents with 175,000 lunches and dinners annually.
Sodexho will begin offering a variety of tasty and nutritionally balanced meals in December, meeting the diverse needs of the community in Walsall.
The partnership will provide users with a choice of hot and frozen meals to meet their individual needs whilst offering greater choice and flexibility.
The varied menus include traditional roast dinners and vegetarian meals as well as medical diet options and a wider range of foods including Kosher, Caribbean, Halal, Cypriot, Polish, Turkish and Chinese for Walsall's different communities.
The meals will be delivered by a team of drivers in a fleet of specially designed vehicles that are able to heat the food en route.
Mike Fox-Davies, Sodexho director of private hospitals, seniors and home service, said: "We are pleased to be working in partnership with Walsall Council to improve the delivered meals service. Our aim is to ensure the service users receive a responsive service that allows them independence and dignity. Our drivers will continue to ensure that dependent users will receive a daily 'safe and well' check from a team of well trained and friendly staff".
Kathy McAteer, Walsall Council acting executive director for social care and inclusion, said: "We are very pleased to be able announce this decision which has been reached with the interests of residents uppermost in our minds.
"We are pleased to be working in partnership with a company with such a good reputation as Sodexho who following an exhaustive evaluation process were awarded the contract to provide the new community meals service.
"Walsall Council is proud to have a diverse community and the new service will ensure the provision of increased menu choice to accommodate Black and Asian elders and also other minority groups who therefore are enabled to remain in the community with support.
"The new service will also increase the flexibility of how meals will be delivered with some users opting for a frozen delivery that will 'fit' more appropriately with their lifestyle needs and choices.
"Sodexho demonstrated a commitment to providing a quality service which users evaluated during three meals tasting sessions and the new partnership will also provide Walsall Council and its citizens with value for money".
