Northeast Network a better tomorrow with Sodexo

The Northeast Network unites Sodexo managed dining operations across multiple lines of business spanning throughout seven states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Each state having a hyper-focused program of their own. Together, our state programs drive impactful sustainability initiatives. Through local sourcing, waste reduction, guest engagement, and innovative environmental solutions, we aim to create a greener future for the communities we serve while strengthening partnerships with regional farmers, suppliers, and institutions. Guided by Sodexo's Better Tomorrow plan, the Northeast Network leads the country in our cross-divisional collaborations.

Our Impact

In 2019, Sodexo formed the New England Growth Collaborative which joined efforts and formed a collaboration cross-sector. This means Heathcare, Universities, K-12, and Corporate Services band together to create the biggest impact possible in New England through local sourcing, sustainable practices, supporting small and diverse businesses, and supporting the local economy in New England.

Through this collaborative partnership, Sodexo has formed a series of large-scale events that greatly impact our local community. During the week of September 23, accounts across New England and New York celebrated 'Eat Like a Local'. 114 accounts across New England celebrated together. 229 local producers, farmers and fisheries were named as sources for local ingredients. $677,258 was spent on local items during the events. The success of the 'Eat Like a Local' events was followed by Regionally Sustainable Seafood Day in October and Earth Week in April. These impactful events along with our commitments we make every day is what makes the State programs so successful.

Partnership Highlights

Sodexo works closely with hundreds of local farms, vendors and fisheries across New England. We are proud of those relationships and are always seeking to create new ones!

Just a few partners that we have worked very closely with over the past few years includes:

Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership

Sodexo proudly aligns with Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership to support organic dairy farms in the Northeast and to help secure the future of organic dairy. We’re committed to purchasing organic dairy products from brands that source their milk from our region.

CommonWealth Kitchen

Sodexo supports CommonWealth Kitchen (CWK). They believe in the power of inclusive entrepreneurship to change the world. The business leaders that make up thier network are predominantly BIPOC and women-owned enterprises. CWK provides some of the supports they have not traditionally had access to, like their shared kitchen and manufacturing space, specialized equipment, best practices, and valuable connections. They coach, mentor and advocate for those whose power has been unrecognized. Since 2009, they have helped to launch more than 150 diverse food businesses, creating over 500 permanent jobs, and generated over $65 million annually in combined gross revenue.

Harvesting Good

Harveting Good's mission is to ensure equitable access to nutritious food for all and strengthen regional food systems by creating food processing infrastructure for farmers in the Northeast. Many local farmers and processors grow an abundance of fresh crops during the growing season with no way to preserve the surplus. This results in unrealized profit potential for farmers, with some of their crops ending up as food waste instead of on people’s plates. Harvestng Good has created an avenue to process and freeze those crops, extended their shelf life while offering local food all year.

Global Village Foods

Global Village Foods specializes in allergen friendly meals and snacks with bold African flavors aiming to provide bold, flavorful food while using clean, locally sourced ingredients. They make meals that are glutenfree, non-GMO and free of the eight major allergens.

Maine Grain Alliance

The Maine Grain Alliance was founded in 2007 when a grassroots group of individuals came together to start the Kneading Conference, an annual gathering of grain farmers, millers, bakers, researchers, and oven builders designed to inspire and spur the revitalization of local grain economies. Maine Grain Alliance is able to provide small amounts of match funding to several central Maine grain farms and mills to purchase their first small scale grain drying and storage equipment.

Gulf of Maine Research Institute

GMRI is an independent, objective nonprofit organization dedicated to the resilience of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and the communities that depend on it. They leverage the Gulf of Maine to test and develop solutions to ocean challenges around the world. Their interdisciplinary approach combines world-class marine research with robust community and education programming to understand how natural, social, and economic systems interact.