Sodexo celebrates successful delivery of catering services to Glasgow 2014

Sodexo is reflecting on the successful delivery of culinary services during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

From fuelling the finest athletes from across the Commonwealth, to serving Games-time lunches to royalty, Sodexo supplied Glasgow 2014 with catering and hospitality services during the Games. This involved serving in excess of 800,000 meals to athletes, officials and staff based in the Athletes’ Village, as well as catering for the public, staff and hospitality clients at Scotland’s national stadium Hampden Park, the Athletics venue for the Games.

The Sodexo team, based at the Athletes’ Village comprised 600 staff each day who in total served in excess of 400,000 meals. The focus for the Village operation was the main dining hall which could serve up to 6,000 people in a single sitting and served food 24 hours a day. The team also had the honour of serving lunch for the Queen and 120 representatives from the Commonwealth Games Associations in the Athletes’ Village.

At Hampden Park, the Athletics venue for the Games, the team provided all the catering for the public, staff and hospitality. Sodexo ran 46 kiosks serving a variety range of street food, snacks and drinks. During the eleven sessions at Hampden Park the kiosks served 360,000 spectators, who consumed an estimated 33,000 locally sourced burgers, 31,000 servings of street food, 105,000 bottles of Scottish water/soft drinks and 102,000 bottles of Heineken.

Working within the ground-breaking Glasgow 2014 Food Charter, Sodexo played its part in ensuring the food served at the Games was sustainably and ethically sourced as well as being fully traceable from farm to fork. Sustainability is at the core of what both Glasgow 2014 and Sodexo do and, through Sodexo’s existing relationship with Scotland Food and Drink, the company was able to further strengthen its supplier relationships and extend the number of Scottish products in its supply chain.

Throughout the Games, Sodexo’s menus showcased a wide range of Scottish products. Fresh products from Scotland were served whenever possible and included milk, cream, yoghurt, speciality cheeses, bread, salmon, beef, lamb, venison, poultry, eggs potatoes, raspberries and strawberries.  In total, close to 90 tonnes of food they served at the Games was produced in Scotland. 

Glasgow 2014 Chief Financial Officer Ian Reid said: “As a company with a strong and long-established presence in Scotland, we were pleased to have Sodexo on board during the Games. From serving some of the best athletes in the Commonwealth to ensuring our workforce were fed and ready to complete their daily tasks, Sodexo helped display the best in Scottish produce throughout the Games.”

Chris John, Managing Director, Sodexo Prestige said: “The success of Glasgow 2014 shows how Sodexo can deliver high standards at high-profile, complex sporting events. We were able to draw on previous expertise and experience gained at other major sporting events to create a compelling offering and by drawing on the diverse skills and talents from within our business we brought together the right team to deliver a successful event.

“Through the Food Charter our procurement teams were able to work successfully with a number of Scottish suppliers, building new long-term relationships for Sodexo. Our sourcing approach, with its emphasis on sustainably, ethically and locally sourced produce, has set a benchmark for future events globally.”