Sodexo and the Netherlands’ first SDG village

The Drenthe village of Veenhuizen aspires to become the first SDG village in the Netherlands. This is a village where the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are guiding, ensuring a sustainable future. As a supplier of food services to the Veenhuizen Correctional Institution, together with more than 20 other suppliers and partners, we are committed to a better, fairer, more equitable and healthier Veenhuizen in 2030. On 26 September 2022, the parties concerned signed the ‘SDG village Veenhuizen fascinates and thrives’ (SDG dorp Veenhuizen boeit en bloeit) alliance.

Sodexo and DJI

Sodexo has been providing food services for inmates at five DJI (National Agency of Correctional Institutions) locations in the northern Netherlands including Veenhuizen since 2022 (other locations are Almelo, Leeuwarden, Zwolle and Ter Apel). With Sodexo’s meals, inmates have more choice and the offer is more sustainable and healthy. At dinner, you can choose from a centrally prepared meal, a frozen-fresh meal or a food box, from regional supplier De Buurman. Sodexo will also employ an instructor-trainer to supervise cooking through workshops and training.

Peter Holtrop, Facilities Manager Cluster North West:

‘As a facility services company, we told DJI that the SDGs must be leading in all our organisational processes. For instance, we combat waste, have designed and installed circular cell chairs on a large scale and carried out several refurbishing projects. We are making great strides, but there is still much to do in order to achieve the SDGs by 2030. That is why we ask suppliers to contribute to impactful initiatives such as the SDG Alliance in Veenhuizen. This is a concrete example where you can make a hyperlocal connection between start-ups and local entrepreneurs on the one hand and established multinationals such as Sodexo on the other. These parties can help each other by jointly making sustainable innovation scalable while simultaneously meeting the high quality requirements of an organisation like DJI. We want to show that it can be done, inspire people, collaborate and simply ensure a better balance between people, the environment and the economy. Together, we are taking steps for a fairer, greener and healthier Veenhuizen.’

Laura van der Heyden, Account Director Sodexo:

‘The SDG Alliance is aligned with our mission to contribute to the “quality of life” of our clients and the communities in which we operate. Combining the sustainable goals of local entrepreneurs in Veenhuizen and those of the client and Sodexo creates a powerful, shared objective. The alliance offers opportunities to include local and regional entrepreneurs, such as De Buurman (The Neighbour). We help sustainable entrepreneurs near our clients and locations scale up. And at the same time, we learn from their innovative and sustainable solutions. In doing so, we share knowledge and deploy our network, and there are opportunities in terms of social benefit, by making jobs available to people who are disadvantaged on the labour market.’

Jeroen Stegeman, owner of De Buurman, Sodexo’s supplier of food boxes for the DJI:

‘We believe there should be a food system where farmers get a fair price and customers get tasty, pure products. To do so, we work with some 80 regional farmers and growers for the tastiest fruit, vegetables and meat. The partnership with Sodexo offers opportunities for us as a "medium-sized" company to expand our range of sustainable products as well as our vision of good food and to accelerate it. Even though we differ in size, we collaborate well because we both work based on honesty and trust. Twice a week, we deliver individual food boxes to inmates in the Northern region, which will soon amount to about 1,200 boxes a week. Each box contains food from the Wheel of Five food guidelines that inmates can cook themselves. Because preparing delicious and good food yourself is where it starts as far as we’re concerned.’