Five Elementary School Finalists Showcase Sodexo Commitment to Student Engagement and Achievement in Future Chefs: Healthy Salad Challenge

GAITHERSBURG, Md., April 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sodexo announced today the five finalists for its Future Chefs: Healthy Salad Challenge program. The finalists are all elementary school students from Sodexo-served school districts across the country, and each created videos of their own healthy salad creations which can be seen on a special YouTube channel. View the finalist videos and vote for your favorite today at http://bit.ly/SodexoFutureChefs. Public vote will determine the 2013 national winner. Voting is open for one week from Tuesday, April 23 through Tuesday, April 30.

The program, which is in its third year as a national event, attempts to create positive behavioral changes in students by enabling them to get actively involved in good nutrition. More than 1,750 students, representing 940 Sodexo-served schools around the country, were selected from over 5,000 healthy salad recipes submitted to participate in 110 local events.

Winning recipes from local events were considered by a panel of Sodexo K-12 chefs to narrow the field to 27 regional winners, who were further evaluated by a panel of judges to select  five national finalists. The finalists were selected based on the originality, presentation, ease of preparation, kid-friendliness, and healthiness of their recipes.

The five Sodexo Future Chefs: Healthy Salad Challenge national finalists are:

• Shayla Harrison – Providence Public School District in Providence, R.I.
• Addison Jones – Academy School District 20 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Eli Lizzadro – Naperville Community Unit School District 203 in Naperville, Ill.
• Imran Mihas – Grosse Pointe Public School System in Grosse Pointe, Mich.
• Reed Syler – Camas School District in Camas, Wash.

"Children's health and wellness is a concern for every parent and all school leaders across the country," said George Chavel, president and CEO, Sodexo North America. "At Sodexo, we understand that students need to be engaged in order to achieve, and we've created programs like Future Chefs to do just that - engage kids and get them involved in hands-on learning activities that can lead to changing their behavior and helping them live healthier lives."

Sodexo supports student engagement and achievement by providing expert solutions that improve the quality of life for the students, staff and communities we serve. We do this by designing, managing and delivering programs and services that keep people healthy, safe and productive while also enriching the learning environment. Sodexo helps the nation's schools be vibrant contributors to the success of their communities.

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About Sodexo

Sodexo is the global leader in services that improve Quality of Life, an essential factor in individual and organizational performance. Operating in 80 countries, Sodexo serves 75 million consumers each day through its unique combination of On-site Services, Benefits and Rewards Services and Personal and Home Services. Through its more than 100 services, Sodexo provides clients an integrated offering developed over more than 45 years of experience: from reception, safety, maintenance and cleaning, to foodservices and facilities and equipment management; from Meal Pass, Gift Pass and Mobility Pass benefits for employees to in-home assistance and concierge services. Sodexo's success and performance are founded on its independence, its sustainable business model and its ability to continuously develop and engage its 420,000 employees throughout the world.

Sodexo in North America

Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com), leading Quality of Life services company in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, delivers On-site Services in Corporate, Education, Health Care, Government, and Remote Site segments, as well as Benefits and Rewards Services and Personal and Home Services. Sodexo, Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., 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 $17 million in grants to end childhood hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at http://blogs.sodexousa.com/.

SOURCE Sodexo