Speaker - Food in Later Life meeting
Seniors and Marketing Director, Sodexho Healthcare Services Ltd

"Food in Later Life research outcomes will help define our services to the Seniors market."

"In this decade and in the next, we are going to see a significant shift in the demographic around older people, particularly in the UK. By 2025, the average age will reach something like 92 years old. Now that is a significant shift so far as Sodexho is concerned in the service we offer to the Seniors market and the elderly population in the UK.

We need to very clearly understand their likes and dislikes. What particularly excites us about this research is that it's addressing an insight which we don't believe exists. There is no insight we can obtain - and we track our market very carefully This is a very exciting opportunity. What is coming out of Surrey will help us define the services we are offering over the next few years.

Working with some of our colleagues in the Healthcare business, there will be a huge opportunity to address issues such as whether people stay in their own homes, whether they go to Day Centres, whether they enter Care Assisted Living, or enter care communities. It will help us actually improve the 'wellness' factor of the aging population, which is growing in the UK at 3.4% a year.

Sodexho, both in the UK and in Europe operate a number of services for the Seniors market. Particularly from the UK and the other 7 European countries where the research has been undertaken, we will actually now start going out through our operating side to make sure we can start addressing issues at the local and regional level.

It is very important that this is going out through our system of Health Care Champions and also through IAHSA which is the International Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, where I represent Sodexho Alliance on the Board. They are very keen on having this information because the provision of future ageing services is very important to them.

We will be able to take the likes and dislikes insights into how people are preparing their food, the insights into how people are obtaining their food, and translate that into practical applications at local and regional level when it comes to actual meal services for people."

Biography
Andrew has responsibility for the development and operations of Sodexho's seniors market in the UK. As part of his role in developing strategy, Andrew also represents Sodexho Alliance as a director of IAHSA (International Association of Homes and Services for the Ageing). Through Sodexho's global healthcare market champions, Sodexho has a unique opportunity to share and promote best practice and innovation throughout the 70 countries where Sodexho operates for the benefit of its clients and the people they serve.
Andrew is a Fellow of the Hotel and Catering International Management Association.