SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 25 November 2025 – Sustainability becomes an increasingly important driver in the global food service industry. Launched in 2022, Cook for Change is Sodexo, a global leader in sustainability and food’s flagship global initiative to empower culinary professionals to create innovative, low-carbon, plant-based recipes that unite culinary excellence and environmental responsibility.
This year, the Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa (APMEA) Regional Finale happened in Shanghai—a symbolic choice that reflects the company’s 30-year journey in China and its commitment to accelerating sustainable dining across the region. The three-day championship brought together six exceptional chefs from Australia, China, India and the Philippines for a pioneering sustainable culinary challenge.
Isabelle Hannedouche, Managing Director of Sodexo Greater Chinasaid:” As we commemorate our 30th anniversary in China, hosting the APMEA regional finale in Shanghai reinforces our commitment to the Chinese and APMEA markets and our role in shaping sustainable food ecosystems that positively impact people, communities, and the planet.”
Showcasing Culinary Excellence With Measurable, Low-Carbon Impact
The competition demonstrated how culinary excellence can drive a lower environmental impact, with finalists presenting innovative, original low-carbon plant-based recipes to inspire delicious and sustainable cooking. The winning recipes will be deployed across Sodexo’s global operations, offering innovative plant-based dishes to consumers worldwide and demonstrating how sustainable cuisine can drive positive shifts toward greener consumer choices.
It embodies Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow 2028 ambition and roadmap grounded in operational realities and tailored to local contexts. Better Tomorrow 2028 positions sustainability as a performance driver across all regions where the company operates, by placing Sodexo employees at the heart of this approach and engaging the company’s entire ecosystem – clients, consumers, suppliers, partners – around a shared mission: creating measurable positive impact on the planet and society through everyday actions.
Following an intensive week of cultural immersion, cooking masterclasses, and two competition heats culminating in the Cook for Change! APMEA Regional Finale Awards Ceremony on 19 November, 2025. The results are as follows:
APMEA Regional Winner:Pravin Nanaware (India)
for his “Sustainable Sea & Root”
The chef was awarded for his authentic sustainable approach, using local and responsibly sourced ingredients to balance flavor with eco-friendly cooking.
APMEA Regional Runner-up & Best Low Waste Recipe Award:Peter Brass (Australia)
for his “Curried Sweet Potato & Lentil Croquettes”
The chef was recognized for his exceptional zero-waste techniques, using every part of the ingredients to reduce waste without compromising on taste or quality.
Most Innovative Recipe Award: Michael Bracero (Philippines)
for his “The Un – steak”
The chef impressed the jury with his innovative concept, transforming familiar ingredients into new presentations through creative techniques and surprising flavor combinations.
The APMEA Regional Winner and Runner-up will represent APMEA at the Global Grand Finale in London in Spring of 2026, competing with other regional champions from the Americas and Europe for the title of Global Sustainable Culinary Champion. While the finale produced award-winning dishes, Sodexo emphasized that the competition’s deeper purpose lies in translating sustainable culinary innovation into measurable carbon reduction and reduced waste at the kitchen level.
Isabelle Hannedouchementioned:”Cook for Change exemplifies how culinary innovation leads to drive imperative environmental impact. With Global Vision of Sodexo placed in the center, we advocate, promote and carry out Local Care through concrete transformation derives from responsible corporate citizenship. “
Scaling Sustainability Through Regional Collboration
This year’s finale also highlighted how cross-market collaboration is becoming a defining strength for Sodexo in APMEA. Innovations born in one location are now shared across the region with increasing speed. According to Hannedouche, this regional synergy “allows sustainable ideas to scale faster than ever before, turning individual breakthroughs into regional standards.”
Cook for Change functions as a catalyst in this process, creating a structured environment where culinary teams can test new solutions and then transmit successful practices back to their home markets.
Looking ahead, Sodexo plans to deepen its roots in both China and the broader APMEA region. Hannedouche emphasized that the company’s long-term strategy will focus on expanding integrated services, strengthening people development, and accelerating digital and sustainable transformation. Strategic investments, such as the acquisition of Compass in China, demonstrate the company’s resolve to strengthen service capabilities and broaden its service portfolio in high-potential markets.
She added that Sodexo will continue to support institutions, corporates and communities across APMEA as they pursue healthier, more sustainable and more resilient lifestyles.
Delivering Sustainability Commitments Through Comprehensive Action
Committed to building a greener future, Sodexo China has developed the SoGreen Framework — a comprehensive approach designed to embed sustainable practices across its operations in Greater China. The framework empowers actionable change toward sustainability goals and operates through three interconnected pillars: Green Mind — cultivating sustainable mindset and capability, Green Food — transforming the food value chain, and Green Space — optimizing responsible infrastructure and operations.
As a flagship initiative under Green Food, Cook for Change exemplifies Sodexo’s commitment to culinary innovation, waste reduction, and responsible sourcing. Complementing this effort, the WasteWatch Program has reduced food waste by 29.41% across 180+ sites, avoiding15,890 tons of CO2 emissions since 2021.
In October 2025, Sodexo became the first enterprise to receive the Green Supply Chain Evaluation Certificate in China’s catering industry, validating its systematic approach to sustainability across its entire value chain and reinforcing its position as an industry leader to drive green transformation.
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