Chartwells is acutely aware of the impact our operations have on the communities in which we do business . Our social responsibility program, Compass Group 360° is about everyone, everyday, everywhere doing their part to help preserve our resources, communities and the environment. We're committed to practices that earn financial success by honoring ethical values, respecting people, valuing our communities and sustaining the natural environment. Acting responsibly is part of our corporate DNA and we are committed to offering foods that are earth, body and community friendly.

Our Compass Group 360° initiatives include Promoting Wellness, Environmental Sustainability, and Community Commitment.

Chartwells has emerged as the market leader in providing health and wellness programs to our clients, customers and the school community. Our unique and award winning initiatives abide by the Chartwells Promise and our Eat.Learn.Live philosophy.

greatHEALTH

As a major employer, we have a responsibility to encourage our associates to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors. greatHEALTH offers associates affordable health insurance options, a health risk assessment tool, a choice of self paced or coached intervention options and over 100 programs targeting prevention and disease management areas.

Local Flavor

Supporting the preservation of the American family farm, reducing the carbon foot print of our supply chain, and giving back to the local communities are central to our core values. We limit our dependence on factory farming by collaborating and partnering with qualified local and regional growers. Our partners assist us in efforts to encourage our customers to eat healthfully and support their local farmers by simply enjoying fresh, locally-grown produce.

Sustainable Oceans

Chartwells is committed to protecting the threatened global fish supply. Our seafood choices allow fisheries to flourish over the long-term without jeopardizing the fish population or the surrounding ecosystem. We have replaced Atlantic cod, a species which leading conservationists have recommended consumers to avoid, with environmentally-sound Pollock and other alternatives.

Certified Humane/Cage Free Eggs

Because of our commitment to the humane care of farm animals, we offer only Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) certified cage-free shell eggs nationwide.

Poultry produced without the routine use of human antibiotics

The non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in animal production is a growing public health concern because it decreases the effectiveness of antibiotics to treat diseases in humans. Therefore, we only serve chicken that has been produced with restricted use of these drugs, especially as a growth additive in feed. Our contracted suppliers are required to provide products which adhere to specific criteria developed in partnership with The Environmental Defense Fund.

rBGH Free Milk

Science and experience has clearly demonstrated that the use of artificial bovine growth hormones in dairy cows is detrimental to the well-being of the animal. The medical community has expressed apprehension that the use of these hormones may also be harmful to human health. Due to these concerns, we serve only fresh fluid milk from cows that have been certified to be free of the artificial growth hormones rBGH/rBST where available and commit to a 100% implementation by 2010.

Waste Reduction

Food waste throughout the food system is responsible for an enormous amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Organic matter, especially food scrap, is a big contributor to methane gas formation in landfills, a greenhouse gas 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat close to the earth's surface. We are working extensively to reduce food waste matter by implementing a proprietary waste reduction program in our school districts. Our goal is to remove 4.5M lbs of food waste from the landfills by 2010.

Packaging from plant based renewable resource:

Packaging itself is not sustainable unless it is an element of a sustainable waste stream management system. Therefore, we offer our school districts a program of disposable packaging made entirely from renewable resources and support our school districts in efforts to establish capture systems and partner with a sustainable waste management and/or recycling service(s).

Social and Ecological Certified Coffee

Coffee production can have a tremendous impact on the social and environmental well being of the countries where it is produced. Responsible production methods are certified in a variety of ways including fair trade, organic and others. We encourage our districts to offer the Pura Vida coffee brand.