Sustainable
Improving the world
Our corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy is distinctive, and we are proud of it! With our CSR policy, we want to positively influence our guests and stakeholders by making them aware of issues that improve the world. We put health first, but certainly also social entrepreneurship and sustainability. We are happy to show you what we are doing regarding CSR.
Sustainability is reflected throughout the company. For instance, we have biodegradable disposables, and eighty per cent of our fruit and vegetables are sustainable. In addition, we buy 100% green electricity. And you won’t find any broiler chickens either. If you stand for conscious living, that also applies to animals.
You can find our current CSR annual report here.
Healthy
Agreement ‘Healthy Food in Schools’
School has a significant impact on the lives of young people. Therefore, a healthy diet in schools can provide an essential basis for a healthy lifestyle for these young people. To achieve this, we have signed the Healthy Food at Schools Agreement (2016 – 2020), managed by Jongeren Op Gezond Gewicht (translation: Young People At A Healthy Weight). With this Agreement, caterers, vending machine suppliers, manufacturers and other suppliers take responsibility for healthier food in schools. This means that Van Leeuwen Catering will meet the ‘Silver’ level according to the Nutrition Centre’s Guidelines for Healthier Canteens at the schools we serve. In addition, we aim to achieve the ‘Gold’ level by 2020 in 25% of the schools we serve. This Agreement is the successor to the Charter ‘Healthier Food in Schools’. In 2015, 105 schools met this guideline. Van Leeuwen Catering operated three-quarters of them.
Want to know more about the Healthy Food at Schools Agreement (2016 – 2020)? Check out the site of “Jongeren op Gezond Gewicht”.
Healthy cooperation
We cooperate with various bodies and organisations that promote healthy living. Our partners include GGD Netherlands, the organisation for the election of the Sportiest School, and HFM (Healthy Food Movement), a collaboration of companies from the Westland region.
Social
Socially engaged
We are very active in the social field. We participate in programmes to guide young people and people distanced from the labour market into paid work, such as the Werkgevers Servicepunt (translation: Employers Service Point), Jongeren in de Lift (translation: Young People On The Rise) and Onze Smaakmakers (translation: Our Tastemakers). We also support local youth causes. We are partners with the municipality of Leidschendam-Voorburg and The Hague. We work together with Delta in Zutphen; this organisation guides people with a distance to the labour market into work. Our local municipality has also appointed us as its social ambassador.
Social return
We train students in the catering profession at all levels and offer traineeships and teaching packages. We also give guest lectures at schools and company visits and provide information on health and lifestyle. We see this as a social return. We are a recognised learning company. The VL Academy also coaches people with a disability or distance to the labour market. So they too can have a good place in society via stepping stones, work experience places and (adapted) workplaces.
VL Academy
Learning to make conscious choices is the basis for a happy and successful life. We want to achieve this through accessible study-pr, guidance, and doctoral programmes for and by young people. These are processes that are close to practice. With the Van Leeuwen (VL) Academy, we give substance to ‘making conscious choices’. We believe you can only make conscious choices once you have gained sufficient knowledge and experience. These are best gained from people who are passionate about their profession and speak your language.
Link between knowledge and practice
Through the VL Academy, we link knowledge and practice. All our employees are trained at the VL Academy. This enables them to get the best out of themselves and optimally meet the client’s requirements. The basis comprises product knowledge and hygiene requirements (HACCP and Allergens). In addition, employees receive Nutrition & Lifestyle training on our labels and the relevant concept at their teaching location. This teaches them how to promote healthy eating. The employees are skilled and are inducted by our job coaches.
