Sodexho USA's Health Care Services Division Honored With Two Awards From VHA Inc.

GAITHERSBURG, MD-June 30, 2005-Sodexho USA, the nation's leading provider of food and facilities management, announced today that its Health Care Services Division was recently recognized with two awards from VHA Inc., a national alliance of more than 2,400 leading not-for-profit healthcare organizations. Sodexho's Health Care Services Division was selected as the winner of the 2005 VHA Service Excellence Award in the Services category and was also named the winner of the VHA Supplier Excellence Award for 2005. Sodexho was honored for these achievements at the 2005 VHA Leadership Conference in Atlanta.

VHA presents its Service Excellence Award to the company that provides the greatest support and commitment in helping members achieve their supply chain goals. Candidates for the award are recommended and selected based on sales within the VHA membership, overall customer satisfaction, and responsiveness to VHA staff and members.

The VHA Supplier Excellence Award for 2005 was given to Sodexho's Health Care Services Division for the achievement of exemplary results from the member satisfaction survey.

“Sodexho has enjoyed long and fruitful relationships with many VHA member organizations and these awards further validate our mission of improving the overall patient experience and helping to make hospital stays a lot more comfortable,” said George Chavel, president of Sodexho USA's Health Care Services Division. “We are also very proud of these awards because they acknowledge our unwavering commitment to improving the bottom line for our clients and helping their operations to be even more efficient and cost-effective.”

Sodexho is a provider of food and nutrition services, environmental services, facility technical services, patient transport, vending, service response center services, laundry and linen services and asset management services to the member organizations of VHA.

VHA Inc. is a national alliance of leading not-for-profit health care organizations that work together to improve the health of the communities they serve. VHA delivers industry leading supply chain management services and enables regional and national member networks to improve clinical and operational performance and drive sustainable results. Based in Irving, Texas, VHA has 18 local offices serving more than 2,400 health care organizations across the United States.

Sodexho USA (www.sodexhoUSA.com) is the leading provider of food and facilities management in the United States, with $6 billion in annual revenue and 120,000+ employees. Sodexho USA offers innovative outsourcing solutions in food service, housekeeping, grounds keeping, plant operations and maintenance, asset management, and laundry services to more than 6,000 corporations, health care, long term care and retirement centers, schools, college campuses, military and remote sites in North America. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, MD, Sodexho USA proudly serves as the official food service provider for the US Marine Corps.