Raffarin Visits Sodexo China Headquarters
Former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin met with Sodexo China leadership to discuss French companies' development in China.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in French Food
Jean-Pierre Raffarin, a former Prime Minister of France, visited the headquarters of Sodexo China. The two sides exchanged views on the development of French companies in China and Sodexo China's business operations.
Why it matters
The visit highlights the role of French multinational companies in China and the ongoing exchange between French and Chinese business interests. Sodexo China's presence across the country reflects the scale of French food-service operations in the market.
Sodexo China operates 1,000 sites nationwide with 18,400 employees and serves 1.2 million consumers daily. The discussion's specific outcomes were not disclosed in the source.
The players
Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Raffarin is a former French Prime Minister who chairs La Fondation Prospective & Innovation and co-chairs the Sino-International Entrepreneurs Federation.
Sodexo Group
Sodexo Group is a food services and facilities management company founded in Marseille, France, in 1966.
The details
Raffarin, who served as Prime Minister of France from 2002 to 2005, was welcomed by the Sodexo China leadership team during the headquarters visit. Sodexo entered the Chinese market in 1995 and maintains business partnerships with roughly 70% of the Franco-Chinese Business Council's member companies.
Timeline
2002 to 2005: Raffarin serves as French Prime Minister.
1995: Sodexo enters the Chinese market.
2018: Raffarin is appointed Special Representative of the French Government for China.
2019: Raffarin is awarded the Friendship Medal by the People's Republic of China.
Culture Shift
Raffarin's 2018 appointment as Special Representative of the French Government for China frames this visit as part of continued official engagement with French firms operating in China. Sodexo's entry into the Chinese market in 1995 places the company among the longer-established French food-service operators there.
Readers who eat at Sodexo-operated cafeterias in China or elsewhere may see the company's ongoing operations unchanged by this visit. The source does not describe any changes to menus, pricing, or service.
The takeaway
French food-service companies like Sodexo have maintained long-term operations in China, supported by continued exchanges between French and Chinese business leaders. Readers interested in the sector can follow how these partnerships develop over time.
Further reading
For more on French culinary traditions, see French Food.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Tribune.
