A French company that provides large companies with stocked smart fridges in place of office canteens has launched in the UK.

Foodles currently provides 40,000 meals per week to businesses in France, including Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, ODDO BHF, Ubisoft and Veepee.

The startup’s connected smart fridges, of which 310 have been installed at 250 locations across France, are installed and maintained for a monthly fee, and kept stocked with meals cooked daily by chefs at a central location.

The company’s UK launch marks Foodles’ first venture outside of its home nation, with a wider European expansion expected.

“As we all adapt to new hybrid working environments, businesses need to offer employees meaningful incentives to return to offices,” said Renaud Barnoin, general manager UK at Foodles.

“With over half of UK workers reported to never take their full lunch break and the average worker allocating just 27 minutes for lunch, a change in mindset and behaviour is needed.

“By providing fresh, tasty and affordable meal options at any time of the day, businesses can encourage a communal atmosphere around meal and break times, contributing to a more cohesive and friendly company culture – something that is high on the priority list for every business leader today,” Barnoin added.

The meals typically cost from £3.50 to £5.

The company is pitching its services at medium to large-sized companies “looking for an alternative to outdated canteens or ‘grab and go’ solutions”.

Within its fridges, Foodles’ proprietary technology platform “intelligently tracks usage in real time and analyses consumer preferences so that fridges can be restocked accordingly”.

Compared with traditional canteens, Foodles’ connected fridges can reduce food waste by at least 10%, it claims.

Founded in 2015, the company has since raised more than €42m in funding.