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An Open Letter to the Meetings Industry
Dietary Needs Duty of Care Food Service Meetings & Events

Meetings Industry – An Open Letter on Inclusion

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Dear Meetings Industry, In June 2016, I attended Meeting Professionals International (MPI) World Education Congress. As usual, the international conference was well attended and a wonderful gathering of top industry professionals. We studied food and beverage topics, budgeting, international trends, hybrid and virtual meetings and more. Added to this year’s event was a celebration of inclusion … mostly. Unfortunately, the convention occurred on the heels of the tragic LGBT nightclub shooting in Florida, where 49 people were killed, over 50 were injured, and over 200 were held hostage until the gunman’s death, when police stormed the club around 2 a.m.…

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Meetings & Events Sustainability

11 Ways to Implement Important Sustainability Practices

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Sustainability has become a big aspect of almost any industry and in the meetings industry sustainability has become crucial to maintaining our social and environmental responsibility. While we often hear farmers producing sustainable crops or even sustainable livestock, our kitchens also need to take stock in their environmental impact as well to ensure a better quality and in-demand products. Just as Climatarians make specific changes in their diet to minimize their carbon footprint, we need to make changes, industry-wide, to do our best to minimize and diminish unsustainable practices across the supply chain and in the kitchen. Whether we seek a…

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Food Allergies

Reversing the Social Stigma of Dietary Restrictions

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I recently read a thought-provoking article about how children with food allergies are excluded and bullied in school, as much by teachers as by other students.  The article was written by a mother of two children with life-threatening food allergies, and it reveals a number of ways in which others’ dismissal of their needs diminishes their self-worth. If a teacher brings in cupcakes for the class, not only is the child excluded, forced to watch while everyone else eats, but also, the child has to reject the offer of food, a stigmatizing act in itself. “Sometimes,” article contributor, Dr. Alvarez…

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Laws & Regulations

5 Life-Saving, No-Cost Tips: How to Have Accessible Events

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Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act can feel like a daunting task for meeting planners on a tight budget--and an even greater challenge ever since “eating” was included as a “major life activity” in the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. This article highlights relatively easy, inexpensive ways to make your meeting accommodating for attendees with disabilities. I recommend bookmarking it for future events. Along those lines, I thought I’d share a handful of low- or no-cost ways to accommodate attendees with special dietary needs. Plan meals well in advance. If you can give the catering kitchen an accurate picture…

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Things We Love

July: Culinary Arts, Blueberries, & Ice Cream, Oh My!

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Welcome to July! We’re more than halfway through 2016. Can you believe it? July is known for some pretty popular all-American menus. The fourth of July may mean barbeques and apple pie, but there is s much more that July has to offer. The Thrive! celebrations will include many special days this month, but the July themes of choice are National Culinary Arts Month, National Blueberries Month, and National Ice Cream Month. NATIONAL CULUNARY ARTS MONTH  While we love creative chefs and professional cooks, July is the designated month of recognition for leaders in culinary trends and dining excellence. Dine…

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green and white asparagus
Fruits & Vegetables

Asparagus – One of the World’s Most Healthful Foods

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As part of fruits and veggies month, Thrive! is featuring fruit and veggies each week. This week and the final vegetable being featured is asparagus. A whopping 90 percent of adults and children don't get enough fruits and veggies, so add this one to your shopping list this week! HISTORY Asparagus has been enjoyed all around the world for over a millennium. This spring/summer veggie was known to have been eaten by Ancient Egyptians as many as 20,000 years ago, and Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, employed an entire group of ships to transport huge shipments of it. Many people will tell you…

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Raw Organic Yellow Plumcots
Fruits & Vegetables

Plums are not just for Pudding at Christmas

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140+ varieties of this "drupe" fruit are sold in the US As part of fruits and veggies month, Thrive! is featuring fruit and veggies each week. This week and the final fruit being featured are plums. A whopping 90 percent of adults and children don't get enough fruits and veggies, so add this one to your shopping list this week! HISTORY Plums are one of the first domesticated fruits in central Asia and Europe. Plums are not as old as the figs,dates, and olives of Mesopotamia but they do go back far. Plum remnants were found at Bronze Age sites in Switzerland, Hungary and…

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Variety of whole and half multi colored beets
Fruits & Vegetables

All About Beets

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As part of fruits and veggies month, Thrive! is featuring fruit and veggies each week. This week the vegetable is beets - red, golden, Chioggia. A whopping ninety percent of adults and children don't get enough fruits and veggies, so add this one to your shopping list this week! HISTORY The beet comes from the wild sea beet, native to the Mediterranean and parts of the European and North African Atlantic coast. Only the leaves of the sea beet were eaten. The scientific name for the beet is beetroot or table beet also the sugar beet and the mangelwurzel. The…

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Laws & Regulations

How to Buy: 19 Food Labels You Need to Understand

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Food labeling has become an extremely big concern for consumers. In fact, an increasing number of consumers have been losing faith in food labels because of incorrect labeling and misleading terms. In particular, labels such as, organic, healthy, and natural are not always understood and can mean different things to different people, which can greatly impact the price of many foods. Many consumers confuse the term natural with a non-GMO product or an organic label with a product that is grown sustainably. Here are 19 of the top terms you might find on product packaging today so you can truly…

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blueberries
Fruits & Vegetables

Blueberries – 100 Years of Deliciousness

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Blueberry is one of the only foods that is truly naturally blue in color and it #1 in antioxidant health benefits As part of fruits and veggies month,  we are featuring fruit and veggies each week. This week the fruit is blueberries, my absolute favorite fruit out there. A whopping 90 percent of adults and children don't get enough fruits and veggies, so add this one to your shopping list this week! HISTORY Blueberries are native to North America, even though they still do have botanical relatives around the world. For thousands of years blueberries have been harvested by Native…

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