Dietary Needs

Two men bullied at corporate awards banquet for having food allergies
Dietary Needs Duty of Care Food Service Meetings & Events February 28, 2017

Two Men with Food Allergies Bullied by Coworkers at Awards Dinner

Dietary Needs Duty of Care Food Service Meetings & Events February 28, 2017

Not Being able to Eat Wheat or Shellfish is No Reason to be Bullied Last week I was at an event where I witnessed two men being bullied/teased/harassed—whatever you want to call it—about their dietary need. I was stunned, embarrassed and utterly dumbfounded. The event was an awards dinner for a corporation and one at which I was hired to manage the food and beverage and oversee the safe execution of special meals for 18 people with dietary needs (a low number considering other events I’ve done, but still seven percent of the group). The two men who were being…

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snack food month
Dietary Needs Food Service Meetings & Events February 20, 2017

Allergen-Free Snack Food Month

Dietary Needs Food Service Meetings & Events February 20, 2017

National Snack Food Month is here and for me, this is really exciting. Snacking is necessary throughout the day for most people just to keep themselves energized and healthy. Snacks are important when traveling. They are also important to keep available during long, all-day marathon meetings. That makes snacks a pretty important job for those of us in the meetings and events industry. Most of us already do a great job making sure we have healthy options available. We could all do a better job of making sure snacks are not only available at a central location, but that they…

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Heart Health Month
Lifestyle Choices February 5, 2017

Heart Health Month: Attendees Deserve Healthy Hearts

Lifestyle Choices February 5, 2017

Meeting Menus at Center of Heart Health Month I bet you thought wearing red in February was a way to celebrate Valentine’s and while that may be true, February is also Heart Health Month, which includes some school spirit style ‘wear red if you care’ heart disease awareness. One-fourth of men and one in three women die from cardiovascular disease in the United States. High blood pressure, stroke, heart failure, heart attack, it comes in many forms, but with few causes. Lifestyle choices is the leading indicator of heart problems, with genetics only helping it become worse in some people.…

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2017-Cutting-Edge-Food-Trends-iStock-521534856
Dietary Needs Food Service Meetings & Events January 24, 2017

2017 Cutting Edge Food Trends

Dietary Needs Food Service Meetings & Events January 24, 2017

So much can be said for the future of our industry and of food. There is too much hunger, yet food waste is a major problem. We grow field after field of crops that will feed our cars, our cattle, and ourselves, but we grow in unsustainable patterns with inefficiencies that cause massive price hikes on crops that would be affordable and environmentally friendly if they were only grown cyclically. And what about dining? We come together to celebrate, socialize, and conduct business, but the changing landscape of food laws and dietary needs has created a different environment for the…

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Food Allergies Laws & Regulations January 13, 2017

Press Release: FARE Requests Investigation of American Airlines for Violations of Air Carrier Access Act

Food Allergies Laws & Regulations January 13, 2017

This month, FARE filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation against American Airlines for violations of the Air Carrier Act. FARE is seeking to protect the rights of individuals with food allergies who travel by air. This complaint addresses American Airlines’ written policy prohibiting passengers managing food allergies from pre-boarding – a policy that is a violation of the Air Carrier Access Act, which states pre-boarding must be offered to passengers with a disability who self-identify as needing additional time or assistance to board. Through our filing of this complaint, FARE is calling on the DOT to take…

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Matza bread for passover celebration - how to Manage a Kosher event
Religious Dietary Practices December 20, 2016

So You Are Asked to Manage a Kosher Event…What do You do?

Religious Dietary Practices December 20, 2016

How to Manage A Kosher Event In October after hearing how Bonnie had to plan her daughter’s Jewish wedding last month incorporating two different kosher practices, I asked if she would write a piece on how to plan and manage a kosher event. Below is some of her guidance.  When you plan or manage a kosher event it can be overwhelming to those who have no knowledge of what kosher means and even to those who are Jewish and were raised in a kosher home. My experience in planning a 3,000 person event for the Council of Jewish Federations for their General Assembly was…

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multicultural holiday season
Religious Dietary Practices December 15, 2016

A Multicultural Holiday Season Calls for a Special Feast

Religious Dietary Practices December 15, 2016

December and the winter season is a time for celebration! It’s a multicultural holiday season and as we design our menus and activities, we can consider the many opportunities we have for an especially inclusive feast. Here are several reasons we often say “Happy Holidays” as a greeting and farewell during this celebratory season. In order according to the Gregorian calendar: Eid-al-Fitr More than 1,300 years ago, the prophet Muhammad received the Muslims’ holy book, the Koran. Muslims show their love for the Koran and Allah by praying and fasting during the month of Ramadan. The dates of Ramadan change…

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thanksgiving food allergies
Community Dietary Needs Food Allergies November 23, 2016

Thanksgiving Dishes for Guests with Food Allergies

Community Dietary Needs Food Allergies November 23, 2016

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful opportunity to come together, but it can also be a bit intimidating for a number of reasons. Whether you are hosting, catering, or bringing a dish, it’s tough to make sure there will be something for everyone. Thanksgiving Food Allergies are just one of many ways to make your guests feel welcome. Chances are someone, most likely more than just one someone, will have dietary restrictions of some kind. Here are just a few recipes to consider that will help address the Big Eight allergens as well as a few other common dietary restrictions. Just…

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Hand writing Diabetes | managing diabetes
Dietary Needs Food Service Meetings & Events November 9, 2016

Celebrate Diabetes Awareness Month by Savoring Delicious Nutritious Foods

Dietary Needs Food Service Meetings & Events November 9, 2016

Managing Diabetes at Meetings can Improve Health for all  If you follow me on social media, you may have already noticed it’s Diabetes Awareness Month. The celebration is a combined effort across U.S. government entities, medical professionals, individuals with diabetes and their friends and families, those who want to learn more, and organizations across more industries than you would think to help those managing diabetes to eat and feel better. “National Diabetes Month is observed every November so individuals, health care professionals, organizations, and communities across the country can bring attention to diabetes and its impact on millions of Americans.”…

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Lifestyle Choices November 1, 2016

Happy Vegan Month and World Vegan Day!

Lifestyle Choices November 1, 2016

November is off to a great start and one of the reasons is that November first is World Vegan Day. I’m not promoting we all need to switch to veganism, but I am promoting more vegan dishes in our menus. Not only will be making a concerted effort to meet the needs of our custom eaters, we’ll be opening our events to a vast and surprisingly delicious world of innovative vegan dishes. With a growing number of people turning to vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, the effort to create meat-like dishes is long gone. Occasionally, we still see tofurkey, fish-like tacos,…

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