Wine may be made from grapes, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t cause problems for vegan attendees or even those with milk, egg and shellfish allergies.
Eschewing alcohol for the month of January, aka “Drynuary,” is an increasingly popular way to see what life is like on the sober side. How could incorporating the same concept into your meetings improve participation and inclusion.
Recent Trend of Mocktails Might Rebuke the Statistic that 77% of Meeting Planners Think Alcohol is Important to their Events Though you wouldn’t necessarily be able to tell by looking at the line for the open bar at the evening reception at (pick a conference, any conference), sobriety — or at least, a growing interest in going alcohol-free on occasion — is starting to be a thing. The movement, which arguably began to gain steam five years ago when people began taking the “Drynuary” challenge to go alcohol-free just for the first month of the year, now is going mainstream.…
Pork is a very prevalent food in our culture. The term refers to the meat from domesticated pigs. Animal husbandry, or the growing of livestock for food purposes, dates back to 5000 BC. Today, pork is the most common form of meat worldwide. From ham sandwiches to hot dogs and even our soup broths, pork is everywhere. While it is a very accepted food, there are a few things that F&B professionals should know about pork before serving it at their events and culinary establishments. Pork in Religion There are several religions that prohibit their practitioners from eating pork –…
Food and beverage guesstimations and predictions are beginning to pop up everywhere. If you missed my piece on superfoods trends for 2018, take a look and let me know what you think. This week, I’m taking a stab at drink trends for 2018 and the coming years. Labeling Libations Increasingly, consumer trust has been damaged when it comes to food safety. This is, in large part, a result of lack of labeling and slow-to-respond regulatory systems. The beverage industry is one of the least regulated areas when it comes to ingredients, production processes, and their supply chains. Labels on the…
The Turn-It-Teal project began in 2014 as a way to increase awareness around food allergies. Now it’s a movement and it’s keeping kids safe on Halloween. Every year, children across the country dress up as their favorite heroes and action figures to collect those precious sweets, door-to-door. However, there is a growing challenge these kiddos face. For many, candy is just a decadent one-night sugar coma. For a growing number of kids, the unknowns in that handful of candy, can be life-threatening. And while overeating candy is going to lead to a stomach ache for most kids on Halloween,…
Yes, it’s already that time of year. What are the coming 2018 food trends and how can we prepare for an amazing new year filled with the latest, the best, the most delicious dining delectables? For this piece, what are the 2018 superfood food trend predictions? Well, as someone who fills her days educating professionals from many industries on dietary restrictions, food and beverage laws, and the latest menu planning faux pas, I spend quite a bit of time staying on top of the absolute latest conversations, headlines, and solutions. All that time and focus means I tend to have…
My Dear Watson, it's Foodimentary! As event professionals, it's easy to get caught up in making everything grand. Dressing things up and making fancy upgrades is impressive, but it can also get complicated. Especially when it comes to designing event menus. That's where foodimentary comes in. What is foodimentary? According to Urban Dictionary, food blogger John-Bryan Hopkins created the word foodimentary, defining it as "a specific way of looking at food or a food item." And, that's what we're going to do—look at our food through the eyes and stomachs of those with food allergies and other dietary needs. We're going to…
Meeting Menu Makeovers - Let's do it! In honor of ANTI-boredom month, I want you to think about how you can banish boring buffets and makeover your meeting menus. We need to stop serving foods that are lifeless, drain our systems and are full of sugar and artificial ingredients (see picture). It is a waste of money, energy and food. Buffets and meeting menus should be inviting, healthy, and full of life. The food we serve at meetings and at work should invigorate us and help us get through the day. Food is so important — it sustains us, it delivers a social focal point, and it is…
Nutrition is a big part of our everyday lives. We continue to learn ways to improve our lifestyles, respond to medical challenges, and share in the growing awareness that nutrition and taste are not mutually exclusive. March is National Nutrition Month, which means it’s the perfect opportunity to evaluate the foods we serve our attendees. National Nutrition Month Every year, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics sponsors National Nutrition Month. It’s meant as a campaign to help bring focus to the importance of making informed choices and develop healthy eating habits. They also place importance on the right amount and…