Tag: food allergies

Celebrating Independence
Dietary Needs Duty of Care Meetings & Events July 5, 2018

Celebrating Independence

Dietary Needs Duty of Care Meetings & Events July 5, 2018

  How to Make it Easier for Those with Dietary Needs to Eat Safely & Feel Included As we (i.e., me and my U.S.-based readers) celebrated 242 years our country’s independence this week, I got to thinking about the words independence and freedom, how they relate to food and beverage, and what I do to promote safe and inclusive food environments. By Merriam-Webster’s definition, independence, in the simplest of terms, is “the quality or state of not being under the control of, reliant on, or connected with someone or something else.” And the definition of freedom is “the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice…

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Culinary Forecast
Trends November 9, 2017

Culinary Forecast: Food Trends, 2018 – Part Three

Trends November 9, 2017

There are a multitude of food trends I could talk about. If you missed part one about superfoods, “4 Superfoods – 2018 Food Trends,” feel free to take a look. I also discuss beverage predictions in “Cheers! Drink Trends for 2018 – Part Two.” Following are a few of my ideas about the culinary forecast. Healthful Personalization At one time, personalization meant being able to asking for extra cheese on that hamburger, or adding a build a your own sundae station and omelet bar at our events. As positive, accepting attitudes about dietary restrictions and better understanding of food allergies…

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invisible disabilities part one
Disabilities October 11, 2017

Thrive! With Invisible Disabilities Part One

Disabilities October 11, 2017

We know what disabilities are, right? If anyone asked, we would be able to chat intelligently about basic difficulties faced by those with disabilities, such as access, accommodations, bullying, and legal protections. What about invisible disabilities? The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) defined a disability as any individual with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. The 2008 extension of the Act was written to include those with allergies, including food allergies. It was updated to better recognize invisible disabilities. Invisible disabilities, also called hidden disabilities, as the term suggests, are…

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National Anti-Boredom Month
Dietary Needs July 21, 2017

Banish Boring Banquets – National Anti-Boredom Month

Dietary Needs July 21, 2017

Is it possible to actually die of boredom? Well, scientists have found that people who complain of boredom actually live shorter lives. That’s right. People who complain of boredom are more likely to die young. I thought National Anti-Boredom Month would be a great time to publish a light piece on boring food and beverage.    In a longitudinal study of 7,000 participants over 25 years, respondents who complained they were bored were 40% more likely to have died by the end of the study. Specialists from the department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University College of London reported…

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Feeding employees. A diverse group of people standing around talking and eating. A long table with a white linen is at the bottom of the image. There are a lot of diverse food dishes there as a buffet.
Food at Work May 23, 2017

Lessons for Human Resources Professionals: The Care and Feeding of Employees – Part One

Food at Work May 23, 2017

As my clients, colleagues and followers know, my main focus as a meeting and event planner is ensuring the food is safe, healthy, delicious and inclusive. But for employees of a company, the food and beverage they are fed at conferences, special events and retreats is just a fraction of what they will consume while on the job. And it is the role of human resources professionals to ensure that all employees can eat safely. That’s why I’m devoting a series of blog posts to educating HR departments about what they can—and must—do when feeding employees. I say “must” because…

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Feeding Employees at Work
Food Allergies May 16, 2017

Feeding Employees at Work: A Lesson for Food Allergy & Celiac Disease Awareness

Food Allergies May 16, 2017
Feeding Employees at Work: An Opportunity to Enhance Well-being As a meeting planner, I have a duty of care to ensure that the food I order for an event is delicious and safe for all participants. Every good meeting planner, CEO, and human resources professional understands that fostering a safe and inclusive workplace is good business—but in some cases, it is also the law. And, if you didn’t know it before, the law includes food and beverage served in the workplace. Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) estimates that 15 million Americans (5 percent of the U.S.) have food allergies,…

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Salad Saga: Taco Salad shell
Food Safety May 12, 2017

The Salad Saga: Food Allergy Training Needs to be Mandatory

Food Safety May 12, 2017
But, The Salad is Gluten-Free! Last week a meeting planner (MP) posted a message (below) on my Facebook feed frustrated with the response the director of catering at a large convention center (DC) was providing when she asked if the serving vessel the salad was in was actually gluten-free.  The conversation went something like this: MP: I notice that the salad is labeled gluten-free. Is that cone (vessel) the salad is being served in gluten-free as well? If it is not, then the salad is not gluten-free and the label should be corrected. DC: The salad is gluten-free. You do not have to eat…

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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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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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