Shaun Hinds
religious practises . This is something event organisers , venues and chefs must remember when planning menus – it ’ s vital to make your food inclusive and offer a substantial amount of plant-based options .
Showing commitment : accreditation Catering to the needs of delegates and supporting the environment can go even further than what happens in the kitchen .
Think about accreditation . Let ’ s take The Vegetarian Society Approved trademarks as an example . “ Our mission is to help people make the shift to vegetarian diets and lifestyles ,” says Vanessa Brown , head of business and catering services at The Vegetarian Society .
“ We have two trademarks , one for vegetarian products and one for
vegan products . The vegetarian trademark has been going since 1986 , and the vegan trademark since 2017 ,” she adds .
Brown says many venues seek these accreditations to make a clear statement to their customers about the food they serve . “ They are showing that they take plant-based catering seriously , and that it ’ s not an afterthought ,” she adds .
“ When customers see our vegetarian or vegan trademarks products , they know they can trust it is 100 % vegetarian or vegan .”
Like any other accreditation , a venues food / in-house caterers must undergo an assessment and meet strict criteria in order to gain The Vegetarian Society ’ s approval .
“ The trademark process involves our experts checking all ingredients and production methods . For example , we check a venue ’ s ingredients , processes and systems for cooking and serving .
“ Only products that meet our criteria are allowed to display these trademarks ,” explains Brown .
For example , vegetarian-approved products must contain no ingredients resulting from slaughter ; only use free-range eggs ; be GMO-free ; have no animal testing carried out / commissioned and have measures in place to avoid cross-contamination during production .
Minus using free-range eggs , vegan-approved products must meet the same criteria and additionally contain no animal-derived ingredients .
She tells me the trademarks aren ’ t exclusively for food items , but it can also be applied to drinks , beauty cosmetics , cleaning products as well as health products .
Manchester Central is one of the venues who gained this accreditation , alongside Royal Holloway university , University of Chester and University of Plymouth .
“ Seeking this accreditation formed part of our organisational sustainability strategy ,” explains Shaun Hinds , CEO of Manchester Central . This strategy , he tells me , has an emphasis on protecting the natural environment whilst considering the social , economic and cultural impacts .
Facts and figures : The Vegetarian Society
The number of people in the UK who maintain a vegetarian or vegan diet accounts for approximately 2-3 % of the population .
According to the NDNS survey which was published in 2012 : 2 % of adults and children are vegetarian ( not eating meat or fish )*, this amounts to over 1.2m individuals of a UK population of 62.3m **.
The meat-free and free-from food markets reached an estimated total of £ 949m in 2012 *, (* Mintel ‘ Meat-free and Free-from foods ’ 2012 )
Recent figures for the amount of meat * consumed by individuals in the UK is 79.3kg per year ( 217g / day , 131g of red meat ) * not inclusive of fish .
(* National Diet and Nutrition Survey , 2012 . ** Office for National Statistics ).
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