“ The accreditation also shows clients that our vegan and vegetarian options form a core part of our hospitality offer . We are incredibly proud of our latest vegetarian and vegan dishes , securing the use of the approved trademarks exemplifies our commitment to full traceability of the food that we serve ,” adds Hinds .
Taste matching Venues and caterers can also show their commitment by partnering with veggie and vegan experts and suppliers .
When it comes to curating vegetarian and vegan dishes and / or menus , Mitchell reveals ACC Liverpool / Sodexo Live ! only work with “ reputable and forward-thinking suppliers who are thought leaders in sustainable practices .”
Cherry lava dessert
For example , ACC Liverpool / Sodexo Live ! works alongside Meatless Farm – a company who strives to help people reduce their meat consumption by swapping to its meat-free products . “ Meatless Farm has helped us enhance our vegan-menu choices across our arena kiosks ,” says Mitchell .
From September , ACC Liverpool will be the first venue within the Sodexo Live ! portfolio to trial and install these Meatless Farm kiosks . “ We hope that if someone is in the queue at the Meatless Farm kiosk , they won ’ t want to jump out of that queue and go to the burger kiosk – it ’ s all about matching what ’ s already out there .
“ You shouldn ’ t have to sacrifice taste and flavour when it comes to vegetarian or vegan food . Meatless Farm is great because you really can ’ t taste the difference – which is a big factor in helping people swap to plant-based products ,” says Mitchell .
Vanessa Brown
Meatless Farm also share ACC Liverpool / Sodexo Live !’ s environmental commitment .
Mitchell tells me one 400g pack of its Meatless Farm mince has just a fraction of the environmental impact of its meat counterpart .
Who leads the charge ? With so many initiatives , partnerships and accreditations available , who should be responsible for implementing them ?
For Mitchell , it ’ s firstly the responsibility of the venue . “ It ’ s our responsibility as a venue and as a business to make sure we have plant-based menus and options available for clients to choose from .”
Hinds agrees and says : “ As a venue , we believe our role is to provide organisers with all the tools they need to make sustainable choices for their events , hospitality is a key part of that .”
Mitchell believes suppliers , organisers and clients also play a role . “ It ’ s down to our suppliers to ensure they can provide the correct ingredients , it ’ s down to organisers and clients to try and reduce the environmental impact of food served at events .”
With delegates now pushing for vegetarian and vegan dishes , the time is now to show an industry wide commitment to the plant-based lifestyle and diet . CN www . conference-news . co . uk