Coffee, Tea or……….?

On a recent flight to the US, I witnessed a passenger getting very upset because the flight attendant had run out of tea bags after serving only half of the aircraft.  I later heard the flight attendant saying that it always happens on flights from Canada.  Do Canadians drink more tea? Was the passenger not able to drink juice or coffee because of an allergy?  After multiple occurrences would they not know to add more tea bags to those particular flights? Should the airlines even need to go to that effort for a food/beverage preference?

Coincidently later on that day, I met with a colleague who provides training on the various types of food allergies, conditions, dietary restrictions and preferences that are out there, and can help you design healthy menus for your events or venues.  Tracy Stuckrath is a fellow CSEP (Certified Special Event Professional) based in Atlanta. She herself lives healthy with a yeast-free diet (no yeast, sugar, nor vinegar, dairy, white flour, peanuts, and mushrooms).

Despite what one would think is a limited diet choice, Tracy is passionate about food:  “Our lives revolve around food. We see it on TV. We read about it. We write about it. We fight about where it should come from and how it should be made. We create, bake and cook it - not just for ourselves, but for our customers, our friends and our loved ones.  And, most importantly, we eat it”.  Something that we take for granted each and every day. But we can’t take it for granted as planners.

Tracy went on to remind me that “US Congress made it law when they passed the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008. Eating and other bodily functions are now considered by law, major life activities. That may not seem like a big deal to most, but for the more than 12 million Americans with food allergies or the one in every 133 or roughly three million Americans with celiac disease, it is. It means that when they eat in the company cafeteria, attend a public meeting or event or go to a restaurant, they have a right to get a meal prepared for them that not only meets their dietary needs, but is also of the same quality as the others being served”.

Tracy recognized right away that this also meant that the hospitality industry - caterers, hotels, chefs, meeting & event planners would need to learn how to prepare and safely serve guests with special dietary needs.  “It's not easy at first, especially if you have multiple guests with varying allergies or needs, but it can be done successfully, tastefully, flavorfully and without an excessive amount of cost. It just takes a bit of creativity and forethought on the guest, the host and the chef”.

“Did you ever think about turning your vegetarian meal into a gluten free one? How about creating a quinoa salad cooked in vegetable broth and tossed with nuts, dried cranberries, vinegar, cilantro and parsley”– Tracy has!

Check out Tracy’s blog for more tips http://thrivemeetings.com/blog/

Hope my “Free Idea” makes your Friday!

To learn more, please visit www.andlogistix.com