Labeling meals is as important as creating them, especially when considering allergies and cultural needs.

by Katja Morgenstern | August 25, 2011 | (0)

Labeling tells delegates with food allergies that they can safely consume your meals. Eight foods account for 90 percent of all food-allergic reactions: eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts and wheat.

Tree nuts allergies are the most common, affecting millions of people every year. Common varieties include: almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, filberts, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts. Label all food products that have come into immediate contact or contain nuts. Asian menus very likely contain some nut products, so offer vegetables and rice without any trace of nut flavors or toppings. Keep in mind that some pre-packaged foods (such as candy, chips and cookies) contain nuts. When planning your break menus, consider natural, unprocessed products, which give you a better picture of what you are serving your attendees (and they’re healthier to boot). 

Shellfish allergies are the second most common allergies, affecting as much as 5 percent of the population. These allergies are typically so severe that even remote contact can trigger a reaction. People suffering from shellfish allergies are often told to avoid seafood restaurants entirely. The steam from cooking shellfish can contain proteins that cause allergic reactions. Ask delegates with shellfish allergies to alert you as they register. If more than 5 percent of them have shellfish allergies, leave seafood foods off your menus entirely. 

Cross cultural menus

Introduce you attendees to the history or historic significance behind a specific dish during networking receptions. Did you know the origin of cornbread dates back to the Native Americans, long before European explorers came to this country? There are actually several different types of cornbread. Fun facts entertain, offer regional and educational twists to your menus and even spark conversations.

Labels do far more than give delegates reference points for what’s in a dish, it gives them the control to effectively decide what they can and want to eat. One+

Katja Morgenstern

Katja works for a dynamic, full-service meeting company, Meeting Consultants, Inc., as a Senior Project Manager. Meeting Consultants is a pioneer in the meeting and event management industry, and has been serving clients worldwide for 30 years. With Meeting Consultants, Katja manages the Food and Beverage portion of conferences and events. She is responsible for maintaining the client's budget, developing menus and working closely with venues to make sure all aspects of the food and beverage are as the client requested. Prior to joining Meeting Consultants, Katja spent over seven years as an independent planner and consultant in Charleston, South Carolina, before she relocated to Atlanta, Georgia in 2005. After moving to Atlanta, she worked for the Georgia World Congress Center where she became familiar with the supplier side of the hospitality industry. Her time with the fourth largest convention center in the U.S. gave her a unique perspective on the industry and how it responds to emergencies. Katja was nominated for "Who's Who of Entrepreneurs" in 2002 and the Phoenix Awards Rising Star Award in 2008, and was cited in the Charleston Regional Business Journal (2001, 2003), Post and Courier Business Section (2001), USA Today-Money Section (2004). She is an active member of Meeting Professionals International, Georgia Chapter (GaMPI), where she is the assistant editor and a contributing writer for BreakOut Magazine. She also served as co-chair for the MeetDifferent 2009 Hospitality Committee. She is an active speaker in the hospitality industry, and is currently writing a book on risk management in the meeting and event industry.

TAGS: event planning , One+ August 2011 , column , meeting logistics , food and beverage