On this episode, Tracy and Erin Malawar of Allergy Strong recap The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. This is the first conference of its kind in more than 50 years. The first and only other one was held in 1969. The Administration's goal is "to end hunger in America and increase healthy eating and physical activity by 2030 so fewer Americans experience diet-related diseases." The Domestic Policy Council has been working "within the federal government, including with over 20 agencies, and listening to members of Congress, academics, advocates, community leaders, philanth ..read more

While attending PCMA Convening Leaders convention, Tracy had the opportunity to attend one of the Lip Smacking Food Tours. In this episode, she chats with founder Donald Contursi on how he has become an award-winning tour company that offers unique dining experiences in Las Vegas and beyond. https://www.lipsmackingfoodietours.com/ https://www.facebook.com/LipSmackingFoodieTours https://instagram.com/lipsmackingfoodie https://twitter.com/VegasFoodieTour Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com ..read more

Food Allergy Awareness Month Epsiode If you were to look at a group of people would you be able to point out the ones who have food allergies or celiac disease? Probably not. They don’t look different from others standing next to them. This is great on one hand, but also a serious challenge on the other. Food allergies and celiac disease are serious INVISIBLE medical conditions that millions of people live with every day, including Gwen Smith. These medical conditions can be life-threatening, make it hard to be active, socialize, and live full and good lives, especially when there is food arou ..read more

Do you ever feel deprived about food? With a chronic disease such as diabetes, you have to avoid specific foods to avoid reactions. While that may seem simple, there is nothing simple about it. It takes a lot of diligence to watch everything you eat (quality and quantity), constantly read ingredient labels, and ask questions of servers and chefs about what's in the menu item. What about relying on someone else to choose what you'll be eating when attending a meeting or event? Deprivation can be felt not just with the food itself, but also with the loss of control over what to eat. That's where ..read more

What do climate change, sustainability, and events have to do with each other? A LOT! Two weeks ago in one of my education sessions at IMEX — an events industry convention that has won awards for its sustainability efforts — I was surprised that only 10% of the attendees were currently incorporating sustainability questions in their venue requests for proposal or their events. To boot, a few other sustainability-focused sessions had the same response. When I shared this stat with Shawna McKinley, an event sustainability consultant and instructor based in Vancouver, Canada, we decided to chat a ..read more

Have you ever witnessed someone having an anaphylactic reaction? It is pretty scary. Tune into the next episode of Eating at a Meeting LIVE to learn what my good friend and event planner Heather Herrig, CMP recently experienced to put her on the personal side of the dietary needs question on an event registration form. Heather has been a part of the meetings & events industry since 2005 - and loves every aspect of what goes into creating amazing, inclusive, and engaging experiences. But more importantly, she's a mom, and one whose personal experience is changing how she will handle attende ..read more

Brian Peterson is a 5th grade teacher, a beekeeper, and gardener. On this episode of Eating at a Meeting LIVE he's going to share how and why pollinators are so important to the food and beverage industry and meetings. As founder of the nonprofit Bees in the D, he's aiming to bring back Michigan’s declining pollinator population and educating us all on the complexities and importance of bees and pollinators to not only our food industry but our ecosystem as a whole. Join Tracy and Brian, as they discuss how most of our food sources can be traced back to pollination, the mission of Bees in the ..read more

Food Allergy Awareness Week Epsiode. Having a food allergy can create a heavy burden for individuals — children and adults alike — constantly having to think about and managing EVERY bite, spill and crumb because a single mistake — a morsel, a touch, or inhalation of a food protein — can be deadly. Join Tracy on Friday, May 13 as she talks with licensed clinical therapist, Lisa Rosenberg, about the BEST part of having food allergies and the advice she would give to someone who is just starting their food allergy journey? With current standards of care being 1) avoiding the allergenic foods, 2 ..read more

Food Allergy Awareness Week. Episode Caroline Benjamin and Jacqui McPeake are no strangers to a catering or hotel kitchen, having worked in food service for a combined 35+ years. They are also no strangers to food allergies and other dietary needs, Caroline being allergic to gluten and dairy and Jacqui a mom of a food allergic child. Together (and separately) their passion for raising awareness of food allergens and intolerance across the food industry has supported the rollout and adoption of allergen legislation in the United Kingdom, teaching about and promoting best practices for allergen ..read more

How does equity, diversity, and inclusion relate to event catering? Tune into Eating at a Meeting LIVE on Wednesday when Tracy chats with Zoe (pronounced ZOH) Moore, an independent equity, diversity, and inclusion consultant in the hospitality, events and tourism industries. Hint...DEI (and belonging) have a lot to do with event catering. From staffing in the front and back of house to vendor sourcing, service methods to what's being served, inclusive food and beverage experiences are opportunities to invite people to learn, celebrate and honor diversity as well as create a sense of belonging ..read more