# Catering info - dietary needs * General info: * Providing mostly meat/fish- and cheese/egg/milk/honey/.../animal product-based dishes and only having few vegan-vegetarian options excludes those who don't eat animal products, leaving them with only little choice, whereas having a focus on providing mostly vegan-vegetarian dishes and little animal-product-based dishes serves the majority of people, since also meat/fish/cheese/...eaters can eat veggie food. Also, if omnivores insist on having meat/fish for lunch, it is much easier to find it outside the venue than for vegans/vegetarians to find veggie food * Sugary and cereal-based foods (cakes, cookies, pastries, gluten-containing grains, gluten-noodles, ...) tend not to be vitalizing to last through a conference day and are usually not suitable for people with gluten-allergy, -sensitivity or people wanting to lower their gluten intake. Also, too much sugary foods is more likely to drain energy than the opposite. * Animal products: * Meat, chicken, fish, seafood, milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter, eggs, honey, gelatine (bones), chicken/meat broth, animal fats/oils… * Plant-based foods: - Vegetables and fruits of any kind - Gluten-free grains such as quinoa, millet, buckwheat, amaranth, (brown) rice & potatoes instead of gluten/egg-noodles - Beans, legumes, seeds, mushrooms, nuts - Tofu, Tempeh - Plant milk (soy, oat, almond, rice…) and its yoghurt - Oils (vegetable oil instead of butter or animal fat) - Vegetable (soup) broth instead of meat/chicken broth * Ideas for catering: - Salads consisting of fruits or vegetables+beans+nuts+gluten-free grains+mushrooms, … - Raw cut vegetables with dips (hummus, guacamole, baba ganoush, tzatziki based on plant yoghurt, bean dips…) - Antipasti, roasted vegetables - Vegetable soups / stews - Roasted potatoes+veggies, rice+veggies, … - Desserts: Avocado-based cacao mousse, fruit salad, plain ripe fruit, bliss balls (based on dried fruits and nuts), plant-based yoghurt with fruit, etc. Further reading on allergies, common dietary requirements & providing info about the menu/ingredients: https://alexwlchan.net/ideas-for-inclusive-events/ideas/dietary-requirements/