FOCUS WELLBEING
NOURISHING
NUTRITION
Consumers are becoming much more eco-conscious, and are now making
decisions based on this attitude right down to their eating habits. It
is now taken as a given that vegan and vegetarian options are available to
customers no matter where they choose to eat so it goes without saying
that plant-based options are expected in workplace restaurants too. As
people become more conscious of the environment, a diet that is not only
nutritious but sustainable too will become more and more appealing to the
wider market. In the same way you would consider energy consumption
and recycling policies, workplaces must think about how they can
o er a menu for their employees that is both exciting and
sustainable.
THE RISE OF PLANT-BASED DIETS
Vegetarian and vegan diets on the whole are steadily rising
in popularity, and customers are able to buy a range of
exciting plant-based dishes wherever they choose to
dine. In the workplace, vegetarian dishes can go beyond
the usual cheese sandwiches and baked potatoes and
instead take advantage of o ering exciting plant-based
meals to encourage workers to leave their desks for lunch.
Dishes inspired by other countries can lend themselves
well to vegan or vegetarian adaptations, for example Korean,
Lebanese, and Moroccan flavours are really catching the eyes of
our customers at the moment. People are opting for more unusual
ingredients too, with new products such as tempeh, seitan, and jackfruit becoming
popular meat substitutes with both vegetarian and meat-eaters alike. With this in
mind, the team at Olive Catering Services are rotating unique flavours and di erent
textures within our menus to prevent customers getting bored of the same o ering
day aƒ er day.
From a workplace caterer’s perspective, Asian food can be a valuable asset to any
plant-based menu. While there are certain specialist ingredients which can cost a
40 AUGUST 2019
bit more, on the whole
dishes like stir fries are
cost-e ective to produce,
o ering really tasty dishes
which lend themselves well to
vegetarian ingredients and can be
subsidised by the workplace so employees
can enjoy healthy food at a good price.
CONSIDER NUTRITION
It’s vital that when considering a sustainable menu, all aspects of nutrition are
included within a range of dishes. The best advice to take when choosing a
workplace caterer would be to make sure that the menus on o er are providing all
the nutritional requirements needed. This can only be achieved by using a variety
of fruit, vegetables, nut seeds, pulses, and grains within meals.
Olive recently teamed up with commercial TV network, ITV, and Veg
Power, an initiative from The Food Foundation, to support its
campaign to get people eating more veg. This was a great
example of how workplaces can o er exciting but nutritional
meals as we hosted veg pop-up stands and fresh juice
bars in each of the ITV sta restaurants to give employees
samples of fresh vegetables and recipe inspiration.
Olive’s Food Innovation team also created bespoke
menus for the campaign that featured the designated
vegetable of the week served up in a unique way.
A balanced, nutritional diet will promote health and
wellbeing, ensuring employees are having healthy meals
rather than visiting a burger van for chips during their lunch
break. A healthy meal will also make people feel full quicker and
sustain their energy for a longer period of time which results in a
better workforce that are more focused.
USE LOCALLY-SOURCED PRODUCE
Using local produce in their dining room is another great way for workplaces
to ensure that they provide a truly sustainable food service. Here at Olive, we
champion the use of seasonal produce and making meals from scratch to ensure
our customers are getting the freshest ingredients that not only taste amazing but
o er great nutritional benefits too. Using fresh and seasonal ingredients that clean
eating promotes can help caterers create much more interesting meals that will
catch the attention of those looking for an alternative to meat.
Buying locally naturally encourages caterers to use seasonal fruits and
vegetables. Seasonal produce is packed full of nutrients and flavours thanks to it
growing within its natural season and not forced to grow in manmade conditions.
They are also free from synthetic preservatives as they do not need to be
transported as far, so have no need to be preserved for a long period of time. From
a green point of view, using locally sourced food ingredients helps reduce carbon
emissions as it uses less “food miles” – which refers to the distance the food has
travelled – and therefore less fuel is used for transporting the produce to where it
needs to be.
From a culinary aspect, a sustainable menu is all about o ering variety so people
want to try a vegetarian or vegan dish, and not feel like they are missing out on
any nutritional value. By adopting a sustainable catering option for the workplace,
managers can ensure their employees’ wellbeing is maintained with healthy, plantbased
meal options and cater to vegetarian and vegan sta with new menus.
Jacqui Mee, Operations Manager at Olive Catering
Services discusses the trend in sustainable menus,
vegetarian and vegan diets, and how workplaces can
ensure employees have exciting dishes with high nutrition
Using local produce in
their dining room is another
great way for workplaces
to ensure that they provide
a truly sustainable
food service.”