In your meeting, the first step in adapting to religious diets such as kosher and halal is to understand various restrictions and preferences based on religious practices.
Kosher food complies with the dietary standards of traditional Jewish laws.
The most common Jewish restriction is the separation of dairy and meat products. Dishes containing dairy products also do not contain any type of meat or poultry. All seafood and pork are strictly prohibited.
Islamic diet, halal, prohibits alcohol, pork products, certain types of seafood and predators, raptors, rabbits and other animals, anything considered to be a blood or blood product, and food mixed with animal-derived components.
To adapt to these diets, it is necessary to plan ahead, ask the right questions and work closely with your chef or rely on external catering resources.
Here are some tips for accommodating participants in kosher and halal diets.
1. Find a venue with a kosher kitchen
Some conference venues have dedicated kosher kitchens. For example, hotel industry leader Harris Rosen created Zayde’s kosher kitchen at the Rosen Plaza Hotel to meet this need. It has three different kitchens: Glatt, Cholov Yisroel and Pareve, both run by full-time Mashgiach Temidi or Kosher executives.
Some bar/bat ceremony and wedding restaurants and venues have also adapted greatly to kitchen changes, such as Phoenix Warehouse 215.
2. Start planning early
Ask for your dietary needs as early as possible. Kosher and halal meals require a source of time, so the registry is where to ask for dietary requirements. Set up your form so that the response is mandatory.
3. Ask participants what functions they plan to participate in
The best way to avoid wasting food and money is to provide these attendees with a count of each meal. Special meals can be expensive; estimated prices for formally plated dinners range from $50 to $200 per person.
4. Give your hotel time source catering
Many hotels will choose to buy ready-made kosher and halal meals and have already established relationships with local catering providers. (For example, Zayde offers pre-packaged kosher food to other hotels in the Orlando area.) Even restaurants will order special meals from other restaurants at the event, if sufficient advance notice is available.
5. Provide alternatives that are already available
Some attendees were pleased to be able to choose a vegetarian diet. Give them the opportunity to choose a vegetarian, vegan or choose items from a buffet. Make sure the ingredients in the buffet item are clearly marked.
Source: Food in Thought Catering,
