Food provision at major competition events
By Fiona Pelly, PhD
International sporting competition involves the participation of athletes from a wide range of cultures, with varying nutrition needs and food preferences. An historical review published in 2011 summarised the food provision at the summer Olympic Games (OG) from 1896 through to 2004. It is apparent that athletes have been provided with some form of food since the modern OG in 1896, where competitors in the marathon were provided with olives, eggs, cheese, milk and oranges before they raced. Athletes typically used hotel dining rooms or local restaurants, although some teams travelled with personal chefs. With the advent of the Olympic Village in 1932, there was expansion in catering for athletes, although food provision was basic and commonly altered at the request of individual nations. There were developments in food provision including the introduction of a unified menu in 1972, nutrition labelling in 1992 and a nutrition ‘kiosk’ introduced in 1996 with a higher than anticipated demand for traditional foods from African, Asian and Eastern European nations, This led to substantial expansion of dietetic input and a focus on nutrition at the Sydney 2000 OG, with development of a menu website linked to labelling and nutrition servicing. Over the past 20 years there has been substantial growth in the interest of both caterers and organising committees in nutrition, which is primarily driven by the demands of athletes and teams.
Currently, the aim of catering for the OG and similar events is to ensure the availability of safe, appealing food that is suitable for athletes and teams of various ages and cultural backgrounds. From a sports nutrition perspective, suitable foods must be provided to allow optimum performance and recovery for athletes from a wide array of sports with varying nutritional demands. More recently, this has been referred to as a ‘performance-based menu’, informed by the evidence on nutrition for athletic performance. Yet, the provision of food in this environment is considerably more than just specific to performance. Diners gain first-hand experience of different cultural, religious and dietetic/therapeutic aspects of food and are exposed to the diversity of the menu. Patrons share the communal dining area with individuals from around the world. This brings people together and helps to build respect, understanding and social connection outside the sporting arena.
Despite the progress made in food provision, there remains a host of challenges but also opportunities to refine and improve the food environment at international competition. One of these challenges is the increased demand in therapeutic dietary needs, particularly food allergies or intolerances. There is evidence of a substantial increase in requests for gluten-free foods at these events. There is also a wide range of clinical conditions where diet is central to clinical management (e.g. diabetes, coeliac or cardiovascular disease, inflammatory or irritable bowel syndrome). In addition to these clinical issues is an increased demand for tailored, personal food preferences such as vegan or vegetarian diets, and preservative free or natural/organic food. Concern about environmental sustainability has also increased for organising committees and caterers with a focus on use of the whole animals and reduction of food packaging. This aligns with the release of the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems, which advocates the need for sustainable food systems that provide health benefits but also sustain a healthy planet.
