Catering for London 2012
Catering for the Olympic and Paralympic Games is recognised as being the largest peace-time catering operation in the world. In the Olympic Village alone, London 2012 expect to require 25,000 loaves of bread, 75,000 litres of milk and more than 330 tonnes of fruit and vegetables.
In preparation for meeting this challenge, London 2012 published their Food Vision in 2009. This was the culmination of a lengthy consultation process which looked into catering requirements, key sustainability criteria and potential revenues, costs and space requirements. The Food Vision sets out five main themes which essential to London 2012’s catering strategy.
- Food safety and hygiene
- Choice and balance
- Food sourcing and supply chain
- Environmental management
- Skills and education
These themes underline their work to produce food that is diverse, affordable and benefits British suppliers where ever possible.
Delivering London 2012’s Food Vision
During the course of the Games, London 2012 will provide an estimated 14 million meals. These will go to feed a diverse range of groups each with their own requirements. LOCOG anticipates catering for seven main groups including:
- Ticket holders
- Athletes and team officials
- Technical officials
- The Olympic and Paralympic Family and their workforce
- Official broadcasters and press
- Corporate sponsors
London 2012 will have direct management and delivery of catering in over 40 venues throughout the Games. These include the 10 Olympic Park competition venues, 12 competition venues through Greater London, nine further competition venues throughout the rest of the UK as well as numerous non-competition venues and events (such as the Main Press Centre and Olympic Village).
In March 2011, LOCOG announced the Tier 1 Catering contractors. The Olympic Park Catering has been divided into four main packages. The athletes’ accommodation in Stratford, Weymouth and Royal Holloway College will be catered for by Aramark. The Main Press and International Broadcast Centre catering will be supplied by BaxterStorey. Amedeus will organise catering in the Olympic Park North, and the Olympic Park South will be catered by Sodexo. Further appointments include:
- Arena Leisure – Eton Dorney and Greenwich Park
- Compass – North Greenwich Arena, ExCeL, Coventry Stadium, Earls Court, Wimbledon, Wembley Arena and the Millennium Stadium.
- Creative Events – Earls Court and ExCeL
- DNC – Wembley Stadium
- Do & Co – Olympic Hospitality Centre
- Global Infusion – Horse Guards Parade, Hyde Park, Hadleigh Farm and the Lee Valley White Water Centre
- Sodexo – Lords, Royal Artillery Barrack, Hampden Park and St James Park.
- Bon Appetit Caterers Ltd - Non competition venues
- Smart Event Catering - Olympic Hospitality Centre
- That they will achieve the benchmark standards and information on cost and extent of aspirational standards (see below).
- That they are building sustainability into their business on a long-term basis.
- How they intend to work in partnership with smaller local and regional suppliers in delivery.
Sponsor Impact
London 2012 has a commitment to its sponsors; however, there will still be opportunities for other food products as long as these are unbranded. Sponsors that will impact on catering include McDonalds, the official retail restaurant; Coca-Cola, the exclusive provider of hot and cold non-alcoholic beverage; Cadbury, the provider of confectionary and packaged ice cream; and Sainsbury’s, the official supermarket partner of the Paralympic Games.
Sustainability
London 2012 is committed to being the most sustainable Games to date. Their Food Vision reflects this policy in a number of ways, in particular around product sourcing standards and waste management procedures.
All food sourced will be required to meet benchmark standards which include Red Tractor Assured, Lion Mark free range, RSPCA Freedom Food Certified, Fairtrade and British where applicable. London 2012 has also set aspirational standards, such as LEAF Marque and Organic, which it hopes to achieve where these are available and affordable.
Management of food waste and packaging is also a key element of the London 2012 Sustainability Plan. Current provisions include controlling food waste by encouraging balanced use of the whole of an animal, optimising portion sizes and stock management; reducing, reusing and recycling packaging; and carefully managing catering equipment, hire and re-distribution.
Businesses interested in supplying London 2012’s Food Vision should consider how they might meet these sustainability requirements as they will form a key component in procurement decisions.
London 2012 Food Charter
London 2012 will be launching a Food Charter, encouraging businesses to commit to providing sustainable, affordable food during the course of the 2012 Games throughout London and the UK. Further details of this will be published when available.
Events
The London Business Network hosted a major event in September 2010, giving businesses an overview of London 2012’s strategy for catering for the Games. Businesses who attended heard directly from Professor Russell, of the Russell Partnership and Jan Matthews, Head of Catering, Cleaning and Waste with the London Organising Committee. View webcasts of these presentations…
Additional Information
