The first step in accommodating religious diets, like kosher and halal, at your meeting is to understand the various restrictions and preferences based on religious practices.
Kosher food complies with the dietary standards of traditional Jewish law.
The most common kosher restriction is the separation of dairy and meat products; dishes containing dairy cannot also contain any type of meat or poultry. All seafood and pork are strictly prohibited.
The Islamic dietary laws, halal, prohibit alcohol, pork products, certain types of seafood and carnivorous animals, birds of prey, animals such as rabbits, anything that is considered blood or blood product, and food mixed with animal-derived ingredients.
To accommodate these diets, it’s essential to plan ahead, ask the right questions, and work closely with your chef, or rely on outside catering sources.
Following are some tips for accommodating attendees with kosher and halal diets.
1. Find a venue with a kosher kitchen
Some meeting venues have dedicated kosher kitchens. For example, hospitality industry leader Harris Rosen created Zayde’s Kosher Kitchen at Rosen Plaza Hotel to meet this need. It has three different kitchens — Glatt, Cholov Yisroel, and Pareve — all run by a full-time mashgiach temidi, or kosher supervisor.
Some restaurants and venues with a large percentage of Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and weddings also adapt their kitchens to be kosher-vertified, such as Warehouse 215 in Phoenix.
2. Start planning early
Inquire about dietary needs early on. Kosher and halal meals take time to source, so the registration form is the place to ask about dietary requirements. Set up your forms so that responses are mandatory.
3. Ask which functions attendees plan to attend
The best way to avoid wasted food — and money — is to include counts for each meal for these attendees. Special meals can be expensive; estimates range from $50 to $200 per person for a formal plated dinner.
4. Give your hotel time to source catering
Many hotels will choose to purchase ready-made kosher and halal meals, and already have established relationships with local caterers. (Zayde’s, for example, supplies pre-packaged kosher meals to other hotels in the Orlando area.) Even restaurants will order special meals from other restaurants for attendees at an event, if they are given enough advance notice.
5. Offer already-available substitutes
Some attendees are happy to work with vegetarian choices. Offer them the chance to choose a vegetarian meal, a vegan meal, or to select items from the buffet. Make sure ingredients in buffet items are clearly labeled.
Sources: Food for Thought Catering,
