Joe GallopNEC Group caterer Amadeus has had its vegan dishes accredited by the Vegetarian Society across its venue portfolio, including more than 100 dishes and recipes.
The accreditation provides full traceability of ingredients with the additional use of the Vegetarian Society Approved vegan trademark. It will be used across the NEC Group’s five venues, including the Utilita Arena Birmingham (cap. 15,800) and Resorts World Arena (15,685).
The accreditation is also being made available for Amadeus regional venues across the UK and its external events business, which caters for major sporting and corporate events.
Marc Frankl (pictured right), food and beverage director for Amadeus at the NEC Group, said, “This accreditation from the Vegetarian Society is testament to the hard work of the people in our business, who are extremely passionate about the traceability of the food that we serve. I’d like to give a special shout-out to Vicky Belton from our purchasing team who really helped drive the accreditation forwards.
“Securing the use of the approved trademark means clients and visitors to our venues have full clarity on our offering, making a clear statement about the food we serve. Whether it’s sourcing the finest local ingredients or using state-of-the-art technology to help drive down food waste, we are putting sustainable practices at the forefront of our work across venues, and this is our latest step.”
Aaron Johnson-Waters (pictured left), Amadeus’ executive chef at the NEC Group’s Vox Conference Centre, introduced a new menu pack for the venue with 45% vegan ingredients. He said, “I found that veganism on the whole is such a small part of menu design. It tends to be non-existent, with customers having to request a vegan option, so this is our clear statement and commitment to the development of vegan dishes at our venue.”
Vanessa Brown, head of business services at the Vegetarian Society, said, “There’s a growing demand for plant-based dishes everywhere and it’s fantastic to see NEC Group’s catering meeting the needs of their customers. By displaying the Vegetarian Society Approved vegan trademark they are joining a multitude of businesses making a clear statement to their consumers that they can trust these dishes to be vegan.”