Scotland’s catering industry and the nation’s quality food and drink producers played winning roles in delivering the best-ever fare for the best-ever Commonwealth Games. An assessment of the performance of Glasgow’s 2014’s mammoth Catering, Cleaning and Waste operations (CCW) highlighted gold medal-winning performances across a wide of areas. These included:
- · Athletes rating the Glasgow 2014 the ‘best ever’ Commonwealth Games for food with a 96% satisfaction rating at the Athletes Villages
- · More than two million meals prepared for athletes, officials, media, the workforce and spectators with in excess of 100 tonnes of fruit and vegetables, 10,000 loaves of bread and 25,000 litres of milk consumed during the event.
- · Scottish food and drink producers as big winners across £8 million of Games contracts – making Glasgow 2014 the biggest event in Scottish catering history
- · Successful delivery against the Glasgow 2014 Food Charter – setting a ground-breaking benchmark for sustainable, local and ethical food procurement for events in Scotland
With 6,500 athletes and officials from 71 nations and territories, a Games workforce of more than 45,000 (including Organising Committee staff, clyde-sider volunteers and contractors), more than 1.2 million tickets sold and more than 35 venues to service, Glasgow 2014’s CCW team and contract caterers had the hugely-complex task of serving up a suitable range of different foods and drinks for each of the groups, around the clock and offering them all elements of choice.
Glasgow 2014 worked with a range of more than 20 contract caterers across more than 35 different venues. In turn, hundreds of Scottish producers and suppliers were involved in ensuring hundreds of thousands of people involved in the Commonwealth Games sampled the best of Scottish fare.
The ground-breaking Glasgow 2014 Food Charter was developed by Glasgow 2014 in collaboration with Scottish Government partners, the Food Standards Agency - Scotland, and the Scottish food industry itself. As well as showcasing the Scottish larder, the Charter outlined a commitment ethical, safe, and healthy-living standards for all food served across the Games, including traceability. Through the Charter, Glasgow 2014 also committed to strive for best value and encourage open and transparent procurement of catering services and food supplies.
The Athletes Village kitchen, for example, on its busiest day made 27,000 meals, featuring 650 hand-made pizzas served between 12pm and 6 am, using 120 kilos of cheese. In addition, they hand-made 4,500 fresh fruit smoothies within the casual dining area
And at Hampden, Glasgow 2014’s iconic Athletics venue, more than 360,000 people attended six days of athletics the food outlets featured four large deli-fresh outlets in different locations selling fresh and healthy options, including Sushi – a foodie first for the National Football Stadium.
Across the huge diversity of venues and client groups, Glasgow 2014’s caterers were encouraged to use local suppliers and growers. As part of their commitment to the charter’s Healthier Life Choices objectives they also offered dishes such as fruit, sandwiches and salads.
David Grevemberg, Glasgow 2014 Chief Executive, said:
“The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games created an excellent opportunity to showcase Scotland’s outstanding produce and the values behind it to visitors from across the globe. It is to the credit of Scotland’s food and drink suppliers and the catering teams who worked with Glasgow 2014 that this opportunity has been taken in such a positive and impressive way.
We’re very proud at the role the Glasgow 2014 Food Charter has played in setting new benchmarks for the Scottish food and drink industry’s role in event delivery and I’m delighted to see the shared ambitions for the highest standards in the sourcing and being delivered.
Richard Lochhead, Scotland’s Food Secretary, said:
“I am delighted to hear how much our visitors to Glasgow 2014 enjoyed the fine Scottish produce that was on offer to them. This has given us an excellent snapshot into foods that were appreciated by people who attended the Games, and will help us further develop Scotland’s journey towards becoming a Good Food Nation.
“Scottish food and drink is among the best to be found anywhere in the world and demand for quality Scottish produce is booming both at home and abroad. Good food and drink is intrinsic to our nation’s unique cultural identity and it played an integral part in this year’s Commonwealth Games.
“Scotland has a fantastic natural larder, iconic products, strong global brands, excellent provenance credentials and industry innovation – it is wonderful that so many people who came to Scotland this summer were able to enjoy that.”
James Withers, Chief Executive, Scotland Food & Drink, said:
“Glasgow 2014 was a truly momentous achievement for our nation, and not just from a sporting perspective. The culinary diversity of Scotland’s natural larder was showcased on the world stage, and it’s encouraging to see such positive results – particularly in terms of the Food Charter.
“As we look to the legacy of the Games and towards Year of Food and Drink 2015, the Food Charter is something we must use as a blueprint for the future, enhancing Scotland’s reputation as a Land of Food and Drink.”
By: Editor
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