Gourmet, more local, more plant-based food for the Games
Through the Games, France is welcoming the whole world to its table. During the two 15-day periods, Paris 2024 will be responsible for serving more than 13 million meals. From breakfast to dinner, from sandwiches to reception buffets, Paris 2024 will have to fulfill the needs of athletes, volunteers, spectators, media… and, because they all will be in France, they’ll expect to eat well! In the land of gastronomy and in the light of the major climatic and environmental challenges, it is an operational, cultural, and environmental challenge that all the players involved in the Games are preparing to embrace. What if the Paris 2024 Games were an opportunity to discover a new way of eating in the stadiums and at sports events in general? To make the Games an opportunity to put creative and sustainable food at the forefront, Paris 2024 has published its “Food Vision”.
Delivering 13 million meals
Delivering 13 million meals – the equivalent of 10 football World Cup tournaments – is the largest event catering operation in the world. For any Organizing Committee, the challenge is first and foremost operational: to meet the needs of all Games audiences, efficiently and optimally.
But because the next edition of the Games is taking place in France (the world record holder for time spent at the table) and because humanity is facing unprecedented climatic and environmental challenges that require the mobilization of all, Paris 2024 must also rise to the cultural and environmental challenge: to enable everyone to eat well and responsibly!
Paris 2024’s ambition for the Games is to put the know-how and creativity of French cuisine at the service of more responsible eating in the stadiums and during sports events.
120 organizations mobilized to define the Food Vision for the Games
France has a rich and committed food ecosystem: farmers, chefs, artisans, restaurant owners, caterers, nutritionists, associations… all are keen to make the Games an opportunity to showcase the best that France has to offer. Therefore Paris 2024 wanted to consult them, not only to canvas their vision and expectations for these Games, but also to listen to their expertise to define ambitious but achievable and down-to-earth objectives. In total, 120 organizations and 200 athletes were involved. The result? A document intended to guide all the partners and future service providers of the Games, towards a common ambition to feed the public of the Games.
6 commitments and 60 sub-commitments to move the lines
Compared to its predecessors, Paris 2024 is raising its environmental and social ambitions with, for the first time two years before the Games, quantified objectives, structured around six key commitments
These 6 commitments are then broken down into 60 sub-commitments, for each type of product or service, such as: 100% French and sustainable meat, 100% dairy products from France, 100% products from sustainable fishing, 100% free-range eggs from France, etc.
So, what will we really be eating during the Games?
The athletes will eat mainly in the Village, which will become the largest restaurant in the world, offering all types of cuisine to meet the nutritional needs and cultural habits of the 15,000 athletes from 208 territories and nations. Volunteers will share friendly moments over generous meals, made mainly from local and seasonal products. Spectators will be able to taste different sandwiches at Paris, Marseille and Lyon venues, designed by chefs using products from the French regions… The common point between all of them: healthy, gourmet and creative food, and at the same time more plant-based options, more local and at affordable prices to live the emotions of sport and enjoying yourself!