Paris Olympics goes meat-free: Good for the planet or good business? : Low-Carb War Zone Forum : Active Low-Carber Forums

#1 ^

Sun, Jun-16-24, 08:56

Demi

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Paris Olympics goes meat-free: Good for the planet or good business?

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Paris Olympics goes meat-free: Good for the planet or good business?

Organisers of the upcoming Paris Olympics have announced 60% of the food served will be meat-free.

The move is in a bid to reduce the event's carbon footprint and will offer more vegetarian cuisine than in any other games.

"Paris 2024's ambition for the games is to use the knowledge and creativity of French cuisine to create more responsible eating habits in stadiums and during sports events," organisers say.

Irish Farmers' Association Limerick branch chair Sean Lavery told Newstalk Breakfast it is a business arrangement rather than a health one.

"I think it's a purely aspirational move by the Paris Olympic Committee," he said.

"They've mandated that 60% of the food provided will be meat-free; but it's really tied in with a commercial arrangement between the Olympics and a company called Garden Gourmet who are a subsidiary of Nestlé.

"The whole meat-free and meat-substitute business is struggling and Nestlé have made a big punt of convincing the organisers to supply meat-free food."

'Disenfranchising choice'

Mr Lavery said he doubts the veracity of the 60% claim for the Paris Olympics.

"In reality only about 4% of the population are vegan or non-meat eaters," he said.

"So they're actually disenfranchising choice for a massive number of competitors at the Olympics".

Happy Food at Home owner Ciara Brennan said something has to change.

"I think there's been enough studies out there, and enough documentaries, to prove that the pollution that is provided by farming with meat products [and] poultry is disgraceful," she said.

"We need to do some change for the better for this Earth."

Ms Brennan said she believes more than 4% of the population is moving towards meat-free diets.

"I believe people are shifting - whether they're shifting 100% or not - they're actually making a conscious effort to improve their health by eating more plants and more fruits," she said.

Mr Lavery said the amount of supermarket space being given over to non-meat products has fallen.

"The number of spacings for vegan food and meat substitutes have actually halved in the last two years," he said.

"The prominent companies doing meat substitutes, like Impossible Foods and all of those, they're all struggling financially.

"Beyond Meat in the first quarter of 2024 have an 18% drop revenue [and] an 16% drop in volume of products sold".

Ms Brennan said the point is about people's health rather than profits.

"It's not about greed; it's actually about moving us forward so that the next generation can actually survive and that they will have an Earth to survive on," she added.

During the two 15-day periods of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Paris 2024 will serve over 13 million meals.

https://www.newstalk.com/news/paris...usiness-1724644

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Meat Limited at Paris Olympics

If I were an Olympic athlete, I would be pissed off right now. The motto of the Paris Olympics: more French, more local, less meat. First, the good news, getting more locally produced food is fantastic, and I think it should always be a priority:

Under the Paris 2024 "Food Vision," a quarter of the food supplied to athletes must be produced less than 250 kilometers from the place of competition to reduce carbon emissions from transporting fresh produce. French produce is also prioritized, with a goal of 80% of the food provided being made in France.

However, we see another example of meat being vilified (instead of limiting, they could choose to source from local ranchers). Athletes require a high protein diet for muscle recovery, and Olympic athletes even more. Imagine the unnecessary added stress the athletes have to deal with now trying to figure out how to obtain their protein macros.

Do you think athletic performance will be the same as previous games? We'll soon find out!

https://yes2meat.substack.com/p/mea...-paris-olympics

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#2 ^

Sun, Jun-16-24, 10:44

Calianna

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Of all the lame-brained...

So only a little over 5 million of the 13 million meals will have any meat at all.

If I read it correctly, at least it doesn't sound strictly vegan, just vegetarian.

I hope they're providing tons of dairy and eggs to compensate for the lack of meat protein for the athletes.

#3 ^

Sun, Jun-16-24, 18:03

Dodger Dodger is offline

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I'm sure the athletes will pack in a lot of whey protein powder.

#4 ^

Mon, Jun-17-24, 08:43

Ms Arielle Ms Arielle is offline

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How stupid!!!! Athletes need MORE meat not less 😤.

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Mon, Jun-17-24, 10:05

doreen T doreen T is offline

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Here is the official Paris 2024 Olympics "Food Vision" booklet (pdf) .. https://medias.paris2024.org/upload...N-Eng-BDEF2.pdf

Most of these meat-free options (not necessarily 100% plant based) will be offered to the public outside of the Athletes' Village. Mostly at surrounding cafés, restaurants and kiosks serving non-athlete attendees .. spectators, media, volunteers etc. And maybe athletes who want to celebrate post-competition.

Athletes' nutrition will not be compromised. They will be offered vegetarian meals alongside meat-based meals, but those will be completely optional. Each country's Olympic team has at least one nutritionist on staff, who will ensure their athletes get exactly what they want and need for training, recovery and competition.

Quote:

THE ATHLETES’ VILLAGE, THE LARGEST RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD

The Village is where the athletes will spend much of their time and offers a unique experience. It is where they will eat, sleep, take care of themselves, prepare for competitions, recover and celebrate. In collaboration with Sodexo Live!, the Village’s catering services must, above all, meet the needs of athletes from 208 countries and regions 24/7, all while satisfying the nutritional requirements specific to each sport and aligning with diverse cultural practices. But the Village must also enable everyone, when not competing or training, to discover French cuisine, which many of them will not have an opportunity to try outside of the competition venues. At the other Villages, a similar offer will be available to ensure all the athletes access an equivalent level of service.

< snip >

ATHLETES AND THEIR TEAMS

After years of preparation, 15,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes will come to the Games, each representing one of 208 countries or regions, with the aim of winning medals and experiencing the exceptional and unique tmosphere of the Athletes’ Village. The athletes will closely study their food intake during their stay, which may last anywhere between 5 and 30 days, eating at least three meals a day. They will be looking to satisfy their specific dietary needs and follow the culinary customs of their countries and cultures while paying attention to nutrition and allergens. We will therefore focus on implementing a reliable, smooth and diverse offering that enables them to perform in the best possible conditions.

It seems much of the hype about Paris 2024 going vegan is just that .. hype, not fact

#6 ^

Mon, Jun-17-24, 10:57

Calianna

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At least it's not vegan.

And it's only the audience attendees that will be subjected to 60% meat-free vegetarian food availability.

I wonder how many attendees will go outside the area to get some real French food with real butter and real meat - I mean why would anyone go to Paris... PARIS!!! and decide Yeah sure it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to eat all the wonderful French cuisine, but I think I'll skip eating meat and just eat vegetarian while I'm here.

Last edited by Calianna : Mon, Jun-17-24 at 11:54.

#7 ^

Mon, Jun-17-24, 12:41

Demi

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Calianna

I wonder how many attendees will go outside the area to get some real French food with real butter and real meat - I mean why would anyone go to Paris... PARIS!!! and decide Yeah sure it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to eat all the wonderful French cuisine, but I think I'll skip eating meat and just eat vegetarian while I'm here.

Exactly!

I've been to Paris many times, and one of the most memorable meals I had was steak tartare when I was fourteen

#8 ^

Tue, Jun-18-24, 07:58

Ms Arielle Ms Arielle is offline

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Lol, that's about the time I first had steak tartare. Maybe it was the thing I the US at that time.

Dr Chaffee often talks about his years playing ball, and compares his performance with carbs and without. Noticeably better recovery and such on meat.