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The Paris 2024 Olympics looks set to double the amount of plant-based food consumed compared to previous years.
The organisers of this year’s Games, which take place in the summer, are aiming to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the event by 50 percent – and that includes meals. To help achieve this goal, 33 percent of the food in the Athletes’ Village restaurant will be plant-based, along with 60 percent of the snacking offer for the general public and 50 percent of the fare for the workforce.
“Since the start of the project, we have wanted the Paris 2024 Games to be an opportunity to discover and promote a more responsible way of eating from an environmental point of view,” the president of Paris 2024, Tony Estanguet, said in a statement. “… From athletes, volunteers and collaborators to spectators and media, everyone will be able to experiment with a more plant-based diet during the Games.”
A step in the right direction
In total, some 13 million meals will be served during the course of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. While we don’t yet know how many of these will be vegan rather than vegetarian, with the menus still being finalized, the news is being viewed as a significant step forward in traditionally meat-mad France.
At the heart of the plant-based food provision will be the Nestlé-owned Garden Gourmet – one of the French leaders in the field – which will offer its products to everyone from athletes and spectators to staff.
As well as its vegetarian fare, the company’s existing range features several fully vegan options, including burgers, falafels, nuggets, fillets, and plant-based “tuna.” So, we wait to see if any of these make it onto the final Olympic menus.
“Garden Gourmet being an official supporter of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is a significant achievement,” Marco Zanchi, head of Food France – Garden Gourmet, told Plant Based News (PBN). “This partnership is not only a great platform to promote plant-based products but also aims to encourage the adoption of a more plant-based and sustainable diet.”
How veganism is growing in the French capital
While France has not exactly been renowned in the past for its vegan provision, things at least seem to be heading in the right direction – certainly in the French capital at any rate.
According to the vegan and vegetarian discovery platform HappyCow, for instance, its overall number of listings for Paris has grown to 1,000 now – compared with 894 in 2022. Furthermore, the number of fully vegan restaurants in the city has increased to 92 – against 88 in 2022.
Similarly, the number of vegan businesses (including shops, bakeries, cafés, B&Bs etc) is now at 160 – versus 150 in 2022. “Veganism is widely accepted in Paris, and people can freely express their dietary choice,” Ken Spector of HappyCow told PBN. “A number of regular restaurants offer vegan options, and in addition to all-vegan grocery, clothing/accessories, and cosmetic stores, mainstream supermarkets carry a variety of vegan products. High-end restaurants in the city are increasingly adapting to accommodate vegans too.”
