Why dietary inclusion matters for Bristol’s food future 

Our latest blog comes from Clare MacKay, one of the new Directors of Bristol Food Network, who shares her fascinating journey from working in food and events in Scotland and London to researching how dietary requirements affect attendees’ experiences at outdoor events — and why this matters for making Bristol’s food culture more inclusive and sustainable.  

Hello citizens of Bristol, 

I’m a Senior Lecturer in Events Management at UWE, and it feels a bit like my career has come full circle now that I’m back working in the food space… 

Before my career in Higher Education, I worked in catering and food and beverage service in cafes, hotels and bars on the tourist-oriented Isle of Arran in Scotland, where I grew up, and at corporate events in London.  I’ve been on the STV series Scotland’s Larder making oatcakes at Wooley’s of Arran, I’ve worked in food retail within a large co-operative enterprise, and for Glasgow City Council/Culture and Sport Glasgow’s (now Glasgow Life) Events Section, where I was predominantly responsible for liaising with the food vendors catering for attendees at the city’s major events. 

As an Entertainment and Events Management student, I became interested in culture-led regeneration, and I have taught sustainable events management throughout my twelve years in Higher Education; I’m a trained Assessor for the international not-for-profit association A Greener Future; I’ve co-authored book chapters on sustainable events management; and I’ve conducted research on the effectiveness of Bristol-based festival Boomtown Fair’s climate action. 

My struggle to eat safely outside of the home 

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with Barrett’s Oesophagus, which meant making significant changes to my diet. The challenges I face when trying to eat according to my dietary requirements outside the home sparked a determination to make a difference, and I knew that there was a dearth of research on the topic within my subject area. This led to my colleague Dr Ed Little and I securing funding from the Association for Events Management Education to conduct research on the experiences of UK outdoor events attendees with dietary requirements.

Medical, religious and lifestyle dietary requirements 

We conducted focus groups and interviews with outdoor events attendees with dietary requirements for medical, religious and lifestyle reasons. This informed the development of a UK-wide survey.   

Risk-induced anxiety 

Our research revealed that attendees with dietary requirements experience anxiety before, during, and after outdoor events because of the risks they face. These include the possibility of cross-contamination, the prospect of going hungry when no suitable food is available for them to eat, and the stigma they may encounter from food vendors and fellow attendees when trying to confirm whether they can eat the food available. Attendees with invisible illnesses also worry about gaining timely access to sanitary provision and report experiencing stigma from stewards when using the accessible toilets provided. 

Coping 

To try to mitigate their risk and anxiety, UK outdoor events attendees with dietary requirements implement various coping mechanisms before and during outdoor events. These include conducting research before the event to ascertain if their dietary requirements will be met and engaging in an extensive purchasing procedure at the event.   

Avoidance 

Alternatively, attendees avoid eating at the event which can lead to them having to leave early due to hunger or they opt not to attend.   

Inequality negatively affects wellbeing 

The coping strategies that attendees with dietary requirements must adopt and the inequality of their experience in comparison to attendees who do not have dietary requirements makes them feel sad and frustrated.   

Let’s work together to make Bristol’s food more inclusive and sustainable 

With greater consideration from events organisers and caterers, the negative impacts on the wellbeing of outdoor events attendees with dietary requirements could be mitigated. 

Since completing our research, we’ve met with Bristol-based events and festival organisers and Public Health officials to discuss changes that can be made to make Bristol’s outdoor events and indoor catering more inclusive for attendees with dietary requirements, and in turn, increase the revenue of events organisers, food vendors, and catering establishments.  As a Director of Bristol Food Network, I’m looking forward to contributing my expertise in this area – and my wider knowledge of sustainability, and experience in the food and events industries – to the impactful work already being done in this Gold Sustainable Food City.   

I’m really looking forward to working with everyone in the Bristol Food Network – and any organisations and volunteers who want to start working with us – to make food in Bristol even more sustainable through Bristol Good Food 2030’s action plans. 

Learn what you can do to contribute to positive change 

If you’re an events organiser and you would like to learn how you can enhance the experiences of outdoor events attendees with dietary requirements, register now to attend our online event on Monday 22 September at 10am. 

Get involved with Bristol Good Food 2030 

If you’d like to volunteer for Bristol Good Food 2030 or discuss how your organisation can contribute to Bristol Good Food 2030’s action plans, please get in touch. 

To stay updated on future events, job opportunities and news, don’t forget to sign up for the Bristol Good Food Update at bristolgoodfood.org/newsletter.