Red, Green, and Blue

The Denver host committee for the Democratic National Convention has softened requirements in a document that called for caterers to be “lean and green.” Amid criticisms that the requirements were too stringent and downright peculiar, officials are now calling the 12 stipulations laid out in a May Request for Proposal to caterers only “guidelines.”

The May request asked caterers to make “every effort” to accomplish healthy goals and called for:

• Three-colored meals selected from the following palette: red, green, yellow, purple and white.
• No fried foods.Half of the plate should belong to fruits and vegetables.
• The use of 70 percent organic or Colorado-grown ingredients.

Now, the Host Committee has issued a clarification called “Friction Fuels Frivolous Food Fight” to allay criticism and stop the spread of “misinformation.”

NO FOOD SERVICE ESTABLISHMENT OR BUSINESS IS BEING TOLD WHAT TO SERVE: If a restaurant or caterer chooses to voluntarily serve a designated “Lean ‘N Green” meal option, that particular meal option would obviously not be fried. However, fried foods are in no way banned from local restaurants or caterers participating in Convention-related events.

LOCAL RESTAURANTS AND CATERERS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO INCLUDE AT LEAST THREE DIFFERENT COLORS IN EVERY MEAL: If a restaurant or caterer chooses to voluntarily serve a designated “Lean ‘N Green” meal option, that particular option would include fruits and vegetables from different color groups - a key component of healthy eating. However, there are no “color requirements” for every meal served by local restaurants and caterers.

LOCAL RESTAURANTS AND CATERERS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO SERVE ORGANIC OR LOCALLY-GROWN FOOD FOR EVERY MEAL:  If a restaurant or caterer chooses to voluntarily serve a designated “Lean ‘N Green” meal option, that particular option would include organic or locally-grown ingredients. However, these goals do not extend to every meal served by local restaurants and caterers.

THE HOST COMMITTEE CATERING VENDOR REQUESTS FOR PROPOSAL DOES NOT INCLUDE 28 PAGES OF GREEN REQUIREMENTS: While the RFP itself was 28 pages long, less than a paragraph describes the components of a voluntarily-designated “Lean ‘N Green” meal.

Other Posts on Greening the Campaign:

• “Dems Aim to Leave Green Legacy in Denver”
• “My Party’s Convention is Greeer than Yours”
• “The John McCain 100% Organic Cotton ‘Onesie?’”

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