Chara Scroope
June 13, 2025
Contents
When it comes to workplace functions and events, catering is often one of the most important elements to organise. In an increasingly religiously diverse society, it’s likely that your workplace has people who identify with a variety of religious or spiritual traditions.
Workplaces can foster a more inclusive environment through careful and attentive planning of functions that cater to dietary requirements. In this article, we give you some of the basics you need to know about religious diets and common dietary preferences, as well as how the time and date of your event are important to inclusive catering.
Different religious traditions have diverse practices and customs around preparing, serving and consuming food and drinks. Multiple factors influence dietary choices, such as personal preferences, community expectations, religious obligations and ethical considerations. Let’s have a look at some examples.
In many Buddhist traditions, there are no strict prescribed dietary requirements. However, vegetarian diets are often encouraged and praised. There are also times throughout the year when many Buddhists will temporarily follow a vegetarian diet. The avoidance of meat is usually due to the belief that a vegetarian diet can be inferred from Buddhist teachings and ethical principles.
Another example is in Hinduism. Again, there are no strict prescribed dietary requirements though certain ethical principles and cultural expectations often inform dietary choices. Yet many Hindus tend to avoid certain types of meat, especially beef. Others may strictly avoid all meat (including egg yolks). Diary is often highly encouraged, meaning many follow a lacto-vegetarian diet.
In some religious traditions, food preparation is an important aspect of determining what someone eats and how they source their food. In these cases, incorrectly prepared and sourced food means that the food is not appropriate or acceptable for consumption. Two religious traditions where food preparation is particularly important are Judaism and Islam.
In Jewish thought, there is a general distinction between kosher (‘appropriate’) foods and terefah (‘forbidden’) foods. There are some foods that are inherently kosher, such as sheep or goats. Meanwhile, there are foods that are inherently forbidden, such as pigs.
In some cases, animals must be slaughtered and prepared following a prescribed method in order to be kosher. Failing to do so means the food is classified as forbidden. For example, one of the main preparatory requirements is the strict separation of all dairy from meat products. Some people will avoid meals containing both dairy and meat mixed together. Others may also wait several hours after eating a meat dish before consuming dairy to ensure there is no mixing of the two in the stomach.
Similar to Judaism, Islam also holds a general distinction between foods that are halal (‘allowed’) and foods that are haram (‘forbidden’) for consumption. All foods and drinks are halal except for specific instances where the item is classified as forbidden. Examples of foods and drinks that are forbidden are:
It is important to note that kosher and halal are styles of cooking. For example, Chinese dishes can be kosher or halal if it is prepared in the appropriate manner. Similarly, Middle Eastern cuisine may be not kosher or not halal if they are not prepared in the appropriate manner.
There are a variety of views on the topic of alcohol and its consumption across the world’s many religions. In some religious and spiritual traditions, alcohol is used for ritual purposes. For example, red wine is used by many Christian traditions such as the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Roman Catholic Church during the ritual known as the Eucharist. Similarly in Judaism, wine may be used and consumed during certain rituals or to commemorate festivals.
Views on alcohol consumption outside of ritual contexts vary. For instance, some churches and traditions from Protestant Christianity accept moderate alcohol consumption, while others encourage completely abstaining from alcohol. In some religions, consumption of alcohol is often discouraged or avoided on the basis of its effects on a person’s mental state (known as psychotropic effects). Such religions include Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism.
Ultimately, there is no universal rule when it comes to religion and alcohol. Alcohol consumption is a personal choice, and the religiously informed reasons behind why someone may choose to avoid drinking alcohol vary between traditions and individuals.
It is important to take these beliefs into consideration if planning a function that offers alcohol. Having alcohol as the centrepiece activity of an event can potentially exclude those who choose not to drink. Ensure there are multiple non-alcoholic options available that are well advertised. Also, consider having separate areas for serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Religious dietary practices can also be influenced by the time of year. The most common practice is fasting. For example, the Islamic month of Ramadan is dedicated as a time for Muslims who are physically and mentally fit to participate in a month-long fast. Over this month, Muslims abstain from food and drink along with other activities during the hours between dawn and dusk. The fast is usually broken at sunset with a meal shared with family, friends or the local Muslim community.
Another example is in Christianity. Some Christians choose to fast during some or all of the forty days leading up to Easter, known as Lent. Those who fast typically avoid meat, dairy products and eggs. Some Christians may also fast at different times of the year as a personal choice to intensify their spiritual practice.
Thus, it’s important to consider the time of day and year a catered event is held. Failing to do so means that some people may unintentionally be excluded from eating at functions, which can be an alienating experience for staff and visitors.
Planning and catering for workplace functions can be tricky. We’ve developed comprehensive profiles that include detailed information on different religious dietary and fasting practices. It’s free to access by subscribing to Mosaica Essentials.