Organizers at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo served more than 10,000 meals daily across the athletes’ villages. Kitchens are set to deliver up to 4,500 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners in the Milan village, nearly 4,000 in Cortina, and 2,300 in Predazzo, according to Reuters.
Andrea Varnier, CEO of the Milano Cortina Games, said the volume matched the needs of young competitors and the energy demands of elite sport. He illustrated the scale with an image: stacked meal trays would reach roughly 60 km, about 18 times the height of Mount Tofana, according to The Straits Times.
Menus were planned over about a year to meet varied nutritional needs. Options include high-carbohydrate, high-protein, vegetarian, halal, and gluten-free selections. Daily consumption ran to around 60 kg of Grana Padano cheese, 365 kg of pasta, 10,000 eggs, 8,000 coffees, and 12,000 pizza slices, totalling around 1,800 meters in length. Food service tracked training and competition schedules as well as cultural preferences. Games chairman Giovanni Malagò said the offerings won broad approval for taste and quality, not just volume.
Varnier said the high catering throughput reflected winter sports’ metabolic demands and the youth of the competitors. The design emphasized choice and customization. A speed skater could opt for quick-burning carbohydrates. A ski mountaineer could replenish protein after altitude training. A figure skater could select gluten-free fare.
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