"Discrimination means treating a person unfairly because of who they are, because they possess certain characteristics and/or because they hold certain beliefs. Did you know that this can happen to employees who eat a specific way? The term “diet-ism” — prejudice, stereotyping or discrimination, against people and their unique food choices — while introduced in 2015 as a joke among friends is actually a reality for thousands of people across the country. Consider an employee smearing peanut butter on a colleague’s desk who has a peanut allergy, refusing an employee’s request for a type of food for religious reasons at a company meeting or an employee losing three weeks of work due to food allergic reactions she had in workplace after sharing her allergy to her boss and human resources. Employees with special dietary needs — food allergies, medically-necessary diets, lifestyle choices, religious beliefs — are often bullied, harassed or excluded in the workplace because of their needs and/or their beliefs. As a human resources professional, you have a duty of care to ensure all employees, customers and vendors are kept safe and not discriminated against in the workplace. In this interactive presentation, we will share research, public policy, statistics, real world stories and visuals to illustrate impacts on food discrimination, provide a basic understanding of how to create workplace environments that protect individuals with dietary needs, and offer guidance on how to create inclusive food and beverage environments for all company stakeholders. By the conclusion, the presentation will change how listeners think about food allergies and restrictions, rethinking what it means to feed people in the workplace."