Sodexo Peru is the official food services provider for the more than 10 thousand athletes competing in the Lima 2019 Games. They will be located in the Pan American and Parapan American Village, as well as at the Peruvian Naval Academy Village. They will serve, in total, over 800 thousand food rations during the Games.

The level of service for athlete meals aims to provide safe food with the highest standards of quality and health, thus ensuring an efficient operation.

Additionally, companies Aramburú and Gate Gourmet will be in charge of food services at the satellite villages and the competition and training venues, respectively. Sodexo will serve 373,322 food rations in the Pan American and Parapan American Village. While Gate Gourmet will serve 378,869 and Aramburú 53,058 (satellite villages) and 14,220 food rations (ceremonies).

To announce it, an agreement was signed and there was an official presentation of the menu and the Peruvian food that will be provided during the most important sports event of the continent. Carlos Neuhaus, president of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee; Alberto Valenzuela, Lima 2019 Operations manager; Juan Antonio Silva, Lima 2019 Communications, Commercial and Marketing manager; Alfonso de los Heros, Sodexo Peru country president; and Edgardo Oliva, Sodexo Corporate Services Segment CEO were present at this event.

“Peru is a gastronomic power and we are going to prove it. However, on behalf of Lima 2019, I must mention the importance of having strategic partners that will support the high expectations we have at all levels of the service we will be providing for the athletes. Lima will not only be the epicenter of sports in America but, with strategic allies like Sodexo, will attract international attention,” assured Valenzuela.

De los Heros reconfirmed Sodexo’s commitment to excellence with the service it will provide during Lima 2019.

“Let there be no doubt that we will do our best for the country at these Games. This is a historic and extraordinary event that must unite Peruvians. It will truly show the best of all of us and all we can offer in terms of gastronomy and service. We are going to make Peru proud.”

Furthermore, Oliva provided some impressive data regarding the massive dimensions and logistical challenge of such an event. For example, the kitchen and dining hall of the Pan American and Parapan American Village will be the size of a football stadium and a half.

“We will reach peaks of 24 thousand food rations a day. Logistically, it’s quite a challenge. Some fun facts: the amount of mozzarella cheese that will be used will equal the size and weight of four Volkswagen beetles. Furthermore, the amount of spaghetti could cover the distance between Lima and Machu Picchu, there and back. The weight of all the rice we will use will be equal to the weight of the 200 workers who will be in the kitchen. And, if we consider that a hen lays one egg a day, we would need 1264 years for all the eggs that will be used during those 55 days.”

Sodexo is internationally recognized as the leading company in providing high-quality services for major sports events, such as the Dakar Rally, Tour de France, Roland Garros, etc. This company was also in charge of providing food and beverage services at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, as well as the London 2012 Olympics.

They will provide the following services for Lima 2019: food, beverages and ice. Food service will be for athletes and officials, as well as Games Family, judges, referees, workforce, volunteers, and local and international press.

In total, Sodexo will serve more than 6212 athletes and officials, as well as 1875 volunteers during the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. During the Parapan American Games, it will serve 2954 athletes. For this reason, the company will allocate a team of 300 highly trained professionals who will offer the highest quality full-time service.

Typical Dishes

Sodexo will offer an international menu, but it will focus on promoting Peruvian gastronomy. To do so, it will work for hand in hand with local suppliers and the outstanding chef Aldo Cardini, recognized Peruvian food specialist.

During the Games, the menu items will be displayed daily in a visible place. The dining hall will have six different schedules every day. Some of the typical dishes offered will be papa rellena, ceviche, tamales, lomo saltado, ají de gallina, arroz con leche, mazamorra, etc.

There will be a food option called “Lima, a fusion of flavors and emotions” comprising four different stations: “Lima Culinary Tour” (typical Peruvian dishes), “Pizza and Pasta Street” (pasta and pizza), “Downtown Grill” (typical American food) and “Inka Bio Market” (variety of fruits and vegetables).

Food Safety and Health

Since we will be welcoming top-level athletes, our mission is to serve safe food, with the highest standards of quality and health to ensure their best professional performance.

For this reason, alcohol, coca tea, maca, or any other natural energizing food will not be used in meal preparations. Infusions will be provided in sealed packages to avoid any manipulation or intentional contamination. Sodexo is also analyzing the quality of the beef that they will use to prepare meals, to verify its anabolic steroid content.

The aim is to identify, mitigate and monitor potential sources of intentional food contamination. There will be food safety contingency plans and a procedure for responding to suspected foodborne illness.

Meanwhile, we will try to reduce the negative impact on the environment by using more than three million biodegradable and compostable paper pulp items.

About Lima 2019

The opening ceremony of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games will be held at the National Stadium on July 26, 2019. This continental event will gather 6680 athletes from 41 countries and delegations from the Americas.

There will be 17 days of competitions and ceremonies, between July 26 and August 11, 2019, which will take place in 14 districts of Lima and Callao at various venues like VIDENA, Villa María Sports Center, Callao Regional Village, Villa El Salvador Sports Center, Punta Rocas, among others.

The Lima 2019 Pan American Games will include 39 sports and 61 disciplines, in which athletes will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals. A total of 22 disciplines are qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The Parapan American Games will gather 1890 Para athletes from 33 countries, participating in 17 sports and 18 disciplines. Competitions will take place from August 23 to September 1, 2019. Thirteen sports will be qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

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