Stopped from taking food onto field holding Oyympic Torch event - what about food stalls?

[baptiste]

Not sure if this is the correct forum, or if this question is suitable for CAG at all really, I think it's consumer related, but apologies if I have got it wrong.

 

I recently attended the Olympic Torch event in Lincoln, it was a free event but required tickets, the tickets stated 'no alcohol or picnicks'. However when we got there I was hauled aside when a 'bouncer' spotted my co-op bag and claimed he was giving me a 'random bag check' (it was obvious I was targeted due to the bag).

 

He took a look inside and stated that no food was allowed on the field and that I had to move to the side and consume it there and then or not be allowed in.

 

What followed was a quite predictable arguement from the jobsworth who couldn't provide any better answer than 'because it's not allowed'.

 

But, there were food stalls all around the field! So, people were being stopped from taking food in presumably so that the stalls would get more custom. The field is owned by Lincoln City Council, and I wonder if someone could tell me if these people had any right to do this?

[dx100uk]

doubt it

 

complain to the council

 

dx

[raydetinu]

I think this is true of all the Olympic avents in London, no food/drink is allowed to be taken in.

And that applies to the Official torch events as well.

been well publisced.

[baptiste]

I got an email back from the council, with a frank admission that 'as Coca-Cola are the official partners of the Olympics, we had to ensure there was no contending branding on show at the event', is that a valid reason for a council?

 

This doesn't seem right to me, should a public body pander to a private corporation in this way, on city council land?

[blitz]

Quite simply LOCOG dictates the rules and you do not argue with them. Don't forget you can ONLY pay by plastic if its a Visa card in the Olympic venues, I think that trumps any food / branding issues.

[baptiste]

But this took place on council land, not an Olympic venue.

[raydetinu]

May be Council land but the organiser is LOCOG and they run it, probably paid the council a fee.

[assisted blonde]

If an individual or company are leasing/renting council land they can impose their own restrictions on it.

[baptiste]

Many thanks for all the replies, it looks like I don't have an argument then.

 

I don't like the fact that my freedom of choice was being, quite aggressively, limited, still at least corporations like coke don't have control over anything important, like our health....

[dpick]

I think that the only way you could argue with this is if like myself you are say diabetic and need to know exactly what is in the food you eat or say allergy to peanuts etc then to my way of thinking disability discrimination etc.

 

dpick

[assisted blonde]

You could try the allergy route but in view of the time spent at the venue they may say well dont eat then, although if diabetic I would have thought that it would be ok to have some chocolate or somthing in your pocket, they wouldnt really know if you did.