Allergens, why they’re important

Foods like milk, fish, peanuts and eggs can cause allergic reactions in some people. In rare, extreme cases this reaction can result in death. So, with around 1 in 4 food allergen sufferers reporting that they’ve had an adverse reaction when eating out, it’s vital that clear and accurate advice is available to your customers.

A panel of experts from across the food and hospitality industries have highlighted the best practices to follow and some key areas to focus on.

Training

• Make sure the training you provide for your staff is relevant to the food you are serving and the processes you are following.
• Provide refresher training. When new items are introduced to your menu, training on how to put this food together should always include allergens
• Menu briefings should always consider allergy management. Keep the subject in the forefront of your teams’ minds at all times

Ensuring that information is always correct

• Work with your food suppliers and conduct regular checks. Make sure you know the food and ingredients that goes in to your menu

Help your customers

• Make sure that allergen orders are treated with absolute care. Busy kitchen teams can easily miss special instructions so good handling practice of orders is essential. When staff take orders from allergenic customers,make sure they know to follow the order into the kitchen and notify the back of house team
• See that staff understand the importance of checking the allergen content of dishes with their staff and managers each and every time they get a query
• Ensure that there are no barriers to customers communicating their allergies

Can technology help?

There are many solutions that can help manage your allergen information. Some work directly with the food manufacturers. Product specifications are pre-loaded, allowing you to build your recipes within the system. Others are simpler, and require you to add in all your ingredients before producing information regarding allergen content.

Remember! Always keep allergens high on your list of priorities