In advance of my trip, I spent time researching the allergy scene in Italy, Allergy Friendly restaurants, guidance and advice, however I could not find anything that covered all the information I wanted.
So I’d like to share my experience of traveling to Italy with food allergies in the hope that it may provide some useful information to help others with allergies and/or dietary requirements.
Before we dive in, it’s important to note that everyone’s allergies and dietary requirements are unique to them so what’s suitable for one person may not be for another with the same allergy/dietary requirement. Therefore, ensure to ask questions relevant to your dietary requirements and always speak directly with staff about your food allergies and check the ingredients before consuming food or drinks even if it’s recommended or you have had it before as recipes and ingredients can change. .
Epidemiology (the study of food allergy in the Italian population, how common it is)
I like to research the epidemiology of food allergies in the country to get an understanding of how common it is and if the food industry and public services will be familiar with dealing with food allergies.
According to Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) data obtained from sample surveys updated to 2016, allergic disease in Italy increased from 9.8% in 2010 to 10.7% in 2016 (1).
In addition, during the last 20 years in Italy, there has been a 400% increase in the number of visits to the Emergency Department (ED) due to food-induced anaphylaxis (2).
Food Labelling Laws
- European Commission Directive 2003/89/EC and 2006/142/EC
- Food Information for Consumers Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011
These laws outline the requirements on the provision of food information to consumers which includes allergen labelling of food and drink sold non-packed or prepacked for direct sale. This is to ensure that all consumers are given comprehensive ingredient listing information to make it easier for individuals with food allergies/intolerances and dietary requirements to identify ingredients they must avoid.
The regulations for pre-packed and non-prepacked foods outline a list of 14 food allergens, which must be indicated by reference to the source allergen whenever they, or ingredients made from them, are used in pre-packed foods, including alcoholic drinks. The list includes; cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, molluscs, eggs, fish, peanuts, nuts, soybeans, milk, celery, mustard, sesame, lupin and sulphur dioxide.
Therefore pre-packed and non-prepacked foods in Italy should have allergens used in the product indicated on the packaging. However this may be in Italian so use your phone to take a picture of the ingredients list and translate it using google translate.
Language: Italian
The biggest challenge of traveling with food allergies is overcoming the language barrier. Some of the staff in restaurants and cafes spoke English, however many spoke only Italian. So my Allergy Translation Card was absolutely vital in overcoming the language barrier when communicating my food allergies.
I kept my Translation Cards on my Home Screen on my mobile so I could access it quickly and easily. This was incredibly helpful for my travels!
Italian Cuisine
Many Italian menus offer vegetarian dishes and are happy to cater to specific dietary needs. Most Italian food does often contain ingredients that people are allergic to such as:
- Milk/Dairy
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts -including almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, pecans, brazil nuts
- Soy
- Wheat
- Fish
- Shellfish
Nuts:
- Many kitchens use peanut oil as cooking oil
- Many Italian baked goods contain almonds
- Avoid pesto sauces
- Avoid stuffed pastas
- Ask about ingredients in sauces, dips and dressings
- Be specific about the type of nut you are allergic when communicating and in your allergy card
- Include ‘Frutta a guscio’ in your allergy card, this translates to nuts, dried fruits, raisins, nut shells (dried fruits can often be stored in the same containers as nuts)
Milk and Dairy Allergy:
- Italian dishes can be made without dairy
- Dairy free substitutes on pasta and pizza may be used: tofu, dairy-free pesto, garlic sauce
Egg:
- Many types of pasta, meat, salad dressing, frostings, marzipan and baked goods contain egg
- Egg free substitutes: tomato sauces, egg-free pasta, fresh meat and vegetables
Accommodation
Dining out together and sharing meals is such an essential part of our social fabric- it helps us form new connections with others, experience different food cultures and enjoy our time off cooking for ourselves. However, eating out when traveling to a new area can be extremely challenging and time-consuming for individuals with dietary requirements.
Staying in accommodation with self-catering is always a safe option as you can buy and prepare allergy friendly food that is safe for you.
If self catering is not an option, consider bringing a food flask to cook food in. There’s a wide variety of food you can cook in a food flask by just adding hot water and it’s very convenient to bring on the go.For example, porridge oats for breakfast, rice/couscous/pasta etc with a sauce for lunch or dinner.
Most mornings, we cooked breakfast and prepared food for packed lunches for the day at our accommodation. Some evenings we stayed in and cooked which helped with both saving money and time searching fro an appropriate allergy friendly restaurant.
My Personal Experience
Italian cuisine is one of my favourites and one that I have found can usually accommodate my food allergies and dietary requirements.
Every time I ate out, I spoke with staff about my food allergies and presented my Allergy Translation Card in Italian which they could understand. After reviewing menus and speaking with staff, there were some places I personally did not feel comfortable eating at and had to find somewhere else.
Generally all of the staff in the restaurants were happy to accommodate me and said they could prepare dishes without nuts, however I was conscious to ask all of my questions first before making my final judgment as to whether I felt comfortable eating there even if the staff confirmed that they could remove nuts from the dishes.
When dining out, I want to find out all of the information first, regarding cooking oil, nuts used in the kitchen, sauces, dips etc and decide whether I feel the staff are educated on catering for allergies/dietary requirements by asking questions, then and only then do I make my decision to eat there to try somewhere else.
As expected in any tourist areas, often the hosts of the restaurant try to get customers in so may agree to accommodate anything without fully understanding the extent of the precautions and measures that must be taken when preparing food for individuals with allergies or dietary requirements.. So my advice is to make sure you ask all of your questions before deciding to eat out at that particular restaurant even if the staff say they can accommodate.
Here’s what I did when eating out:
In advance:
- Researched restaurants menus in advance
- Called/emailed or visited restaurants to ask if they could cater for an individual with a nut allergy and ask my list of questions
On arrival:
- Informed staff about my food allergies and presented my Allergy Translation Card
- If they could accommodate me and I felt comfortable eating there, I asked what they would recommend would not contain my allergen
- Asked what cooking oil they use
- Asked if they used nuts or peanuts in any dishes, sauces or dips
- I often order pizza because I can ask about the ingredients in the sauce and toppings and can clearly see the ingredients when my meal arrives.
- For pizza orders, specify which pizza order I want and NO extra toppings/dips/sauces e.g pesto
- I ask them to use clean equipment, gloves, utensils and a clean surface area when preparing my meal to reduce the risk of cross contact (my allergy card also states this).
- When it arrives, I confirm with staff that this was the order prepared for someone with allergies.
General precautions I take when eating out abroad:
- Avoid desserts (often Italian desserts contain almonds and other nuts)
- Avoid street food
- Look for restaurants with allergens declared on the meny
- Only order food I have eaten before
- Always check what cooking oil is used
- Always inform staff about my food allergies
- Carry safe snacks in my bag
- Carry Adrenaline Auto-injectors and Medication
- Carry Allergy Translation Card
If I didn’t feel comfortable eating at a particular restaurant, I didn’t take the risk, I found somewhere else or bought Allergy Friendly food at the supermarket.
Allergy Friendly Restaurants
There is not a standard definition for an “Allergy Friendly Restaurant/Catering Establishment”, however Allergy Act’s definition of allergy-friendly is one which:
- The restaurant is open to discussing and accommodating individuals with food allergies and dietary requirements
- The restaurant informs the customer about the necessary precautions that they will go through in order to reduce any cross contamination with potential allergens
- Allergens are declared on menu or an Allergen list provided or an Allergen notice is present on the menu stating to inform staff about allergies when ordering food
An “Allergy Friendly Restaurant/Catering Establishment” does not imply that the restaurant will be 100% free of one or more particular allergens nor does it imply that an individual with dietary requirements or food allergies will definitely not experience an adverse food reaction, because there is always a possibility of this no matter what precautions are taken.
Allergy Friendly recommendations are just a guide to what restaurants may be more willing to accommodate individuals with food allergies and/or dietary requirements. As always, it’s important to note that everyone’s allergies and dietary requirements are unique to them so what’s suitable for one person may not be for another with the same allergy/dietary requirement. Ensure to ask questions relevant to your dietary requirements and always speak directly with staff about your food allergies. Check the ingredients before consuming ANY food or drinks even if it’s recommended or you have had it before as recipes and ingredients can change.
These were restaurants that were open to discussing and accommodating my dietary requirements
VENICE
Dinner: Ristorante Caffe Saraceno in Venice
Meal: Vegetarian Pizza
Drink: Caffè Shakerato
FLORENCE
🍽Dinner: Ristorante Industria – Florence Downtown
🍕Meal: Vegetarian Pizza
🍽Dinner: Gustavino Piazza Della Signoria
🍕Meal: Vegetarian Pizza
🍧Dairy Free & Vegan Desserts: Antica Gelateria Fiorentina
ROME
🍽Dinner: Numbs
Meal: Greek Salad & fries
🍽Dinner: Le Bistro Roma
Meal: Salad
🍽Dinner: La Soffitta Renovatio
🍕Meal: Vegetarian Pizza
🍧Nut Free Dessert: Limon’e Lemon sorbet
POMPEI
🍽Dinner: Ristorante Pizzeria La Gare
🍕Meal: Vegetarian Pizza and chips
POSITANO
🍽Brunch | Lunch: La Pergola
Meal: Omelet
SORRENTO
🍽Lunch: La Villa
Meal: Grilled Vegetable Sandwich
🍽Dinner: Foreigner’s Club (Terrazza delle Sirene)
🍕Meal: Tomato Pizza
🍽Dinner: O’Paruchiano La Favorita
Meal: Salad and chips
🍽Dinner: Pizzeria Aurora
🍕Meal: Vegetarian Pizza
🍧Nut Free Dessert: Limon’e Lemon sorbet
Check out the Allergy Friendly Restaurant on allergyact.org and share your experiences about your recommendations on places you have eaten out in Italy or abroad to help guide others in the Allergy Community.
As always, it’s important to note that everyone’s allergies and dietary requirements are unique to them so what’s suitable for one person may not be for another with the same allergy/dietary requirement. Therefore, ensure to ask questions relevant to your dietary requirements and always speak directly with staff about your food allergies and check the ingredients before consuming food or drinks even if it’s recommended or you have had it before as recipes and ingredients can change.
RESOURCES
List of major allergens:
- latte (milk)
uovo (egg)
grano (wheat)
arachidi (peanut)
frutta a guscio (nut, tree nut, hazelnut, walnut, pine nut, almond, pistachio nuts)
soia (soy)
pesce (fish)
crostacei (shellfish: crustacean)
molluschi (shellfish: mollusc)
semi di sesamo (sesame’s seeds)
frutta (fruit)
verdura (vegetables)
sedano (celery)
senape (mustard)
lupini (lupins)
additivi (additives)
List of useful phrases for Italian Restaurants
—————– Feel free to download this resource and below and print at below ————–
I’m allergic to… Sono allergico a……
I’m celiac Sono Celiaco
I’m vegetarian Sono vegetariano / a
Is this made without….È senza …..
Nuts: Noci (NO-chee) g., Peanuts: Arachidi (ah-RAK-ee-dee)
Gluten: Glutine (GLOO-tee-nay)
Dairy: Latosio (lah-TOE-see-oh)
Cheese: Formaggio (for-MAH-jee-oh)
Milk: Latte (LAH-tay)
Alcohol: Bevande Alcoliche (bee-an-day al-COL-ee-kay)
Sulfates: Solfati (sol-FAH-tee)
Soy: Soia (SOY-ah)
Shell fish: Crostacei (croh-STAH-chay-ee) or Molluschi (mol-OOS-key)
Tropical Fruit: Frutta Tropicale (FROO-tah troh-pee-KAH-lay)
Wheat: Grano (GRAH-noh)
Eggs: Uovo (oo-OH-voh)
Red Meat: Carne (CAR-nay)
Chicken: Pollo (POH-loh)
Pork: Maiale (my-AH-lay)
Fish: Pesce (PEH-sheh)
- Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) Rome, Italy: ISTAT; 2018 Available from: http://demo.istat. it/bil2018/index_e.html. Accesso in data 13.12.2019.
- Nocerino R, Leone L, Cosenza L, Berni CR. Increasing rate of hospitalizations for food-induced anaphylaxis in Italian children: an analysis of the Italian Ministry of Health database. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2015;135:833–5.
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The content of this website is intended for educational purposes only and should not be substituted for medical or professional advice. Please consult with your doctor for any health related questions or concerns.
