An open dialogue is vital between the consumer and the restaurant staff, manufacturer or retailer providing a food product, when dealing with food allergies.
In restaurants, menus can change, ingredients can change or be sourced from different companies. Manufacturing defects and cross-contact can occur during food preparation and there can be errors in disclosure of allergy information or labeling. Food manufacturing companies may create a “Limited Edition” product made up of ingredients sourced from different suppliers than their original ingredients were sourced from. These changes have the potential to introduce unexpected allergens.
Cross contact with allergens can occur during food preparation at busy restaurants or cafes
If contacting the restaurant before dining, call between meal periods;do not call during peak breakfast, lunch or dinner hours. Outside of peak hours staff can spend more time talking with you. If no one is available to talk, ask for the manager or chef’s name and the best time to call back. Be ready with a list of questions.
There may not be a specific area to prepare allergen free food
For example, an egg allergic individual may ask whether a salad is available egg free, to which the staff may say yes and just remove the egg from an already assembled salad. Or make a salad without egg using the same gloves, chopping board and utensils they used when preparing the salads with egg.
Be clear about your allergies stating that the allergen cannot be near your dish in preparation
Food allergen risks may also arise from gaps in communicating allergen information due to lack of staff knowledge, failure to establish where hidden allergens could be found or failure to disclose allergen information accurately on the menu.
If visiting the restaurant for the first time, ask to speak with the manager about their allergy policy before ordering. Ask open-ended questions where the staff must seek out the correct answer on site from the chef instead of yes/no answers.
Here’s a few example questions you could ask:
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Inform staff about your food allergy and ask if it’s something their restaurant can accommodate.
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What is the policy for managing food allergies and preventing cross-contact in the kitchen?
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Is there a separate area to prepare food for customers with dietary requirements?
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Is there separate equipment such as chopping boards and utensils to prepare my meal with? This may be color-coded tools for safe food preparation for people with food allergies.
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Can I look at ingredient labels…of the sauce/dressing/spices?
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Inform staff what dish you are interested in and ask them if they would recommend it for someone with allergies. Take into consideration how it is prepared in the kitchen.
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Ask if the chef can modify a particular dish to accommodate customers with allergies?
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What type of oil is used in the kitchen? Are all foods cooked in the same oil?
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If the dish is cooked on the grill, could the grill be cleaned in advance or could my order be cooked in a different spot, on tinfoil or in a pan?
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Is the chef aware of hidden names for allergens? It is advised to keep a card with you displaying all the possible names for your allergen and show it to staff and chefs. Also inform staff of hidden places for your allergen that they may be unaware of, for example nuts in dips/sauces, gluten in certain soy sauces.
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When food arrives, confirm with staff that your dish was made separate due to food allergies.
Questions at a Counter-Service venue:
Would you mind changing your gloves, using fresh utensils and/or a fresh container of —?
Questions for a Food Manufacturer:
All food products should present appropriate allergen information however if you are unsure about a product, get in contact with the food manufacturers by email or phone.
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Does this product contain any traces of ….?
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Does the facility produce any products containing the allergen ….?
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Are the ingredients sourced from an allergen free supplier?
When speaking with staff, listen to their tone of voice. If they sound annoyed or confused by your questions, then they may not be very accommodating.
Eating out should be an enjoyable experience and shouldn’t make you feel worried or anxious, if you ask the right questions and get the right answers hopefully you’ll will have a relaxed dining out experience.
This is not a complete list of all of the questions you could ask, we will continue to add to it through your recommendations so let us know what other questions you would ask in the comments below or through our social media pages.
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