Ten tips for eating out with food allergy

There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of an allergic reaction when eating out.  In addition to always carrying your adrenaline (epinephrine) injector (if prescribed) and ASCIA Action Plan, below are ten tips to help reduce the risk of an allergic reaction.

1. When eating out: Always Ask; Always Tell

When eating food others have prepared for you, always tell them about your food allergies and always ask about ingredients and food preparation.

2. Check out the menu beforehand

Looking at the menu on the restaurant website before you go will give you more information about the food choices at the restaurant. The menu can also help give you information on how much of your allergen might be used in the kitchen.  Be sure to look at the menu again when you arrive in case it is different.

3. Contact the restaurant or café before you go there

Speaking with the chef or manager about your food allergy before you get to the restaurant gives them a chance to prepare allergen-free meal options. Speaking with them also gives you more information on food safety and helps you decide on whether you would like to eat there.

4. Avoid high risk restaurants or cafes

Some restaurants may use a lot of the food that you’re allergic to, making the chance of cross-contamination higher. For example, if you have a fish/crustacean/mollusc allergy, eating at a seafood restaurant would be a high risk. For those with peanut or tree nut allergy, eating at Asian and Indian restaurants would be high risk. Buffet restaurants and food displays in takeaway food venues are high risk for cross-contamination too.

5. Choose a less busy time

At usual mealtimes (especially lunch and dinner), restaurant and café staff are often very busy, and mistakes are more likely to be made. If you can, try to eat out on a less busy day, at a less busy time when staff are more able to speak with you and prepare a meal free of your allergen(s).

6. When ordering food, always ask, always tell.

Always tell food service staff taking your food order about your food allergy. Always ask about food ingredients, every time, even if you are using a QR code ordering system or are eating at a restaurant where you have eaten the same meal safely before. The chef may be different or ingredients in the dish may have changed.

7. Use an A&AA Chef Card

List the allergen/s you must avoid on the Chef Card. Give it to the person taking your order after you have told them about your food allergy and asked about the ingredients. Ask wait staff to give the Chef Card to the chef, so they have it while preparing your food, and ask for the card to be returned with your meal.  Download yours now.

When your meal is served, check with the staff member that it is the meal you ordered and that it does not contain the food you are allergic to.

8. Know the foods that often contain the food you are allergic to

Allergens can be hidden in meals. Do not think that because an allergen is not listed on the menu, it is not in the food. Allergens do not have to be listed on the menu. Even if allergens are listed on the menu, don’t trust the information is correct. Always tell food service staff about your allergy when ordering food.

Some foods usually contain common allergens as ingredients. For example, hummus contains sesame, pie crusts can contain peanuts or tree nuts, pastries can be glazed with milk or egg, and salads can contain wheat, egg, peanuts and tree nuts. Mongolian lamb sometimes contains peanut and butter chicken sometimes contains cashew. Beware that vegan food sometimes contains small amounts of egg and dairy.

Consider ordering simply prepared dishes with only a few ingredients.

Download our free Food Allergen Cards. They list foods that allergens are commonly found in. The Food Allergen Cards are not a complete list of ingredients and foods to avoid but are intended as helpful aids for living with food allergies.

9.  Avoid sharing food or swapping seats

Do not try someone else’s food. Do not share straws, cups or knives, forks, or spoons to avoid possible cross contamination.

Stay in the same seat once you have ordered your food. This helps to make sure that you are given the meal you ordered.

10. Takeaway and delivery apps

If you are ordering food online or through a food delivery app, record your food allergy on the website or the app when you order your food and drink.

Once the meal order is made online, call the restaurant by phone and tell them:

• You have a food allergy to ……….
• The app you are ordering the food through
• The meal order reference number if one is available
• Name of the person that placed the order
• Phone number of the person that placed the order
• What time the order was placed
• The name of the meal ordered by the person with food allergy
• The meal needs to be free of the allergen/s that have been listed online and over the phone
• To pack your meal order separately to other meals on the order to avoid cross-contamination during transport
• To label the food or drink you ordered with your name and the name of the food. For example, chicken curry or soy smoothie

REMEMBER!

• Don’t eat or drink unless you have your adrenaline injector and ASCIA Action Plan with you.
• If you are eating or drinking with family or friends, show them where they can find your adrenaline injector and show them how to use it. They can use your ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis to help recognise signs and symptoms and then follow instructions on what to do.
• If you think you are having an allergic reaction, STOP eating and use your ASCIA Action Plan to help you manage the allergic reaction. If you are not able to follow what the ASCIA Action Plan, ask those with you to help you.