Content created October 2019. Content updated September 2024.
The challenge of eating out with a food allergy can be a stressful experience. With a little planning and some clear communication, the risk of an allergic reaction when eating out can be reduced.
See Maria Said, CEO, Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia, Alan Edwards, Senior Food Incident Response & Complaints Co-ordinator, NSW Department of Primary Industries, and Justin Wurth, former Food Safety Manager from International Convention Centre Sydney in a panel discussion talking all things food service and food allergy.
Webinar Details
Webinar recorded: October 2019
Eating out with Food Allergies
Post Webinar Q&A
THESE QUESTIONS ARE BASED ON QUESTIONS ASKED ONLINE
Asking for a guarantee…
If you ask whether a food has an allergen at a cafe and they say “we don’t know as it’s ordered in”, is that meeting regulations/food standards?
No. Information about the allergens in a food – the 10 ‘usual suspects’ – has to be passed on by the supplier of the food to the retailer and the retailer must then either:
- display that information in connection with the display of the food; or
- provide the information to the purchaser on request.
[Standard 1.2.1—9 (6)]
Hint – Some people ask “Where did you get these lovely cakes from? I have a severe allergy, did they give you a list of allergens I can check?”
Declaring your food allergy…
What if I’m allergic to something that isn’t one of the allergens that must be declared by law?
There are two legal requirements that cover this situation and they apply across Australia. You’ll find them in the food laws that apply in your local area:
- Restaurant staff must give you what you ask for.
Sale of food not complying with purchaser’s demand
A person must not ….. supply food … if the food is not of the nature or substance demanded by the purchaser.
So, if you ask for a meal without, capsicum for example, you should get a capsicum free meal.
- The advice given must be accurate.
False description of food
A person must not cause food intended for sale to be falsely described if the person ought reasonably to know that a consumer of the food who relies on the description is likely to suffer physical harm.
So, if you ask “Does this meal contain capsicum?” for example, you should get an accurate answer.
Do the allergens need to be written on the menu?
No, but if allergen information is written on a menu it must be accurate. A&AA does not support allergens being written on menus because this practice discourages people from disclosing their allergy and having a discussion with food service staff. It is best practice to always disclose your allergy verbally and if possible, hand over an A&AA chef card. It is also best practice for the waitstaff to write down your allergen on the docket for the chef.
Sometimes when I inform the waitstaff of allergies, they might say for example, ‘We do not have peanuts in this meal but we cannot guarantee cross contamination’…..what can be done in those situations?
Food businesses do not have to guarantee a meal is free from an allergen. If the restaurant orders ingredients from different suppliers and uses your allergen in the kitchen they may not be able to guarantee that cross contact/cross contamination has not occurred. What the restaurant should do is ensure that your meal does not include your allergen and that only clean/washed (hot soapy water) food preparation equipment and surfaces are used to minimise the risk of cross contact.
Can I be refused service because a restaurant isn’t willing to accommodate an allergy? And if so, can I also be refused the option to bring in my own safe meal (that doesn’t require any interaction from them) to consume on site? Not sure what the rights are around this.
From a ‘Food Law’ perspective this is not an offence. There certainly may be circumstances where this might amount to a breach of other laws – discrimination legislation for example, particularly where you are prevented from bringing in your own food – but whether that is the case will depend on a detailed analysis of the incident. Maybe a question for your local anti-discrimination regulator. Visit the NSW site.
What is the best way to tell wait staff about my allergies?
One of the best ways to tell staff about your allergies is tell them that you have an allergy and to hand over the A&AA chef card when you are ordering (and ask for it to come back with your meal). It is always better to be specific and tell the wait staff that you have an allergy to xyz rather than to ask if something has your xyz in it.
Cross contamination…
Can you tell me about highly refined oils such as soy or peanut? Are people generally allergic to these?
The Australasian Society for Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) and Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia (A&AA) advises avoidance of peanut oil (cold pressed, expelled or extruded) if you are peanut allergic. Refined peanut oils (not cold-pressed), have been shown to be safe in small studies, but It is difficult to guarantee that an oil is sufficiently refined to remove all peanut protein, which is the trigger for allergic reactions. Little research has been done to prove safety of other nut oils. ASCIA advises that most people with a soy allergy can safely eat soy bean oil. It is a good idea to have a discussion with your allergist about your personal situation.
Would it be practical to use dedicated kitchen aids, blenders etc when it comes to preparing meals for someone with an allergy?
Justin from ICC Sydney: responded that “It would be great for kitchens to have dedicated equipment for those with allergens but with there being so many different allergies it would be impossible to manage this. At ICC Sydney we instead have a dedicated preparation area for allergen meals. We are fortunate that we have the space however, this is not something all venues or restaurants would be able to implement. Even with a dedicated area, the key to minimising the risks of cross-contamination is ensuring the correct hygiene processes are in place. We have a number of processes, policies and systems that we implement to ensure we reduce the risk as much as possible for our guests.”
Cost to food establishments…
I understand that catering for people with food allergies creates extra cost and work for restaurant staff. It came across that customers with allergies create extra work, rather than what they do is supporting clients. Can you explain?
Justin responded “At ICC Sydney, we take allergens very seriously and the increased cost mentioned by me, was in relation to lifestyle choices and not medical allergies. We understand that allergens are not a choice and we will always do the utmost to ensure our guests and any dietary requirements are catered for in a safe manner.”
Use of chef cards…
Would having a chef card make it safer to eat out? Can we obtain a copy of the chef card from the website to print?
A chef card is a useful tool to help consumers communicate with chefs and wait staff about their allergies. When ordering, hand over the chef card explaining your allergies, and ask that the card go to the chef and comes back with your meal. Having the card come back with your meal will make it more likely that the right meal goes to the right person.
What’s the best way to deal with a language barrier when communicating an allergy when eating out?
If you feel unsure as to whether the wait staff or chef understand your needs around your food allergy, A&AA has translated chef cards that can be useful when dining at a restaurant or café where there are language barriers. You can print these from our website. You may like to hand over both the translated chef card and the English chef card so that staff have access to both languages.
What information is available for travel & eating out overseas?
It is important to use translated chef cards when eating out overseas in countries that don’t speak English. You can download and print from our website for free. When travelling on airline we recommend that you take your own food. A&AA has lots of information about travelling with food allergies here.
Timing of dining out…
I understand that restaurants get busy – what are the things that we as customers can do to make it more likely that our food allergies will be taken seriously by restaurant staff.
The safety of a business’ guests should always be its number one priority however, for someone that has an allergy, it is very important that they take the step to notify the kitchen and advise of the severity of their allergy. Ideally, it is important to notify prior to a booking, as this will give the kitchen more time to prepare an appropriate meal for you. This is not always possible so in those instances we advise that you let the floor staff know as soon as you arrive. Remember the key here is clear communication.
Food allergen training…
Is there any way for consumers of identifying which food services have completed All About Allergens free online food allergen training?
You can email, phone or message the restaurant and ask if they have completed the training. You can also ask to see the certificate of the staff who have completed the training.
Given the high turnover of staff in the food service area, how do you get new waitpersons up to speed, especially where they may not have English as their first language?
Great question. There are a couple of fundamental concepts that combine to address this risk:
- Retail food businesses are required to ensure their staff are adequately trained prior to work; Std 3.2.2—3
- All retail outlets in NSW are required to have a trained ‘Food Safety Supervisor’ on site; so at least one staff member is trained to address allergen questions.
- Systems can be used to manage risk. So, for example, staff may simply be directed to refer allergen questions to a more senior staff member who can answer the question accurately.
But there are some circumstances where the owner of the business may not be confident that their staff can address allergen risk. This may explain why some businesses direct staff to say standard lines like: ‘We do not have peanuts in this meal but we cannot guarantee cross contamination’
These questions have been answered by:
- Alan Edwards, Snr Food Incident Response & Complaints Co-ordinator, Compliance and Integrity Systems, NSW Department of Primary Industries
- Justin Wurth, former Food Safety and Kitchen Manager, International Convention Centre Sydney
- Maria Said, Chief Executive Officer, Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia
Eating out with food allergy
Eating out with food allergies can be a challenge – Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia has useful resources, information and advice to help you.