The reality is up to 10% of the world’s population has a food allergy and 170 allergens have been identified globally. These numbers do not even account for food intolerances/sensitivities or immune disorders like Celiac Disease. What this means for the food and beverage industry, this that food allergies and intolerances are the rule, not the exception.

Today’s consumers have a lot of questions about how food is grown, sourced, transported, etc. Food allergy guests might have these questions too. However, their main concern is safety. The foundation of any food allergy safety strategy should include information. Information about what is in the food and how it is prepared so companies can provide guests with the correct information so they can make a risk assessment based on an informed decision.

Busy service, staff turnover, menu changes, and supplier changes are just a few areas that can quickly eat up a day. These are also areas that contribute food allergy risk. Knowing what your establishment can and can’t do to accommodate food allergy guest and knowing how to communicate this information to guests and staff is a critical piece to a safety strategy.

Every second you do not have company-wide prevention practices puts guests, staff and the company at risk. The reality is that your staff are going to get questions and they need to know what they can and can’t say and what they can and can’t do. And they need to know best practices for cross-contact prevention and have a standard for food allergy communication and prevention. Helping guests make informed decisions while ensuring staff are prepared and aware helps to minimize the risk.

Food allergy guests always had and will continue to have the veto vote. They sway the decision about where people eat, stay and play. At a time when you are competing for every single dollar, having a great 'Informed Food' prevention plan and a solid strategy in how to communicate it, will help to attract those dollars while still mitigating risk.

When you consider that food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities are now the norm among your guests it it is no longer optional to have a food allergy safety strategy where everyone is on the same page 100% of the time. Simply safety has changed and foodservice must keep pace.