Allergy awareness in school and restaurant settings is a large part of food preparation. With many hands working in a fast-paced and demanding environment, you can never be too cautious when it comes to foodservice. Take note of the following tips to be allergy aware:
- • Effective communication is key. Each member of the foodservice team must communicate known allergies to their colleagues and ensure they practice safe food preparation to avoid cross contamination on hands or gloves, splashed or spilled foods, and shared utensils or counters. This will help avoid a potentially serious health situation.
- • Display food allergy awareness posters in cooking areas, dinning rooms and dorms. Include a notice at the bottom of menus to put diners on alert.
- • Training videos for staff are also a great way to introduce allergy awareness to staff members. Schedule an early-morning staff meeting to introduce and review safe food practices.
- • Smart phones with apps are extremely popular today. For the food allergy community and those who wish to become allergy aware, take a look at what apps are available. They could potentially save a life. The apps tell you what is in your food, show how to administer epinephrine, how to find the closest emergency room and much more.
- • Have an emergency plan. Designate a team leader to put together an emergency plan binder that’s in an accessible location for everyone to review. It’s always a good idea to plan ahead when it comes to allergy emergencies.
Source: Foodallergy.org