Food allergy is of increasing concern for food safety and public health. 8 foods account for the majority of allergic reactions: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat and soy. Although most reactions are triggered by ingestion of the allergen, reactions can also result from inhalation of cooking fumes and vapours.

Because there is no cure for food allergy, strict avoidance of the particular allergen is the only way to prevent a reaction. However, avoidance can be difficult because trace amounts may be sufficient to cause a reaction. A significant number of food allergy reactions are the result of food served in or provided by restaurants and other foodservice establishments such as school cafeterias and food vendors.

It has been shown that negligence on the part of the individual and/or the restaurant staff is generally the major contributing factor to these fatal and/or near-fatal reactions. Allergic individuals often fail to mention their allergy to restaurant staff and thus may consume a food containing an allergen. In addition, restaurant staff often fail to understand the serious nature of food allergy, to read ingredient labels and to avoid cross-contact during food preparation. There is therefore a need for better education and training of restaurant staff and foodservice personnel in relation to food allergies.

A study by Weiss and Munoz-Furlong¹ investigated 29 fatal allergic reactions occurring between 1994 and 2006, caused by food served in or provided by restaurants or other foodservice establishments in the US. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain information about patient demographics, history of allergic reaction, foods ingested, symptoms, treatment and emergency response, and other contributing factors such as asthma. The findings showed that all of the fatal food allergy reactions studied could have been prevented, either through responsible precautions by the allergic individual or through appropriate behaviour by the restaurant staff.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
¹ Weiss, C; Munoz-Furlong, A (2008). Fatal food allergy reactions in restaurants and food-service establishments: strategies for prevention. Food Protection Trends 28 (9) 657-661.

Click on the logo below to view an abstract of this paper from FSTA Direct.