For an allergic person, even a small amount of a food can be dangerous and lead to anaphylaxis. Giving the right information can save a life.
Allergy and intolerance
- Allergy: a reaction of the immune system. Symptoms: itching, swelling of the lips and throat, difficulty breathing, vomiting, fainting. It can be serious even with traces.
- Intolerance (for example to lactose) and coeliac disease: not the same thing, but they must be respected. A coeliac person must avoid gluten strictly.
The 14 allergens to declare
Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 (Annex II) lists the substances that most often cause allergies or intolerances:
- cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut);
- crustaceans;
- eggs;
- fish;
- peanuts;
- soya;
- milk (including lactose);
- tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pistachios and others);
- celery;
- mustard;
- sesame seeds;
- sulphur dioxide and sulphites (above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/l);
- lupin;
- molluscs.
These must be declared even when they are present as ingredients of an ingredient (a sauce, a dough, a stock).
Who has to give the information
- For prepacked products the allergen is on the label, highlighted in the list of ingredients.
- For non-prepacked products (restaurant, bar, bakery, deli, canteen), allergen information is mandatory (Regulation 1169/2011, Article 44). Italy has defined how to give it in Legislative Decree 231/2017, Article 19.
In practice, in your premises the information must be easily accessible and verifiable: for example on the menu, on a notice or in an allergen register for each dish. Staff must know where to find it and answer precisely. If a customer asks, do not answer from memory or "by eye": check the recipe.
What to do when a customer says they are allergic
- Listen and take the request seriously.
- Check the dish's recipe sheet or the ingredients of the products used.
- If you are not sure, say so and ask the person in charge. Better not to serve than to get it wrong.
- Prepare the dish with clean equipment and washed hands.
- Flag in the kitchen that the dish is for an allergic customer.
The risk of contact
A dish with no allergen in its ingredients can still contain traces through contact: the same board, the same pan, frying oil used for different products, unwashed hands, shared cloths. To reduce the risk:
- use separate equipment or equipment washed well between uses;
- prepare the dishes for allergic customers first;
- keep allergenic ingredients closed and labelled;
- wash your hands and change gloves.
Regulation (EU) 2021/382 has strengthened the good hygiene practice rules on managing allergens, for example for the equipment and containers used to transport or store food.
Ingredients and recipes change
If the supplier, product or recipe changes, update the allergen information before serving. Check the labels of the new products: allergens can turn up where you do not expect them (sauces, cured meats, desserts, ready-made products).
Emergency
If a customer has a severe reaction: call 112 (the single emergency number), stay with them and say which foods they have eaten.
Remember
- There are 14 allergens to declare.
- Allergen information is mandatory for non-prepacked dishes too.
- Do not answer from memory: check the recipe.
- Contact with other foods can bring traces of allergens.