The same 14 allergens get special treatment as in the Food labelling<\/a> <\/strong>law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A food business (caf\u00e9, restaurant etc) has to be able to supply information about any food they sell which contains one of those allergens. It does not necessarily have to be printed on a menu, or on a label however (see Food Labelling<\/a><\/strong>). A restaurant can simply display a sign saying \u201cBefore ordering, please talk to our staff if you have allergies or an intolerance\u201d or similar. But they do have to be able to give you the necessary information, and that information must have some basis in fact (it must be \u201cverifiable, correct and consistent\u201d) \u2013 they can\u2019t just say \u201cNone of our food is suitable\u201d or \u201cThis dish might have nuts in it\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Restaurant staff should have training from their very first day in dealing with allergies, knowing how to avoid cross contamination etc. There is free online training available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, the person taking your order or your money may not be the best person to ask \u2013 if possible talk to a manager, or even better, the chef!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Buffet<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Take away food<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Anaphylaxis UK have developed a helpful page for ordering takeaway food, click here<\/a> <\/strong>for more information<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have a reaction, follow your allergy plan. Then contact the restaurant to find out what might have gone wrong. Report the incident if you think the business was at fault (it may be worth freezing the food you were served, in case there is an investigation) – https:\/\/www.food.gov.uk\/contactconsumersreport-problem\/report-poor-food-safety-and-hygiene-practices<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Eating out is a common source of anxiety for people with food allergies. The Food Standards Agency advice (base on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":128,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3366","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3366"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6695,"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3366\/revisions\/6695"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nn.nhs.scot\/cyans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cyans.scot.nhs.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/09\/Thumb-down-240x300.png\")
People often assume the best way to stay safe is to eat at the same place, and eat the same thing, but this is not necessarily the case. Recipes change, chefs change\u2026 And in any case, why restrict yourself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cyans.scot.nhs.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/09\/thumb-up-261x300.png\")
Phone a place ahead of time to discuss your requirements. Choose a time they are likely to be quiet and able to talk without rushing.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAsk what things are suitable and what things are not suitable for your allergy.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAsk if there\u2019s a risk of cross contamination e.g. is the same deep-frier used for everything deep fried?<\/p>\n\n\n\nAsk the waiter to make a note on their pad of your allergy (some people suggest giving them a different piece of paper to write on, that is clearly different from the usual orders!)<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen the food comes, confirm that this is the dish OK for your allergy, before you eat it.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf staff seem unsure, or unfriendly, or if you feel uncomfortable, it may be better to leave. Tell them politely that you are unable to eat there.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMake sure you have your allergy medicine(s) and plan with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you have a reaction, follow your plan. DO NOT GO ALONE outside or to the toilet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cGuaranteeing\u201d that a meal is allergen free \u2013 parents shouldn\u2019t ask for this, and businesses shouldn\u2019t confuse \u201ccan\u2019t guarantee\u201d with their legal duty to prepare food safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\nYou could ask for your meal to be brought separately from everyone else\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSome restaurants’ online menus – such as Carluccio’s and Zizzi – allow customers to filter out foods by their allergy, which helps them make an informed choice about what they might eat. For other restaurants, interactive allergen menu apps like Menu Guide<\/strong><\/a> can help<\/p>\n\n\n\nDisclaimers \u2013 some restaurants are asking allergic people to sign these. They have no legal basis \u2013 whether you sign or not, they still have a legal duty to prepare food safely, or to tell you if they feel they cannot provide you with a safe meal because of there is a real risk that they cannot reduce.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBuffet – allergen information has to be provided for each food item separately rather than for the buffet as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAllergy information must be made available at the time you phone or order online, before you pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe person delivering is not the person responsible for giving you information, there should be a sticker on the box, or a copy of the menu if this includes allergen information, but you should be able to get more information over the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf ordering for several people, make sure the restaurant labels your meal, so you know which order is safe for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cyans.scot.nhs.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/09\/hazard.png\")
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