Health and Safety - Importance of Allergy Awareness
Knowledge is key when it comes to working in the catering industry, especially the ability to prepare, present and dispose. It’s astounding how many people suffer from allergies and if people are careless it could result in someone being seriously ill or in some cases resulting in death. In any kitchen caterers and their work colleagues should be aware of all kitchen health and hygiene practices. It’s crucial to train your staff and give them the best knowledge possible to help them get a full understanding of the ingredients in all your food products, how food must be handled and understand pre packed and packaged food so they can convey that to consumers.
People who ask what’s in the food usually aren’t trying to cause problems, it’s important to put the customers' needs as number one priority always. Your staff must know your menu and what ingredients go into it inside out. They MUST be given correct training and understand how important it is that customers never receive something they are allergic to. This is because our strict training policies come in handy.
Training Around Allergy Awareness
Strict training doesn’t just apply to chefs and people preparing the food it goes for every single person who works for you including yourself. It’s crucial that customers know what they are eating and staff are made aware how to act should anything go wrong. There are so many places that offer free training or step by step guides. St John’s Ambulance offers free first aid courses on how to handle anaphylactic shock as well as online advice to treat and recognise severe allergic reactions.
Allergies are caused by someone’s immune system reacting to a certain substance and it is thought of as harmful as of 2023 statistics prove 1 in 4 people suffer from allergies some are mild are some are worse. They can be caused by food, pollen bites or stings. Don’t mistake an allergic reaction for a little bit of sensitivity or an intolerance.
While most allergic reactions can be mild and have symptoms such as itchiness, sneezing and rashes they can be handled with medications like antihistamines and steroids. Others can be more serious with life threatening symptoms such as anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock that can occur within seconds if this does happen seek medical help ASAP.
There are 14 main groups of allergens they need to be handled with the utmost care, state clearly on the menu if any of your products contain them so there is no confusion for the consumer. You can find these with a quick search on google.
Being Allergen Aware in the Kitchen
Put an allergen poster up in your kitchen for everyone to see, you must state clearly to consumers what ingredients are in the food. If you fail to do so then you are breaking the law. You can go to The Food Standards Agency to see detailed guidelines about labeling your food packaging or menu.
Always remember how important basic hygiene is when working in the kitchen with food, always wash equipment and any utensils thoroughly to avoid cross contamination. Make sure all food is stored correctly and separated in sealed containers making sure they are labeled clearly. Use separate work surfaces, chopping boards and such for any meals prepared using specific allergens.
