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Diners with food allergies can now communicate with chefs using
a new interactive card.
The Food Standards Agency has
published the interactive chef cards
to help people with food allergy or
intolerance when they’re eating out.
The simple credit card sized cards can
be filled in and given to restaurant staff
to let the chef know which foods the
customer needs to avoid.
In the UK, about 10 people die every
year from an allergic reaction to food
and many more end up in hospital. In
most cases, these reactions are caused
by something eaten in a restaurant or
from a takeaway.
An Agency spokesman said: “It’s very
important for all caterers to be aware
about food allergy and to take it
seriously. For people with a severe
food allergy, eating even the smallest
amount of that food can cause a
serious reaction, called anaphylaxis,
which can be fatal.”
Previous consumer research carried
out by the Agency found that, for
people with food allergies, eating
out is a key areawhere there is not
always appropriate information and
help available.
Chef cards are a simple and effective
way to help people with allergies,
especially teenagers, communicate
clearly which foods they are allergic to.
For more information log on to:
www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2008/may/chefcard |
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