Food allergies affect millions of people worldwide and are a growing public health concern, particularly in the food and beverage industry.
Increased awareness and proactive measures can significantly reduce risks for Delaware North guests and team members. In the United States, nine food allergens are recognized as the most common triggers of allergic reactions – and “the Big 9” are responsible for most serious food allergy cases.
Delaware North’s Corporate Compliance team recently launched a Food Allergen Management Toolkit, available on Delaware North’s Environmental, Health and Safety Program SharePoint site, to promote food allergen awareness and strengthen food
safety practices in company units.
“This toolkit shares resources and best practices that will help our team members manage guests’ food allergies across our operations, which helps us uphold our core values of Do Right and Think Guest,” said Tim Barthold, director of corporate compliance for Delaware North.
The toolkit provides guidelines for:
- Encouraging guests to disclose food allergies.
- Fostering awareness of “the Big 9” food allergens and avoiding cross-contact during food preparation.
- Establishing procedures for the front-of-house and back-of-house teams to protect guests from food allergens, including accurately disclosing food allergens on packaged/prepared food labels.
- Reporting guest food allergy incidents to the appropriate compliance team.
- Complying with state law training and signage requirements.