 Food allergies affect approximately 15 million people in the United States and are responsible for about 30,000 emergency room visits and 150–200 deaths annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Nearly half of fatal reactions come from food served in restaurants or other foodservice establishments, and managing allergies can be complex due to their changing nature. The economic impact in the U.S. is $25 billion annually, but the real danger is the potential for death, as seen in a recent case where a doctor with severe allergies died after eating at a Disney World restaurant despite warning the staff. Risks run even higher in places such as senior living facilities, where residents rely on others to keep them safe.
Conducting a risk assessment can help you identify potential hazards, determine who might be affected, and evaluate the effectiveness of current controls. It will help you incorporate safety protocols including allergen checklists, ingredient labeling, segregated workstations to prevent cross-contamination, and staff training to ensure you manage allergy risks according to each person’s role. Clear, consistent verbal and written communication with guests, staff, caterers and volunteers is critical. This includes keeping accurate records of ingredient changes, which can help prevent incidents and can support your defense of insurance claims as needed. Your actions can also provide an experience that builds trust and loyalty with guests. By designing allergens out of menus where possible, providing clear ingredient info, and showing empathy toward guests with allergies, you can ensure guest safety and satisfaction.  Preserving food safety in a grab-and-go era
Whether out of a need for convenience or an abundance of food choice, consumers have been reaching for grab-and-go foods more readily in recent years. These high-margin foods occupy increasingly larger footprints in the restaurants, grocery stores and convenience stores that sell them – and the market is predicted to grow further. The foods themselves are changing too: Unlike the highly processed, high-salt, high-sugar options that were once commonplace in this market, consumers are now seeking convenience foods that are fresh, healthy and contain fruit, vegetables and other whole foods. This adds a new wrinkle to food safety, putting pressure on operators to provide fresh prepared foods that inspire confidence in consumers. Indeed, Food Safety Magazine reported that safety standards are evolving in response to shifts in the prepared foods market, with shelf life and food safety becoming primary factors in operators’ selection of the producers of their grab-and-go foods. Producers of these foods tend to be a patchwork of national and regional suppliers focusing on specific food categories. As a result, a grocery store or café’s prepared foods case can represent a wide range of operating standards and safety protocols. When considering which externally sourced prepared foods to offer in your business, think about the complexities around the shelf life of items, what technologies and/or preservatives producers are using to extend shelf life, and how to be transparent with customers about the ingredients used in the grab-and-go foods you offer. |
subscribe to our newsletter
Archives
May 2026
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed