Escalation in Customer Food Allergies For the past decade customer food allergy incidents have been notably on the rise. In some cases so severe that sixty –three fatalities have occurred nationwide between 1996 and 2006 states the
4Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. The most common allergens
include dairy, eggs,
5peanut, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish as
well as soy and wheat. It is believed the increase may be in part due to insufficient food allergy knowledge in the restaurant industry. Another thought is the "Hygiene Hypothesis" which states that a possible reason for the rise in people with allergies could be due to the escalation in antibacterial products and higher sanitary surroundings. The immune system turns on the food to protect the body. Could it be the economy? Are managers not including allergy awareness education for their employees due to cost? Do restaurants know how to handle food allergies? Do they want to go the extra mile to serve the customer that walks into their establishment with food allergy? I know from experience how difficult it is to get exact ingredients used in a dish from a server. Most times I'm answered with "I don't believe so, but let me check." It's a good practice for servers to ask chefs about the dish but, what if the chef is not available and you as the server missed pre- shift and were not aware the executive chef decided to use a new, less expensive product. Some restaurant entrepreneurs open restaurants for the simple reason of making money. Others are really committed to customers and implement extra steps to ensure satisfied patrons by offering whole foods or adopting menus which rely solely on foods and ingredients available by season. There are a couple of famous restaur...
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... out new concepts. Short cuts are being formulated every day. We need to be well prepared for the possibility of a life-threatening emergency.
Works Cited
1"Welcoming Guests with Food Allergies to Restaurants", 2011. The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network,
25 April
12011 http://www.foodallergy.org/page/restaurants-guests-with-food-allergies"The Allergy
Issue," QSR Magazine, 25 April 2011. http://www.qsrmagazine.com/food-safety/allergy-issue Hensley Sue. "News Release" National Restaurant Association, 25 Aug 2008, 26 April 2011
3http://www.restaurant.org/pressroom/pressrelease/ index .cfm?ID=
1668 Santovec, Mary Lou "Serving the Customer with Food Allergies," Wisconsin Restaurant Association, 26 April 2011 http://www.wirestaurant.org/press/alerts/090819_allergies.php
2Hernandez 1 Hernandez 2 Hernandez 3 Hernandez 4 Hernandez 5 Hernandez 6 Hernandez 7
Following my first sip of milk at the age of one, with the resulting hives and coughing that ensued, I involuntarily joined the community of fifteen million Americans afflicted by food allergies. Living everyday with additional allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish has, out of necessity, sharpened my compulsiveness with ingredients and food preparation, but furthermore has spurred me to intervene on behalf of fellow members in this emerging epidemic. The Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) national organization has been a source of education and support in my own life, and subsequently has aided my efforts to raise awareness among peers, and to nurture my advocacy involvement. Selected as a member of FARE’s Teen Advisory
Celiac Disease is an inflammatory disease that destroys the lining of the small intestines and prevents the absorption of nutrients and vitamins into the system. The patients' health suffers; their digestive system is unable to process gluten foods that contain wheat, barley, and oats. The cause of this disease is unknown; however, environmental factors and a genetic predisposition are suspected.
The act of manufactures labeling of our foods products in terms of the ingredients a particular product contains and the nutritious facts is sometimes taken for granted, we often see the labels on our food products, but ignore them because we’re so used to seeing them in our daily lives. Surprisingly, food product labeling, specifically that pertaining to allergen warnings, were not always available to consumers until a government mandate in 2004 (FALCPA). I think part of the reason for such a lateness in regulation was due to a social stigma regarding allergies, that having them was some sort of natural selection and not an issue that should be taken care of. Another surprising notion I came across was that although there was no government regulation, manufactures of food products took a good amount of initiative in letting their consumers know of potential allergens in their products.
Food, a necessity for all and something very delicious, but also deadly for some people. Not everyone can live free of food allergies. Food allergies occur in 1 out of every 13 children. This indicates over fifteen million people in the world suffer from food allergies. The food epidemic poses a threat to many citizens that live with food allergies because of incorrect labeling, distribution and safety in the preparation of food. My research highlights two key items: (1) definition of food allergies and how they affect the daily lives of those living with them and (2) the importance of food allergy knowledge and how educating people about food allergies will hopefully jumpstart the progress to find a cure.
Food allergies are the most controversial allergy-related topic right now. It's controversial because of several facts like:
Web. The Web. The Web. 28 Nov. 2011. Cross Reactive Food : American Latex Allergy Association.
Every day in the United States, 200, 000 people are sickened by a food-borne disease. Schlosser’s urge for the consumer to assume responsibility for the travesties waged against American society by the fast-food industry is not a new idea.
The lessons we have learned from such catastrophic events as Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012, and the Boston Marathon Bombing on April 15, 2013, demonstrate the need to reemphasize continuity as a “good business practice” to be incorporated into day-to-day planning, in order to reduce vulnerability and ensure continuity. (Cite CGC 1 P2)
A recent study in 2015 reports that over 15 million people in America have food allergies that is 1 in every 13 people under the age of 18. Making it very likely that somebody in this room is part of these 15 million American’s who have food allergies. If you are somebody who has food allergies, or you know of someone who has food allergies, this speech will help you better understand more about food allergies, so you can deal with food allergies and more importantly be more careful around other people who do. So today, I am going to be informing you about Food allergies.
Human race is known to have developed numerous allergies to various known and unknown allergens. An extreme allergic reaction which can be “life-threatening”. (Mydr.com.au, 2014) is referred to as Anaphylaxis.It is a “medical emergency”(Lloyd & Sisman,2013).Statistics indicate that maximum deaths occur due to allergic reactions of various medicines. The other causative agents can be insects, food, latex, hair dye, etc(Lloyd & Sisman,2013). The most common trigger to stimulate anaphylaxis among children are food products such as peanuts, dairy, seafood etc. Exposure to any of these allergens can result in severe anaphylactic attack within 20 minutes.(Australian Resuscitation council, 2012).However the doctors discuss the history of symptoms occurring in children suffering with peanut allergy before declaring them to be anaphylactic and prescribing medication. (Unknown, 2014). Symptoms of anaphylaxis may occur in varied forms depending upon the severty of the reaction. For instance in mild cases swelling of lips, eyes or face occurs along with hives, rash, tingling of mouth and vomitting accompanied with abdominal pain. Nevertheless in extreme conditions the former symptoms may be accompanied with noisy breathing, wheezing, hoarseness and unconsciousness. (Lloyd & Sisman,2013).
In every country around the world, hundreds of people travel to different places on airplanes. One large problem that all airlines should fix is the food that they serve on the planes because what they serve on airplanes is one of the major allergens, peanuts.
Food safety is an increasingly important public health issue. Governments all over the world are intensifying their efforts to improve food safety. Food borne illnesses are diseases, usually either infectious or toxic in nature, caused by agents that enter the body through the ingestion of food. “In industrialized countries, the percentage of people suffering from food borne diseases each year has been reported to be up to 30%. In the United States of America, for example, around 76 million cases of food borne diseases, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths, are estimated to occur each year.” (Geneva 2)
Allergies are never a positive experience no matter what types of sensitivities a person might be suffering from. Food allergies in my life are what have allowed me to understand what it means to suffer from allergies. Although I didn't find out until I was in my early twenties what the actual effects of my allergies were in my body, through more knowledge and understanding I now know that the causation of my allergies are within my control. I remember the day quite vividly when the Dr. told me that I needed to change my diet in order to have relief in my life. Although I didn’t know it at the time, that happened to be the very moment that shifted me in the pursuit of health through knowledge of how allergies can truly affect the human body.
Food poisoning is a condition that results from eating contaminated food. It is also referred to as food-borne illness. These may attack people from any age group and lasts from few hours to several days. Food poisoning in severe case may cause chronic and fatal disease like arthritis and can attack lungs and kidneys.
Another risk involved in this industry is its huge number of competitors. It is a well-known fact that the food industry is one of the most saturated markets that has ever existed, mainly because it has a huge market population and it is a need for the society. The industry tends to get very competitive because of its sheer number of population of consumers, as well as its producers. Evidently it is a very lucrative industry to step in to, that is why a lot of people tend to penetrate the market in an attempt to make a huge profit from