Managing Food Allergies in the Workplace

Have you considered whether you need to made allowances for staff members with food allergies ?

There has been a huge increase in the number of people who have been diagnosed with a Food Allergy, Food Intolerance or Coeliac Disease. Many schoolchildren have 1 or more food allergies and whilst at school, they are carefully managed. Robust procedures are in place to ensure that the child receives the correct meal and to keep them safe. When they reach secondary school, the EPOS tills have all the pupil’s data stored, and when the pupil pays for their meal, the cashier will warn the pupil that their chosen meal is not suitable and will take it from them.

The young adult may attend University, and the caterers in Universities will expect a number of their students to request specific dietary preferences and will plan their menus accordingly.

When the young adult starts work, this is a new environment for them and they may feel overwhelmed. If they have a severe food allergy, their anxiety will increase. Shared office and kitchen space, hot desks and a new job are new experiences for them. If you are an employer have you considered these issues for your new member of the team?

When a new member of staff starts in the workplace there are a number of forms to complete, including a medical form. Generally a person will complete the form and may highlight conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy etc. which may require some flexibility to the working day. A person with food allergies, food intolerances or coeliac disease may declare this on the medical form, but also may not feel this is necessary. I would encourage the Manager who is responsible for supporting the new starter to ask “Do you have any food allergies or intolerances that we need to be aware of ”

Why is this important ?

Young people often feel awkward about talking about their allergies as they don’t want to cause a fuss. They may feel confident in managing their situation, however there are a number of things to consider.

Meetings in work sometimes include snacks, lunches and hot drinks. It is important to include anyone who needs alternative options such as non-dairy milk, or gluten free sandwiches. If the person has a life-threatening food allergy, it is really important to ensure this is communicated to others.

A procedure may need to be implemented such as a “no nuts” policy in the office and shared kitchen space. A separate space for the person to store their food and information to other team members to raise awareness is important.

Staff events, celebrations and team lunches should be planned to ensure that the person with particular dietary needs will be catered for safely. Talk to them, ask them where they go out to eat and show them the menus and ask for their feedback.

The reason why I feel this is so important to highlight is that when I have been out conducting an audit in a large busy kitchen a few years ago, the chef casually told me that he had a nut allergy and his EpiPen is kept locked in the safe!. His Manager standing with us at the time had no idea that his chef had an allergy and didn’t realise that the envelope at the bottom of the safe contained potentially life saving medication -and where were the safe keys ……. The Chef had the keys in one of his many trouser pockets !!

Please always Ask about Allergies and raise awareness within your teams.

Jacqui McPeake Director and Founder Jacs Ltd

Chief Allergen Officer Allergen Accreditation