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'Chef cards' launched to help allergy sufferers eat out

19th May 2008, 2:04pm

The Food Standards Agency has today published an interactive chef card 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 ten 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.

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 area where 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.

The FSA is continuing to work with caterers and manufacturers to help increase awareness of the importance of food allergies and improve allergen information for people when buying food and eating out.

Related PDFs:

Download the Chef Cards here.

Related Articles:

17 Aug 2010 - The European Safety Bureau launches Allergy Awareness Course

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