Works Cited

AllergyEats Blog.  Should Restaurants post allergy info?  .  29 January 2013 <http://www.allergyeats.com/blog/index.php/should-restaurants-post-ingredient-info-marc-certainly-thinks-so/>.

Bailey, S., R. Albardiaz, A.J Frew, and H. Smith. "Restaurant staff's knowledge of anaphylaxis and dietary care of people with allergies." Clinical Allergy. (2011): n. page. Print.

Huffington Post.  How should restaurants accommodate food allergies?  2013.  29 January 2013 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/21/restaurants-allergies_n_974547.html>.

ResPro the food safety professionals.  Restaurants: Provide Allergy Info to Protect Customers and Your Business.  January, 20, 2013.  29 January 2013 <http://resprofsp.com/restaurants-provide-allergy-info-to-protect-customers-and-your-business/>.

USA, Lawyers, , , and . "Restaurant industry may face a spate of food allergy suits." Newspaper source plus. (2006): n. page. Print.

WCVBtv, . New Restaurant Rules Address Food Allergies. 2011. Video. YoutubeWeb. 23 May 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTi5Ujeu_sc>.

                                   

                                                Works Cited for pictures

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            treehugger, . N.d. Photograph. Treehugger.comWeb. 23 May 2013. <http://www.google.com/imgres?q=food allergies&safe=active&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=653&tbm=isch&tbnid=nVSE2Xd4YQEO9M:&imgrefurl=http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/7-ways-food-allergies-could-actually-be-good-for-you-and-the-earth.html&docid=5KtHjXR-k2VFPM&imgurl=http://media.treehugger.com/assets/images/2011/10/food-allergies.jpg&w=468&h=305&ei=MyOeUdaxEpK89QSKloDoDg&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:13,s:0,i:122&iact=rc&dur=400&page=2&tbnh=181&tbnw=278&start=12&ndsp=18&tx=82&ty=99>.

                N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 23 May 2013. <http://www.google.com/imgres?q=food allergies&safe=active&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=653&tbm=isch&tbnid=k1qnrI6tdlPNCM:&imgrefurl=http://www.nidsun.com/i-am-fat-because-i-am-allergic-to-food/&docid=ywS-8CD9SbkdsM&imgurl=http://www.nidsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/food-allergy-guidelines.jpg&w=520&h=705&ei=MyOeUdaxEpK89QSKloDoDg&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:26,s:0,i:171&iact=rc&dur=456&page=2&tbnh=163&tbnw=110&start=12&ndsp=18&tx=51&ty=69>.

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WeVideo Food Allergies Documentary

Chelsea Osborn

Mckoy

English 2

                                                                Health Epidemic

Do restaurants know enough about food allergies? From my research I would say no. The way that restaurants carry themselves is beginning to become a real health hazard. More than 12 million Americans suffer from food allergies and the majority of restaurant staff are not informed on how to work with allergies. Something has to change and “until this occurs, food allergic customers will not be able to dine out in safety and will continue to be put at risk by restaurant staff’s poor knowledge, inappropriate confidence and low desire for further training.” (Bailey, Albardiaz, Frew, and Smith ).

When researching my topic on food allergies, I was astonished to come across the amount of complaints over allergy attacks in restaurants.  The same complaints were seen over and over on multiple sites and in various articles: “I didn’t know [the food allergy] was in my dish”(similar situations included in Lawyers USA). Usually in these situations the customer had asked the waiter beforehand whether the food had the particular contaminant in it; that is where the problem arises. The staff does not know what is in the food, nor do they know the risks of giving out food containing a particular allergy. This is particularly dangerous because it shows the lack of concern most restaurants have for their customers. It seems so easy to inform the chef of the customers allergy, but they chose not to.

Many times customers will feel too embarrassed to tell staff of their allergies. The way restaurant staff carries themselves has become a problem to the extent that many people suffering with food allergies will be too afraid to annoy the staff, that they will not even mention the danger. As someone that suffers with food allergies, I personally have experienced the awkward feeling of telling my server that I have an allergy and seeing their twisted expression; it is as if you are an annoyance over something you cannot control. Yet the process seems so simple. Tell the chef of the food allergy and wash the utensils used to prepare that dish. Or better yet, know what allergens are in each dish and help a customer with food allergies pick a safe dinner to eat.  

“About 12 million Americans suffer from food allergies.” (Lawyers USA 17). With this staggering fact being high in numbers already, you will be shocked to find out that it is only increasing. Food allergies are a problem because “with food allergies, there’s no cure” (Anne Munoz- Furlong 18), so it is a constant battle to dodge allergic reactions in everyday life. It should be required that any residency serving food to the public, should be trained in food allergy awareness so that each individual they come in contact with is safe. Staff awareness means customer protection. The more they are aware of the food they are preparing, the easier dining out is on both parties because the customer knows they are safe and the restaurant does not have a law suit waiting to happen if the customer has a severe attack.

While hearing all the different experiences of those suffering with food allergies I have come to the conclusion that one change would make all the difference. If all restaurants would include allergy information on their menus then they would not have to educate their staff half as much, worry about customers having allergic reactions, or be sued for the recklessness of the way the customer’s food was handled. If the menu were to include sections saying what foods contained the allergen it would be safer for the customer and faster for the server since they would not have to ask about the allergy information to the chef. The customer with the allergy knows what they can and cannot eat, so why not let them have the information? The risks would decrease significantly and people like me with food allergies could eat out safely.

I believe that food allergies are a huge epidemic. It is an increasing health problem that needs to be acknowledged and acted upon. With 12 million Americans suffering from food allergies, it is astonishing that it has not been taken care of sooner. Restaurants should be at the top of their game with their knowledge about food allergies, since they are of course dealing with food and food allergies every day; unfortunately they are not. I believe that by making one simple change, it could change the lives, and possibly save the lives, of 12 million individuals.

                                    Works Cited

·         Bailey, S., R. Albardiaz, A.J Frew, and H. Smith. "Restaurant staff's knowledge of anaphylaxis and dietary care of people with allergies." Clinical Allergy. (2011): n. page. Print.

·         USA, Lawyers, , , and . "Restaurant industry may face a spate of food allergy suits." Newspaper source plus. (2006): n. page. Print.

·         Situations in paragraph two were similar to those in Lawyer USA article.

·         Personal experiences included.

“Restaurant Industry May Face a Spate of Food Allergy Suits”

Lawyer’s USA argues that if restaurants do not own up to letting the consumer know what is in the food, that they could be receiving multiple claims. He/she claims that you cannot ‘claim’ to have an allergic reaction and receive compensation if it is, for example, a mere rash. As clearly stated “Unless someone is rushed to the hospital, there are going to be limits on what you can claim.” Lawyer’s USA develops this claim by first stating that there would be limits on what you can file a law suit for, and then giving a valid example of what claim would be accepted. The company studying food allergies in restaurants investigates multiple claims of allergy attacks. Lawyers USA challenges whether it was the consumer or restaurant at fault in each situation they analyzed. Lastly, the author concludes the article with statements suggesting that many states should look into getting a law put in place to not only protect our people from having an allergy attack, but also our restaurants against law suits. Lawyers USA’s purpose is to discuss the correct way to handle allergy attacks in restaurants. They state that many are severe, but in order to make this law effective there would have to be clear classification on what can and cannot claim against the restaurant. This work is significant because I find my author to be extremely credible. The article is well conducted and well informed. While reading this article you hear of the pros and cons of fixing this situation and how severe food allergies in restaurants typically are. A lot of facts and statistics went into making this article and it furthered my research impeccably. 

Food Allergies

Try our slideshow maker at Animoto.

Is today the day?

I hate to be the one,

To ruin all the fun,

Anytime we go out I say,

“I wonder if this will be okay.”

That’s all it is.

I wonder if today will be the day,

That my allergy attack gets so bad that it takes my life away.

I lie to all my friends,

Saying “yeah it’s okay to eat there”,

So that I am not the one putting the fun to an end.

I scan the menu,

Trying to find a dish that poses no threats,

And that I am possibly still into.

I’m careful.

I try to tell the waiter about my allergy,

But I’m doubtful.

Will the word get to the chef?

Can my trust in this restaurant be kept?

I start to worry,

What if they are in a hurry?

The pots the pans,

The bags the cans,

They all must be clean,

And sanitized by hand.

If they don’t cook on a clean slate,

Then it is my life that is at stake.

I flag down the waiter,

To remind him “just one more time”,

I picture him telling the staff “I hate her”,

But to my face he simply says “its fine”.

They bring out me food,

I inspect it through and through.

I build up the courage to take a bite.

Hoping and praying that everything is alright.

Nothing happens.

No bumps no rashes,

No itching No scratches.

I got lucky and I am fine.

But who knows what will happen next time?

Food Allergy Research Memo

Chelsea Osborn

Mckoy

English 2

February 24 2013

Research Memo: Food Allergies

                Food allergies are becoming more and more common. With the number of people suffering from allergies increasing, the risk of receiving an attack is more likely than ever before. The answers I am hoping to receive from my survey on Food Allergies is that others understand and agree with the dangers we have to face. It is dangerous to go out and eat at a restaurant with any type of food allergy. Anytime that you order a dish, you never know what you are about to encounter. I hope that my topic will raise awareness to many food franchises and also everyday people, that you must inform others of what is in food. It could, in the most serious of cases, mean life or death. One of my research questions, "Do you believe that every restaurant should have allergy information on their menus?", was by far the question with the strongest feedback.  29 out of 30 people surveyed said that restaurants should be required to put this information on their menus for the convenience of their customers that suffer from food allergies.

                My target audience for this project was both people with and without allergies. I was intrigued to find out if even those who do not have food allergies find this a problem too.  With there being so many people suffering from food allergies, even if you do not have one, you know someone that does. From my surveys I was very pleased and taken back with my feedback. I originally thought that people that do not suffer from food allergies would not understand and think this not a big deal, yet that turned out to be quite untrue. From the broad and diverse group of people I surveyed, I am led to believe that my feedback is very valid. Different people means different mindsets. Not any two people think exactly alike, but most of my survey results came back constant.  With that being said, I believe that if many different people answered the same thing, then most anyone would be on the same page.

Demographic (age, race, gender, location)	Trends (What element is in common with this demographic group)	Implications (How does this help or hurt my hypothesis? What does this mean?)
12 out of 30 people surveyed suffer from food allergies	All have experienced multiple allergy attacks in restaurants.	Shows that if you have an allergy, you are prone to having an allergy attack when you go out to eat.
Out of the 30 people surveyed…	Only one person said it doesn’t matter if restaurants inform their guests of what is in their dishes (allergy information)	Shows that even people who do not suffer from allergies understand how dangerous it is to go out and eat with one. You never know what is in your food.
From the 12 people who suffer from food allergies…	They all sum up the reason for allergy attacks as not being informed.	Some feel uncomfortable with asking, others just “guess” if that dish is safe or not, and one even said they find out the hard way if a dish has their allergy in it!
Out of the 30 people surveyed…	29 participants said that they would feel more comfortable eating out at restaurants if they stated the allergy information on the menu.	Regardless of if they suffer from a food allergy, others understand that it is dangerous for those who do suffer to not know what they are eating.
From the 12 suffering from a food allergy…	On a scale of 1-10, they all picked 7 or lower on how comfortable they were on eating out with their food allergy.	Since there is always a risk when eating at a restaurant, most do not feel comfortable eating out.
From the people surveyed, with or without food allergies....	Everyone with food allergies said it was the restaurants fault if they had an allergy attack. Those without food allergies, about half said it was your fault and half said it was the restaurants fault.	This can help me in my research. I believe that if I restated this question I would get more positive feedback.  Even so, majority said it was the restaurants fault.
Out of the 30 people surveyed...	12 suffered from food allergies.	I realize now that I should have surveyed more people that actually understand food allergies.
Out of the 30 people surveyed...	20 said that restaurants should suffer consequences for not having allergy information posted on their menus.	This surprised me. I was expecting others to think a punishment just for not posting allergy information was "too harsh" or "not important". This definitely helps for when I further my research.

                As you can see, from everyone that took my survey, 29 out of 30 agreed  that restaurants should put allergy information on their menus. I was surprised, yet very pleased, that everyone agrees with such a statement. This statement is the core of my entire search; the fact that so many believe in the big picture of what I am doing is extremely positive. This feedback shows that even those who are not suffering from food allergies  recognize the threat it poses also. Another strong point is that the 12 people that took my survey and actually suffer from a food allergy said that the main cause of their allergic reactions in a public scene is from not being informed. This supports my hypothesis extremely and helps me form another question. If there were to be allergy information posted on their menu at the time, could the allergic reaction have been avoided?  Lastly, to help further my research I found this feedback to be helpful. When asked, most of my surveyors said that there should be consequences involved for restaurants that do not post allergy information. This surprised me the most to know that even those that do not suffer from allergies recognize the problem and think of it as important as I do. Along with their agreement, this helps to further my research to start taking action. If most think that there should be consequences, then why not try and enforce this rule upon food franchises next?

                I believe that my hypothesis was correct. One of the few things I was surprised by was that I did not have more people who actually suffered from food allergies take my survey. I feel that my results would have been stronger than they are now if I were to target people that understand. If I had it to do over, I would target a larger audience of those who suffer from food allergies and I would rephrase my questions to make them easier to understand. From this, I conclude that food allergies is a major problem that is overlooked by restaurants.

                To further my research I want to ask people that are involved in the food industry. Do they believe that food allergies are a problem? Should their consumers be informed? Is there a reason we are not being informed already? I would not change my questions too much, because I want to stay with the core of what this is all about, but I would rephrase them for a different audience.