Have you ever seen people with food allergies eat heartily at a company lunch? Without making their rounds asking, “Was this fried in peanut oil? Did this have contact with peanuts?”
Food is so bound up with work that eating out can be a stressful occasion for those with severe food allergies. For those people, certain foods can cause dangerous anaphylaxis, whose symptoms include difficulty breathing, sudden low blood pressure, hives, swelling, and loss of consciousness. Even trace amounts of an allergen can be dangerous. Peanut dust from a cutting board on which a juicy rib-eye steak was sliced could send someone to the ER.
Even if no one has brought up the issue with you, it may be that those with food allergies are silent about it, to avoid social discomfort. Say a few on your staff do have food allergies. A company dinner party could snowball into a liability without clear communication and planning. It’s better to be accommodating.
Planning a catering spread around dietary restrictions doesn’t have to be a hassle. Restaurants are increasingly aware of the severity of food allergies. Many restaurants have strict kitchen protocols and safeguards for preparing catering orders. At ezCater it’s a cinch to deal with food allergies. Just choose from our many customizable cuisines and communicate with our restaurant partners to accommodate special dietary plans. At ezCater we want to make sure that everyone dines well on delicious catering.
To get you off to a good start, here’s an infographic on the nation’s most prevalent food allergies. There’s also a “Better Safe Than Sorry” section with tips for safeguarding your next catered event.
Your coworker has a food allergy. But you still want delicious catering. Don’t be stressed. Many of our restaurant partners can handle this for you.