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People With Food Allergies Need Love Too

People who suffer from food allergies should consult this website before dining out. And download their free mobile app!

Roughly 5% of Americans, which represents millions of people – have known food allergies or a lactose or gluten intolerance. This can make dining out a challenging and sometimes dangerous experience. So it’s surprising that most restaurants don’t make more of an effort to cater to this large pool of potential customers. Allergy Eats, founded by Paul Antico is a website that is devoted to helping those who suffer from food allergies find restaurants that are committed to making it easy for food-allergic guests to order off of their menus.

Legal Sea Foods, P.F. Chang’s, Not Your Average Joe’s and Blue Ginger are just a few of the chains featured as taking extra steps to accommodate diners with food allergies and implement protocols to protect diners from an allergic reaction. While actual policies vary among restaurants, there are certain steps according to AllergyEats.com that the most allergy-friendly restaurants take to ensure they’re accommodating guests with dietary restrictions, including:

Communicating
Training and educating staff
Knowing the ingredients
Avoiding cross-contamination
Customizing meals
Offering gluten-free options
Double-checking orders
Creating a “guest friendly” culture

AllergyEats, which is endorsed by highly respected food, health and allergy organizations, like the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of Americaand the Gluten Intolerance Group – and the new AllergyEats app – lists well over 600,000 restaurants nationwide, which users can rate. The ratings and feedback allow food-allergic and gluten intolerant diners to quickly find restaurants that will more likely cater to their special dietary requirements – and avoid the ones that won’t. Users can easily access information for many restaurants such as menus (including gluten-free menus), allergen lists, nutrition information, certifications, web links, directions and more.

“Dining out with food allergies can be frustrating and scary, but a growing number of restaurants are doing a terrific job of accommodating food-allergic guests, making the experience of dining out more comfortable and enjoyable,” said Paul Antico, Founder of AllergyEats and father of three food-allergic children. “I applaud them for being so accommodating and progressive about this issue.” As we enter the holiday season, dine safely and intelligently!