Food Allergy : What You Need to Know

Food allergy
What you need to know

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Food allergy
What you need to know
This booklet is for anyone who works in a café or
restaurant, or in a business sel ing food you wrap
yourself e.g. sandwiches, loose bread rolls, cakes,
deli products or other unpackaged foods.
Why food allergy matters
When someone has a food al ergy, eating even
a small bit of that food can make them very il .
Sometimes they could even die. So, when you
are at work, it’s very important for you to take
food al ergy seriously.

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Which ingredients
can cause a problem?
These are some of the foods people may be al ergic
to and some of the places where they may be found:
Peanuts

in sauces, cakes, desserts, groundnut
oil, peanut flour

Nuts

in sauces, desserts, crackers, bread,
ice cream, marzipan, ground almonds,
nut oils
Milk

in yoghurt, cream, cheese, butter,
milk powders, foods glazed with milk
Milk

Soya

as tofu or beancurd, soya flour and
textured soya protein, in some ice
cream, sauces, desserts, meat
products, vegetarian products
Mustard

including liquid mustard, mustard
powder and mustard seeds, in salad
dressings, marinades, soups, sauces,
curries, meat products
MUSTARD
Lupin

lupin seeds and flour in some types
of bread and pastries
Lupin
Flour

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Eggs

in cakes, mousses, sauces, pasta, quiche,
some meat products, mayonnaise,
foods brushed with egg

Fish

in some salad dressings, pizzas,
relishes, fish sauce and some
soy and Worcestershire sauces
Shellfish

such as prawns, mussels, scampi,
crab, oyster sauce, shrimp paste
Gluten

in cereals such as wheat, rye and barley
and foods containing flour, such as bread,
pasta, cakes, pastry, meat products,
sauces, soups, batter, stock cubes,
breadcrumbs, foods dusted with flour

Sesame
in bread, breadsticks, tahini, houmous,
seeds
sesame oil
SESAME
OIL
Celery

including celery stalks, leaves and seeds
and celeriac, in salads, soups, celery salt,
some meat products

Sulphur
in meat products, fruit juice drinks, dried
dioxide
fruit and vegetables, wine, beer
Beer

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7 tips on food allergy

1. When someone asks you if a food contains a particular
ingredient, always check every time – never guess.
If you check but you’re still not sure, tell the customer
so they can decide for themselves.
2. If you are sel ing a food that contains one or more of the
ingredients which can cause a problem, list them on the card,
label or menu – and make sure the information is accurate.
3. Keep up-to-date ingredients information for any ready-made
foods that you use (for example, a fil ing you put in a sandwich).
The ingredients might be on the label or invoice.
4. When you are making food, make sure you know what
is in all the ingredients you use, including cooking oils,
dressings, toppings, sauces and garnishes.
5. If you change the ingredients of a food, make sure you
update your ingredients information and tell other staff
about the change.
6. If someone asks you to make some food for them that
does not contain a particular ingredient, don’t say yes
unless you can make sure that absolutely none of that
ingredient will be in the food.
7. If you’re making food for someone with an al ergy, make
sure work surfaces and equipment have been thoroughly
cleaned. And wash your hands thoroughly before
preparing that food.

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For more information and advice about al ergy, visit:
food.gov.uk/allergy
This section contains best practice guidance for
caterers and people sel ing unpackaged foods and
gives information on the FSA’s work on food al ergy
and intolerance, including research and label ing.
A poster that could be used as a training aid is also
available to download. To order a copy, contact
Food Standards Agency Publications. Contact details
are on the back cover.

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For further information and advice about food,
visit the Food Standards Agency’s websites:
eatwel .gov.uk
food.gov.uk
salt.gov.uk
Food Standards Agency Publications
To order further copies of this or other publications produced
by the Agency, contact Food Standards Agency Publications:
tel
0845 606 0667
minicom 0845 606 0678
fax
020 8867 3225
email
foodstandards@ecgroup.co.uk
Published by the Food Standards Agency November 2007
Design by Hoop Associates
Print by SLS Print
© Crown copyright 2007
Printed in England 50k FSA/1201/0108
This publiction is printed
When you have finished with
on 75% recycled paper
this publication please recycle it

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