Information about food allergies

Allergies can cause a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis affects the whole body, often within minutes of eating the food. Examples of nuts associated with allergenic reactions include peanuts, walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, hazelnuts and pistachios. Other associated foods include shellfish and sesame seeds.

Customers must be informed about the exact ingredients of any food they eat, because even a tiny amount of the food or ingredient could kill them. If a customer asks you about ingredients such as nuts and seeds you must take it seriously.

Make sure you or a duty manager know which menu items contain nuts, or may have been prepared using nut oils, or may have been contaminated by use of equipment that was previously used for storage, preparation or cooking of products containing nuts.

• even tiny traces of these foods can kill
• think before using nut and seed oils, salad dressings and seafood sauces
• don’t let nuts, seeds and shellfish touch food that should not have those ingredients
• clean your hands, work surfaces and utensils after handling nuts, shellfish and seeds
• think before cooking with oils that have been used to cook other foods

In an emergency

If you think your customer is having an allergic reaction:

• call 999 and ask for an ambulance straight away
• say your customer could have anaphylaxis – “ANNA-FILL-AXIS”
• stay with them until help arrives
• review your Hazard Analysis straight away – seek advice from The Directorate of Environmental Health (telephone 020 7341 5282)