Food Allergy Friendly Massachusetts

Beginning tomorrow, February 1, Massachusetts restaurants will be required to have a certified food protection manager on staff. This staff member must must have completed allergen-awareness training through a state program and certification must be renewed every five years.

In addition, restaurant managers in MA must make sure their staff is trained and educated in the area of food allergy and the manager must deliver the meal to the table of the food allergic diner.

Yeah Massachusetts!

I've been saying for years, if Disney can make food allergic diners feel comfortable, so can other restaurants. MA is the first state to enact this type of policy. Here's hoping others soon follow.

I see a family vacation to MA in our near future. My kids would love the Freedom Trail and I've always wanted to visit Martha's Vineyard. How much easier our trip planning will be knowing we can speak to restaurant staff about food allergies and they will get it.

Really get it.

I'll be anxious to hear from Massachusetts readers and travelers as this law takes effect. Food allergy awareness will save lives and will allow those with food allergy to participate in activities others take for granted.

Like stopping at a restaurant for a quick lunch; or eating out with friends; or attending a family party at a restaurant...

Everyone has the right to eat safely.

Food Allergy Assumptions

Anaphylaxis Australian says, "assumptions or inactions often lead to avoidable reactions". This is in response to a discussion about dining with food allergy. While those of us who live this every day know that we should never make assumptions about what is in the food we serve to our food allergic loved one,there are several points that bear repeating:

Check all labels every time.
Always carry emergency medication.
Never assume that a food is safe.
Specifically talk to wait staff and/or the chef about food allergy when dining out. Consider a chef card. Leave if "it doesn't feel right".
Know that anything could contain a hidden ingredient- peanut butter in chili, dairy in non-dairy whipped topping. Do your research.

Here's the article that sparked this list. Do you have anything to add?

Eating Out with Food Allergies

Here is the perfect name for a site dedicated to helping people with food allergies dine away from home:

Lonely Plate

Sharona Schwartz has just launched lonelyplate.org, an interactive database that allows visitors to read and write reviews of restaurants, hotels, airlines and kid-friendly venues. The unique aspect is that the reviews pertain specifically to how food allergy and food sensitivity issues are managed.

So, let's say you're planning a trip and one or more family members has a food allergy. Check out the site to see which airline receives the highest ranking from other food allergy families. Read about restaurants at your your destination to choose the allergy friendly spots. Find out which hotels cater to food allergies. Then, after your trip, go to Lonely Plate and post some reviews yourself. It's a great way for food allergic families to share information.

Sharona has also made a commitment that if certain establishments continually pop up as mis-handling food allergy concerns, they will contact them to bring these reports to their attention and to offer help in amending procedures.

A win-win for all, I say. Check out lonelyplate.org and share some of your experiences.