Saturday, August 2, 2014

Safe Travel With Serious Food Allergies

These steps can ensure a safe meal in restaurants:

Ask the right questions: How a question is phrased makes a difference in the answer, especially if language is an issue.

If you just ask whether a dish has peanuts in it, the waiter may say no, because no nuts are obvious, Dr. Bock says. A waiter also might assure you that French fries don't have milk or shellfish in them.

So ask specific questions. For example, ask if the fries were cooked in the same oil as fried mozzarella or calamari, Koeller says. Or ask, "Were any of the ingredients in this dish made with peanut products or cooked in peanut oil?"

Confirm your order: When the waiter brings your meal, describe what you ordered to confirm that it's what you're getting. It can prevent mix-ups, Koeller says.

If you send a dish back to the kitchen, make sure you get another that's freshly made. Sometimes waiters just scrape off the cheese or pick out the nuts from the rejected dish, and return it to your table.

One way to ensure you have a new meal: "If you're in a restaurant and get contaminated food, don't send it back to the kitchen until you get a new [dish]," Dr. Bock advises.

Luckily, awareness of food allergies is increasing, especially in the U.S., where "a lot of restaurants have education programs for their staff," he notes.

Still, if you suspect the wait staff, manager or chef doesn't understand or accommodate your dietary needs, dine elsewhere, Dr. Bock says.