According to recent research from the Food Standards Agency – the legislation has helped, but not spectacularly.
The agency used interviews and food diaries from food allergic and intolerant people across the UK, both before and a year after the legislation came into force, to find out how they would like to be provided with information when they ate out, and whether they thought provision of information had improved since the legislation.
Starting, as they point out, from a very low base (interviewees had tended not to be adventurous at all when they ate out at all so any improvement would be significant) interviewees were being rather more adventurous both in going out and in what they chose when they were out.
While most people still preferred to consult a written source of information about their proposed eateries (website, menus etc) before they decided to go out and when they actually got there, the best experiences were always had when the staff at their chosen eateries were knowledgable and informed. But most respondents were also very aware of a ‘range of subtle cues from staff and the broader ‘body language’ of the venue to get a sense of how much they could be trusted to provide a safe eating out experience’.
Attitudes to signs asking guests to make themselves known to staff if they had allergy problems were mixed. Some saw them as a cop out – just box ticking – others saw them as genuinely helpful and encouraging.
However, more information about allergens did not necessarily mean greater choice of allergen-free dishes. Coeliacs and those on gluten-avoiding diets were seen to fare best with the widest choice of gluten-free dishes, while those with milk/dairy issues felt that they were very poorly catered for.
For the full report see the FSA’s website here.
The report doesn’t seem to have helped much. I have corn as well as wheat intolerance and people in many restaurants don’t seem to understand that it can be life threatening, even though I explain that I can’t eat dishes with them in. Even a small amount gives me atrial fibrillation and I carry an emergency pill everywhere. The main problem that hasn’t been tackled that I’ve encounterd is people who own or work in restaurants with poor English skills. They nod and smile but you wonder how much they’ve understood. Furthermore, traditional foods from some countries, which didn’t normally contain wheat or cornflour eg in Indian food are now being made with it, presumably because it’s cheaper. The cooks/waitstaff don’t seem to understand how dangerous this can be. Last year a woman died because of that. Last month I had to take an emergency pill after eating in a restaurant that had been safe formerly, and after eating a packet of Ainslie Harriot’s szechuan soup that had been safe before but which had a changed recipe. No warning of this and I’d been eating the soup for 5 years with no trouble previously. Another emergency pill. He did not reply to my email. From the way I’m sometimes treated I think people consider me ‘fussy’. I wish!
Maybe the legislation has concentrated some minds in the industry, but to be honest it’s incredibly patchy and frustrating.
Basically the result has been that eateries have put a note on their menus and on the premises saying that those with allergies should consult the staff. That’s often as far as it goes. My spirits used to be lifted when I saw that on a menu, but I now know this doesn’t necessarily mean anything.
The worst, i.e. an Indian restaurant in Scotland that I went to where they said yes, they cater for allergies (on their menu and in their window)- and then, whatever I asked about, yes- it’s gluten free- including food that was full of it! No understanding, no education, no interest.
Middling – there’s a local fusion restaurant. Writ bold on their menu is the statement that many of their meals are gluten free so just consult staff before ordering. It was my 60th birthday and family came from all over the country. Weeks before we’d booked to eat in the restaurant, with full disclosure. My husband even went there personally the week before to check all is ok for me- yes, all is good. On the night the staff – who are all English and Welsh speakers, this isn’t a language thing- tell us the proprietor must take our order because I can’t eat gluten. She was so busy nattering that she just didn’t come over – we must have waited over half an hour before we collared a waitress and reminded her – again more waiting, it was ridiculous. At the end of the meal the one desert I could have eaten was sold out and, again, I was made to feel 2nd class. I won’t eat with them again.
Best – Cheshire Ice Cream farm – before any legislation their allergy procedures were 2nd to none.
The Indian Restaurant down the road – they have front of house staff who understand fully and they regularly cater for a couple of coeliacs. Plus you don’t wait any longer for food than anyone else.
We were in Canterbury on the way to Dover. There’s both Pizza Express and Pizza Hut there, so I knew I could safely eat hot food. But we came across a place called Pork & Co who specialise in pulled pork. We thought we’d ask – the guy said he was sorry but the pulled pork does contain gluten in the mix, but the chicken wings were ok for me – what did I think? I thought – fine! He came back quickly – “I’ve had a thought, today we are doing a hog roast, I checked and there’s no gluten in that. Would you like hog roast instead of pulled pork instead of pulled pork? And no bread of course” That would do fine! And it did, it was lovely. No one made me feel like I was a pain, no one made me wait longer for my food. Great service.
In the end it comes down to attitude and training. It doesn’t matter how clued up and enthusiastic top management are if the front line staff haven’t a clue and don’t care – and I’ve experienced that attitude a lot! Eateries need to educate and train every single member of staff, including (especially!!) the seasonal staff, on this. It’s no good the customer talking to the waiting staff and stipulating – no bread with my salad because it will make me ill – if they don’t take any notice and plonk it in top (no you can’t just take it off- here or secretly in the kitchen!!!).
And honestly, if eateries don’t want to provide allergy free food, say so! It saves a lot of disappointment!