Allergy awareness program for food industry

A food allergy awareness training program was launched on World Allergy Day in Canada Bay, designed to help businesses better cater to the needs of people with allergies.

Claimed to be a world first government-industry-consumer initiative, the pilot program is a joint initiative between the NSW Food Authority and Food Regulation Partnership and the City of Canada Bay Council.

Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said Anaphylaxis Australia Inc and Restaurant & Catering NSW/ACT also supported the program.

“This is the first program of its kind in the world to give food service operators the knowledge and tools they need to give allergy sufferers correct advice about the food they order,” he said.

“Over 160,000 people in NSW alone suffer food allergies and their ability to dine out is severely restricted because of uncertainty about the foods they are served.

“Allergic reactions can range from mild to extreme, so it’s vital for people living with food allergies to be able to accurately assess the risk of eating any food.”

The program includes a half-day workshop covering labelling and traceability of ingredients, avoiding cross contamination during handling and preparation of food and methods for dealing with specific dietary allergens of customers.

Food businesses will be given materials designed to reinforce allergy aware procedures among food service managers, kitchen and front-of-house staff.

Once program requirements are met, all businesses will be able to display an Allergy Aware logo.

Over 21 people completed the training and are now implementing allergy aware systems into their businesses. Businesses should be able to start promoting their Allergy Aware status early next year, once council has confirmed those systems are operating correctly.

Plans are underway to extend the program to food businesses across NSW.