Italy does allergies right
You will remember that I have previously written about food allergies in my family. I have just returned from a trip to Italy where I discovered, much to my joy and surprise, that they know how to handle food allergies with grace and thoughtfulness. Though we have traveled in other parts of Europe, we had never seen the allergens rules that the EU implemented in 2016 so in effect as we did in Italy. The top fourteen allergens are required to be written for patrons. This allows the chefs to label each dish with the allergen numbers and creates an ease for their customers.
Our family has many, many food allergies. Traveling in foreign countries is challenging and we always carry a food allergy card with us, translated into the local language. In Italy, not a single waitstaff batted an eye when we handed it to them. There was no surprise, no treatment of our family member like a second class citizen. In fact, some restaurants went out of their way to ensure that there was food for our family member.
Why Can’t the US FDA Measure Up?
Returning home, I turn to you now, US FDA. Why can you not require the same thing of the restaurants here? With the rise in food allergies throughout the world, it would create a safer eating environment and encourage more people to go out. This would support the food and hospitality industry economically, decrease the amount of food allergy related emergencies, and create a sense of belonging and calm among patrons with food allergies. Navigating restaurant choices would become easier for those people with food allergies. This also includes tourists who help the American economy.
Food allergies affects everyone and crosses all political parties. This is not something that is likely to cost the US FDA any money nor is it likely to cost restaurants very much except to be thoughtful about writing on their menus the numbers attached to their dishes. Increasingly, restaurants are already training their waitstaff to ask about food allergies and to put on their menu to let waitstaff know if there are food allergies. Taking this one step farther wouldn’t be hard.
Why is it important to have allergies listed?
I am sure that there are those out there that are thinking “It’s not that important. People can just say what their allergies are and be done with it.” That’s not always true. People don’t like to feel different from their eating partners. Not everyone is comfortable advocating for themselves when it comes to their food allergies. Not everyone can just work around it. For some people with food allergies, the concept that meals out are a social situation to be enjoyed is a foreign concept because there may be so much concern about what they are eating.
Imagine having to navigate going on a date and the restaurant that was picked out turns out not to be allergy friendly. Flustered by the situation, the focus then becomes on the food allergy rather than on connecting with another person.
Now imagine that same date with the listing of food allergens. The choice of restaurants ahead of time will allow the patrons with food allergies to make a decision that will ensure a relaxed evening where they can focus on the person that they are with rather than the food allergies. It is that simple.
If anyone knows of a contact in the US FDA, I would like to be in direct contact with them to have this conversation. This is clearly an area that the US is quite behind in and doesn’t need to be. Europe has already created a template (nine years ago!).
Happening in theater…
With 2025 kicking off, lots of shows are now opening in New York (and closing). Even though it is freezing cold out, I strongly encourage you to get to see some theater. There’s some wonderful scripts that have made it to the stage including Pulitzer Prize winner Sanaz Toossi’s “English”.