Allergen Management: Vital Food Safety Measures and Solutions

Allergen management is crucial for food safety, with 20% of the population having allergies, emphasizing the need for proper control and prevention measures.

### Allergen Management and Control in Food Service Operations
* 🥜 Food allergies affect **32 million Americans**, with a **377% increase in anaphylactic reactions** between 2007 and 2016.
* 🍽 The "big eight" allergens are **milk, tree nuts, shellfish, eggs, wheat, soy, fish, and peanuts**.
* 📋 Prevention strategies include staff training, menu labeling, clear communication, and **separate handling of allergen plates**.
* 💜 Color coding, particularly using **purple**, is recommended for **allergen control** in both front and back of house operations.
* 🔪 Food prep solutions include **purple cutting boards, utensils, and kitchen mats** to designate **allergen-free zones**.
* 📦 Storage solutions include **color-coded containers and lids**, with **purple options** available in **various sizes**.
* Cleaning options include **purple pails, brooms, and tote boxes** for designated **allergen areas**.
* 📊 Additional resources include **allergen safety flyers and infographics** to support staff training and awareness.

allergen management is a vital aspect of food safety. About 20% of the population has a food allergy or sensitivity, and those numbers only seem to be climbing. Week 2 of Food Safety Education Month is all about allergen control and using color coding to help you keep your customers safe from potential allergen threats in your operation. [Music] According to foodallergy.org, 32 million Americans live with potentially life-threatening food allergies. 32 million! That is a 377% increase in diagnosis of anaphylactic food reactions between 2007 and 2016, which means that every three minutes, an allergic reaction to food sends someone to the ER. [Music] So, what is a food allergen? A food allergen is the protein in a food or ingredient that someone is sensitive to, and when they consume enough of it, an allergic reaction can occur. Some allergy symptoms include, but are definitely not limited to, nausea, trouble breathing, a scratchy or itchy throat, or even throat tightening, abdominal pain.

hives, rashes, and swelling on face, eyes, hands, or feet. So, while there are a lot of food allergens, the big eight are definitely ones to be looking out for, and those include milk, tree nuts, shellfish, eggs, wheat, soy, fish, and peanuts. These are the most common food allergens with the most severe allergic reactions, which is why they have been labeled the big eight. And this is a downloadable PDF that will be made available to you on our website. [Music] So, how do we prevent allergic reactions? Again, this is a great place to start. It's not all-encompassing, but one thing is to make sure that your staff is properly trained on potential allergens, both back of house and front of house. But what the wait staff needs to be able to describe to customers are menu items that do not contain things that they are allergic to. If you don't trust your staff, one great way to make sure that customers know what's in the food is to list potential allergens on the menu. So, whether you list all the

ingredients that are in a dish that could get a little bit long, or maybe you just have an indicator that it has a specific allergen in that dish, which can help a customer know, oh, I need to avoid that or I need to ask for this item minus that ingredient. Something else is when a customer has described that they have an allergen, it's very important that that is communicated from the server to the back of house in a clear way. So, big red letters allergen plate, allergen order, however you want to do it, but make sure that there is an easy way for the kitchen to know if there is a customer in the dining room with an allergy. Something else to do is to keep allergen plates separate from other dishes in the kitchen, and that will help avoid cross-contamination. It's also important to serve them separately in the dining room. If you have food runners or someone other than the server who's running food, this becomes especially important. The last thing you want is for a customer with a serious allergic

reaction to something to be served the wrong dish. It's very very important that that is taken extremely seriously. One way to help avoid cross-contamination in the back of house while preparing foods is to utilize the color purple. And the best way is to have a clear allergen control plan. [Music] So, an allergen control plan is simply identifying, you know, where allergens are in the operation, and then identifying the places that those might have an opportunity for cross-contamination. So, what allergens do we have, and how are we currently treating them, and thinking about everything from receiving to storage to food prep to serving, you know, where is this food gonna go, and how do we keep it away from the other food to protect our customers, um, so that's that's step one. Once you identify what allergens you have in the operation and where those critical control points are or areas of risk or where something might be cross-contaminated is to develop a plan so we know what our issues could be.

we know where cross-contamination might happen, so here's our plan to help prevent that. And then, once you have, you know, what you think is a solid plan, or you know, whatever plan you're going to start with, staff training is extremely important. So, developing a training for your staff so that they understand what your allergen control plan is, is just as important as having an allergen control plan. So now that we've discussed what allergens are and the big eight, let's take a look at allergen management solutions from across our brands. Having a designated place for allergen plates ensures that the guest receives the correct order. The 12x12 allergen safety zone mat helps kitchen staff separate an allergen plate for the server, as you can see here in the picture. Just like we talked about earlier, another great serving solution is our color-coded measurmizers, available in 10 different options in purple. Let's find out more. [Music] [Music] [Music] Now that we've looked at some serving

solutions. Let's take a look at food prep solutions. The 24 by 30 allergen safety zone mat is the perfect way to designate a place in the kitchen for allergen-free food prep. [Music] For operators looking for a complete allergen food prep solution, the allergen safety zone system includes a 12 by 18 purple cutting board. It also includes a turner, tongs, and chef's knife, all with purple handles, and it comes in a great purple case where you can keep it all separate from everything else. And there is an optional thermometer, which is sold separately. Here we have some additional food prep solutions. Although shown here in blue, our house of color-coated scale platforms come in purple in both round and square to fit our digital ascali scales. Purple bases and cutting board refills with and without our smart check indicator are also available in our quad grip cutting boards. The Carlisle commercial measuring cups also come with purple numbering and an allergen-free label. Now on to solutions for food.

storage our store plus color-coded food storage boxes and lids come in several sizes and are available in purple. Our new square storage containers and lids also come in purple. I know what you might be thinking, why is a waste container listed with food storage, but this is our 10-gallon bronco in the color purple. Our bronco waste containers in all sizes are NSF certified and food safe, so when you need to store large quantities or batches, our bronco containers are an inexpensive and hassle-free color-coded option. [Music] Let's find out more about our exciting new square storage solution. [Applause] [Music] So [Music] Finally, let's look at some allergen control cleaning options. First, we have our purple clean pail, perfect for your designated allergen prep area of the kitchen. We also have broom and dust pans in allergen purple, and our comfort curve tote boxes and lids come in the color purple as well. Two resources available in addition to our big eight allergen infographic are our San Jamar allergen

safety flyer and our spectrum food safety fire they both have great information on allergen control and products that provide a solution for that. [Music] Thank you for participating in our training. We hope these videos are both educational and valuable in helping you navigate food safety in your operation.

CFS Brands Food Safety Video - Allergen Management

CFS Brands

The Importance of Allergen Management in Food Safety

About 20% of the population has food allergies or sensitivities, with a 377% increase in life-threatening food allergies from 2007 to 2016 in the US.

The "big eight" food allergens, including milk, tree nuts, shellfish, and peanuts, are the most common causes of severe allergic reactions.

Proper staff training and menu allergen labeling are crucial in preventing allergic reactions and keeping customers safe.

Clear communication of allergens is crucial for customers to make safe choices.

Keeping allergen plates separate and serving them separately helps to avoid cross-contamination, especially with food runners.

Utilizing a color-coded system, such as the color purple, can help prevent cross-contamination in the kitchen.

Developing a clear allergen control plan that identifies allergens and potential cross-contamination points is essential for protecting customers.

Preventing Allergen Cross-Contamination in the Kitchen

Having a solid plan for allergen control is crucial, but it is equally important to provide staff training on the plan.

Designated allergen plates and color-coded measurmizers can help ensure the correct orders for guests.

Food prep solutions include allergen safety zone mats, purple cutting boards, and kitchen tools with purple handles to keep allergen-free food separate.

New Purple Storage Solutions and Allergen Control Products

A store offers a range of purple storage containers, including food-safe options like the square containers and the 10-gallon bronco waste containers.

The store also provides allergen control products in purple, such as the clean pail, broom and dust pans, and comfort curve tote boxes, along with informative resources for allergen safety.

The videos aim to educate and assist with food safety in operations, offering valuable training for the audience.