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{"id":355,"date":"2017-09-18T20:47:55","date_gmt":"2017-09-19T03:47:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yac.consultprdevsites-18.com\/?p=355"},"modified":"2019-07-10T14:22:05","modified_gmt":"2019-07-10T21:22:05","slug":"restaurants-killing-innocent-patrons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yourallergychefs.com\/restaurants-killing-innocent-patrons\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Restaurants Killing Innocent Patrons?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nAre restaurants to blame for so many reported deaths of patrons with food allergies? This is a question that continues to draw attention in the news today. We did some digging to find the facts and along with our knowledge and experience in the food service industry share our opinion on this subject.<\/p>\n
Nearly half of reported fatal food allergy reactions over a 13-year period were caused by food from a restaurant or other food service establishment. (1)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Disturbing Report<\/strong><\/p>\n
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Environmental Health Specialists Network conducted an interview with restaurants. They found that most of the 278 restaurants they interviewed did not follow practices that minimize cross-contact or accidental ingestion of food allergens.<\/p>\n
The restaurants interviewed were in California, New York, including New York City, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Tennessee. Managers of these restaurants reported this disturbing information about their own restaurants:<\/p>\n
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78% have no dedicated set of utensils or equipment in restaurant for preparing allergen-free meals.<\/li>\n
92.4% reported having no special area in the kitchen for preparing allergen-free food.<\/li>\n
Only 10.3% have a special fryer designated for cooking allergen-free food.<\/li>\n
Only 7.2% have a special pick-up area for customers with food allergies.<\/li>\n
Less than half of the surveyed restaurants do not provide food allergy training for their staffs, and the training provided often does not cover important information such as what to do if a customer has an allergic reaction (e.g., difficulty breathing). Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) guidance stresses the importance of staff members responding appropriately to allergic reactions. (2)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Brace Yourself for These Startling Report Findings<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n
First, because the interview responses were self-reported, they are subject to social desirability bias, which might have resulted in over reporting of appropriate practices.<\/li>\n
Second, because interviewed food workers and servers were selected by managers, and not at random, their responses might not represent the experiences or practices of all food workers and servers.<\/li>\n
Third, because the data were collected from English-speaking staff members only, they might not reflect practices in restaurants where no one speaks English.<\/li>\n
Finally, the low response rate (32.6%) might have resulted in an overrepresentation of restaurants with better food allergy practices. (3)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Are Chefs to Blame?<\/strong><\/p>\n
It’s shocking how many food service professionals do not know the difference between cross-contamination and cross-contact.<\/p>\n
Last week we talked to a group of chefs and servers who had no idea what cross-contact was. Most chefs only get training on cross-contamination. For this reason, are the chefs to blame?<\/p>\n
Moreover, what is this cross-contact and how does it differ from cross-contamination?<\/p>\n
Cross-Contact<\/strong><\/p>\n
Cross-contact between foods with allergen and those without<\/p><\/div>\n
Cross-contact is the transference of proteins. This occurs when an allergen is inadvertently transferred from a food containing an allergen to a food that does not contain the allergen.<\/p>\n
The truth is, cooking does not reduce or eliminate the chances of a person with a food allergy having a reaction to the food eaten. This can happen when utensils, pots, pans, or hands are not properly washed and sanitized between food preparations.<\/p>\n
In the example above, cross-contact is likely to occur. The knife with peanut butter and the shrimp are both major allergens on the same cutting board with ready to eat food.<\/p>\n
Cross-Contamination<\/strong><\/p>\n
Cross-contamination is the transference of bacteria and is a common factor in the cause of foodborne illness. Microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses from different sources can contaminate foods during preparation and storage.<\/p>\n
However, proper cooking of the contaminated food in most cases will reduce or eliminate the chances of a foodborne illness.\u00a0(4)<\/p>\n
In this example, chemicals from the spray bottle and raw chicken are contaminants for the ready to eat lettuce.<\/p>\n
Katelyn’s Heartbreaking Story<\/strong><\/p>\n
A 13-year old Chicago girl suffered a fatal anaphylactic reaction after eating Chinese food at a school Christmas party. The food was supposed to be safe.<\/p>\n
Katelyn Carlson, who was allergic to peanuts, was rushed to the hospital in the early afternoon, but died a few hours later. An autopsy confirmed that her death was caused by anaphylaxis, the serious and swift-progressing form of allergic reaction.<\/p>\n
The teacher had checked several times with the restaurant to make sure that the food being prepared would be safe. What happened? The food was tested by the medical examiner’s office and the University of Nebraska. Horribly, the results showed that the food was “heavily contaminated with peanut products and that this was the tragic cause of this child’s death.”<\/p>\n
“Katelyn’s death is tragic and devastating to her parents and her classmates – and frankly to all of us who are at risk of anaphylaxis, or have a child at risk,” says Gwen Smith, editor of Allergic Living<\/em> magazine. Gwen says that Chinese cuisine, except if made at home or by a chef highly trained on allergy management, is too dangerous a choice for those at risk of anaphylaxis due to peanut, nut, sesame or shellfish allergies. These are staples in the cuisine, so the risks of cross-contact or mistakes in such a restaurant kitchen are always high.<\/p>\n
Gwen urgently reminds people with allergies to take extra care when they are eating foods prepared by others and to always use an auto-injector (EpiPen) at the first sign of a serious reaction. In too many of the fatalities, epinephrine is used late or not at all. In case of doubt, please use your auto-injector. (5)<\/p>\n