Training Helps College Foodservice Ops Cater to Students with Food Allergies

-


A challenge that many food service directors face is accommodating those with food allergies. This is especially an issue in schools, hospitals, and university dining halls. Allergies are becoming more and more common. I have been interning at a school for the last few weeks, and food allergies are a frequent problem that the food service director faces. It is important for food service directors and staff to understand the details of food allergies, because severe reactions to food allergies may even result in death. MenuTrinfo is a company from Colorado that is working with food service businesses to help teach them more about food allergies. MenuTrinfo offers a certification called AllerTrain U, which is a training course that teaches food service employees how to better accommodate for food allergies and celiac disease. Food service staff are provided with a clear understanding of food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities. MenuTrinfo is currently providing training to college and university food service staff. Dartmouth College, Stanford University, and Notre Dame are examples of colleges where food service staff have had the AllerTrain U training. The goals of the training is to ensure the health and safety of incoming students who have special dietary needs as well as give their parents piece of mind that their children are safe.
It is definitely great to see food service managers and employees receiving more training with regards to food allergies. Food allergies are a problem that is not going to go away, and those working in food service need to have a clear understanding of how to handle them. A lot of times, food service employees have not had any training regarding food allergies. If employees aren’t educated on this topic, their customers are not as safe. It would be great to see MenuTrinfo offer training to employees in schools and hospitals as well.
Link to article:
http://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/news/training-helps-college-foodservice-ops-cater-to-students-with-food-allergies/

-AW

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Are All Sugars Created Equal?

-
Image
Are All Sugars Created Equal?  I think one of the most confusing nutrition topics for people is sugar. With so many conflicting stories out there, it’s difficult to separate the facts from the fiction. Not to mention, the types of sugars are endless. How do we know what’s best for our bodies? White or brown sugar? Cane or raw? Should we just go with Stevia instead? Is it even okay to consume artificial sweeteners? Should we avoid foods with high amounts of natural sugar in them? Each answer only seems to lead to another question!  Let’s start off with distinguishing the purpose of sugar in the first place. Do our bodies even need it? The short answer is yes! Sugars are carbohydrates (what we commonly call “carbs”), one of the three main macronutrients that our bodies need for fuel to function and survive. One of the major ways to categorize sugar is by separating the “natural” sugars from the “added” sugars. Natural sugars are, well, naturally found in foods. They give us the energy th
Read more

Milk Mythbusters

-
Image
Just like with any nutrition topic, the facts about milk can become convoluted pretty quickly. Whether you drink milk for the protein, the nutrients, the flavor, or just like to switch it up, there are pros and cons to every kind. Here are some quick nutritional facts about each type to help you decide which is best for you. Animal-Based Milks  Whole Milk: The original diary drink. It gets a bad rap, but what whole milk has going for it, is that it’s in its proper nutritional form. Whole milk contains all of its original fat-soluble vitamins, A, E, D, & K, along with the fat to help you absorb them all. It also has the proper concentrations and ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids, or your omega-3s and omega-6s, so that they are metabolized as they should be. The downside is that whole milk is calorically dense, meaning that a little goes a long way. You don’t need much to get what you need, so just don’t overdo it!  2% Milk: The fat content of 2% milk is about half of that in who
Read more