For many people, eating out at a restaurant, café or within another premises such as an airport, or a garden centre, or even at a posh business ‘do’ is something to look forward to.

Anticipation of food is something that’s integral to all our lives and to many cultures globally. Food, meals and sharing of food is an important thing.

However, when you have serious allergies, intolerances and/or anaphylaxis this can be a complete nightmare. It means that many people simply avoid eating out and will make excuses not to attend events – they will opt out – because they are scared.

They’re scared of the risks to their health, scared of being seen as ‘different’ or being isolated by their condition. This is one of the unseen side effects of having serious allergies.

And make no mistake that allergies are on the rise globally, particularly among children and particularly around allergies to food products and ingredients. Since lockdown, many eateries are putting out disclaimers which basically exclude those with allergies.

That little sentence which often comes after the paragraph about sharing your dietary needs – ‘however we cannot 100 per cent guarantee that there will be no cross contamination’. For someone like me the hidden message is that I’m not welcome.

As someone who lives with these worries on a daily basis, and as a business owner at Creative Nature, I’m expected to be at events, and I have to make the effort often.

In many ways I’m very glad that this pressure is put upon me as I’ve learned to handle this and here are my tips for anyone reading this who finds themselves with allergies, who have children with allergies or loved ones with allergies.

1. If you are wanting to eat out at a restaurant/café/eatery read the reviews to see if any other people with allergies have reviewed them lately. You may soon pick up if they are allergy-friendly.

2. Do contact them before booking to ask about their allergy policy, the ingredients included in the menu, to find out if any of them are problematic foods for you. Don’t forget to ask about drinks too – some have allergens in them. If there is any doubt or the person who takes your call is evasive or frankly clueless, book elsewhere.

3. If they pass, do ask about their preparation space, and if they use different utensils to prepare allergen-free meals. An allergy-friendly eateries will be used to this and won’t mind sharing that information. Most will also allow you to look at this space when you arrive for peace of mind. They may even offer for you to visit, if practical, before you book.

4. Ask about cross contamination in terms of food servings… are foods kept separately, and again, are different utensils used around storage?

5. Explain the nature of your allergies and what symptoms you might show if you do have a reaction. You can also explain that you have a MedicAlert ID, which provides vital information in the event of an emergency. This gives some comfort to the eatery staff that they have a point of reference should you inadvertently become poorly. It also means emergency health staff can treat you safely and not inadvertently give you medicines which also contain allergens. 

6. If you don’t have a MedicAlert ID, I do recommend you consider getting one for yourself. lf, or your affected loved one because accidents do happen, even in an eatery catering for those with allergies. This just helps with peace of mind.

7. Don’t focus on those eateries which won’t help you or say you are not welcome – although they won’t say it in that way – it will be more like you are expected to ‘eat at your own risk’. Don’t waste time with this and don’t waste time on anger, instead focus on finding those who do welcome you. 

8. When you find a perfect café or restaurant, go back again. Become a returning and loyal customer if that’s practical for you, as it shows you really appreciate the effort they have made with you.

9. Share information about that café or restaurant with those contacts you have that could also use that café/restaurant/eatery. Spread the word. Do a review on their Facebook page. Make it a huge benefit to have you as a customer. Sing their praises and sing them loud. It might just encourage other eateries to be more allergy-friendly themselves