New Online Course - Food Allergy Awareness

Food allergies are increasingly prevalent among diners. For someone with severe food allergies, even a tiny amount of their allergen could be deadly.

In Australia food allergies now affect an estimated 1 in 20 children and 2 in 100 adults. Recent research indicates that the most severe allergic reactions occur while eating food prepared or served outside of the home (Allergy & Anaphylaxis 2018).

To address this serious issue, Allara Learning has developed a food allergy awareness online course to assist front-of-house staff working within the Australia food service industry.

The course aims to help build awareness of the serious risks that food allergies pose, and the obligations of staff when preparing and serving food to customers with a food allergy.

The online interactive course uses real-life scenarios and thought-provoking challenges to help front-of-house staff:

• gain knowledge about food allergens
• understand the serious risk food allergies pose
• learn how to communicate with customers and kitchen staff regarding food allergies
• identify and avoid cross-contamination risks
• recognise the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction
• respond to food allergy emergencies including anaphylaxis

Allara Learning CEO Andrew Lewis said:

“We found that many food allergy courses are focussed on kitchen staff, and neglect front-of-house staff. It’s very important that front-of-house staff also understand their responsibilities when preparing and serving food to customers with a food allergy.

We hope that our new Food Allergy Awareness course for front-of-house staff helps to redress this”