Rachel Kaunas

Lauren Lenk
March 9, 2018
USJ – Dietetic Internship

INSERVICE PROJECT: Food Allergens

Why Food Allergen In-Service?

Food allergies are becoming increasingly prevalent in our world, especially amongst

younger generations. In fact, current research estimates that 3.5-4.0% of the United State’s (US)

population suffers from IgE-mediated food allergies.​1​ While most reactions are considered mild,

those with more severe reactions are up against the possibility of death from anaphylaxis.​2​ The

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that food-related anaphylaxis accounts for an

annual 30,000 emergency room visits, 2,000 hospitalizations, and 150 deaths in the US.​2 ​The

most common food allergens are known as “The Big 8” and include: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish,

tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy.​3​ Currently, there is no cure for food allergies and the only way

to prevent a food-related reaction is total avoidance. At Trinity College there is an increased

concern to prevent severe allergic reactions. The college has taken initiative by designating an

allergen-free room and attempting to accommodate students with food allergens to the best of

their ability. However, formal training on food allergens comes in the form of an annual,

one-hour long course provided by Compass Group that is reserved for management. From there,

it is management’s responsibility to educate the foodservice staff. Thus, the dietetic interns from

the University of Saint Joseph have created a quick and comprehensive in-service that flows

much like the 24-5 Minute Training Modules used for quality assurance and serves as a refresher

of the information provided by Compass Group.

Training Plan

Learning Objectives: ​To provide the foodservice staff with the knowledge to identify the major

food allergens, recognize allergic reactions, and manage food allergies in the workplace.

Stage Key Points Training Time Learning

Aids/Tools Check

Introduction -Introduction of N/A 2 Minutes N/A

dietetic interns.

-Learning
objectives.

-Why is this
important?

Main Session -Identify the Big -"The Big 8 2.5 Minutes -Check for
8 food allergens. Food Allergens" questions.
Handout.
-Recognize the
symptoms of a -"Symptoms of
food-related Food Allergies"
allergic reaction. Handout.

Main Session -Know how to -"Managing the 2.5 Minutes -Check for
properly serve a Big 8 Food questions.
student with a Allergens"
food allergy. Handout.

-Understand
how to avoid
cross-contact.

Conclusion -Reiteration of -Pass out a 3 Minutes -Collect quiz

the learning multiple choice and grade for
objectives. quiz to each staff results.
member to help
-Inform staff evaluate
that comprehension
 quick-reference of presented
handouts will be material.
posted around
the kitchen.

-Encourage
consulting
management
when unsure
about food
allergen
practices.

Materials/Training Aids/Tools Used

FOOD ALLERGENS IN-SERVICE SCRIPT

-Hi my name is…and we are Dietetic Interns from the University of Saint Joseph.

-Today we will be going over food allergens and at the end of this presentation you should be

able to:

Identify the Big 8 food allergens.

Recognize the symptoms of a food-related allergic reaction.

Know how to properly serve a student with a food allergy.

Understand how to avoid cross-contact.

-Why is this important? Because food allergens are becoming more and more prevalent and can

have life threatening consequences if not prevented. Additionally, “Half of all fatal food allergy

reactions come from exposures in food service establishments.”

-The top 8 food allergens, also known as the Big 8, are Milk, Eggs, Fish, Shellfish, Tree Nuts,

Peanuts, Wheat, and Soy.

 Examples of foods containing the Big 8 would be cheese, pasta, shrimp, cashews, and ice

cream.

-There is no safe amount of a food allergen a person may eat. Upon eating a food containing an

allergen, several symptoms may occur that you should recognized. They are:

■ Tingling or itching in the mouth

■ Hives, itching, or eczema

■ Swelling of the lips, face, tongue, and throat or other parts of the body

■ Wheezing, nasal congestion, or trouble breathing

■ Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting

■ Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting

■ Anaphylaxis
​

-What questions can I answer for you up until this point?

-There are several precautions we can take when serving an allergic customer and to avoid

cross-contact of food allergens.

For serving they are:

■ Wash your hands and change your gloves after contact with food allergens

■ Serve with clean utensils

​

■ Make sure service ware, such as plates and bowls, are clean
​

■ Take ingredients from previously unopened containers and do not use containers that
​

have been in service

■ Cooking does NOT make food safe to eat for someone who is allergic. If you make a

mistake when filling the order – START OVER!

To avoid cross-contact:

■ Wash your hands and change your gloves after contact with food allergens

■ Thoroughly clean surfaces (ex: shared equipment, utensils, grills, toasters, cooking areas,
​

and work tables) with soap and hot water to remove allergens and use sanitizing solution

from a bucket

■ When available, use preparation and serving equipment specifically designated for that
​

allergen (ex: blender for peanut butter)

■ Keep uniforms and aprons clean and be mindful of wiping clothes and sanitizing buckets
​

that have previously been used to remove food allergens

■ Do not use the same fryer oil to fry allergen-containing foods and allergen-free foods

-Are there any additional questions?

After reviewing this information you should now be able to:

Identify the Big 8 food allergens.

Recognize the symptoms of a food-related allergic reaction.

Know how to properly serve a student with a food allergy.

Understand how to avoid cross-contact.

-We will now pass out a brief quiz that we would like you to complete. It should be noted that

the handouts we previously presented will be posted around this facility to reference back to.

-We have been very impressed with the services you provide here at Trinity. If you have any

further questions on food allergens, we encourage you to reach out to management. Thank you

for your time and continue doing a great job!

Learning Check: Quiz

1.​ C
​ ircle all of the 8 major food allergies.

Fish Wheat Shellfish Eggs

Fruit Soy Tree Nuts Peanuts

Oats Celery Milk Olives

2.​ C
​ ircle the foods that contain a major food allergy (Circle all that apply).

Cheese Omelet Cashew

Pasta Oatmeal Ice Cream

Shrimp Orange Juice Spinach

3.​ W
​ hat are some signs and symptoms of a food allergy (Circle all that apply)?

Hives Difficulty Breathing Swollen Mouth

Itching Strep Throat Confusion

Stomach Pain Headache Anaphylaxis

Evaluation and Reflection of In-Service

Out of the 14 quizzes completed, the average score of participants was 83%. Overall, it

was agreed that the in-service was successful. However, a few areas that could use improvement

were noted. For example, “pre-service” presentations are usually alloted a total of five minutes.

In our particular situation, we were given less than 10 minutes to complete everything. Moving

forward, we believe extra time, as well as the ability to use visuals on a powerpoint, would allow

for better comprehension of the information we were providing. Additionally, when grading the

quizzes we noticed that a lot of the foodservice staff did not circle anaphylaxis and some even

asked what the word meant. This scenario is a perfect example of why we should be providing

information at a 5th grade reading level. The next time we present an in-service on food

allergens we will make sure to better explain what anaphylaxis means, as it is not a common

word. In conclusion, with a few minor adjustments and with additional allotted time, we believe
our future in-service presentation on food allergens would have an average comprehension of

95%.

References

1. Prevalence of Food Allergies. Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Food Allergy
Research and Resource Program.
https://farrp.unl.edu/resources/gi-fas/prevalence-of-food-allergies​. Published 2018. Accessed
February 8, 2018.

2. Allergens - Food Allergies: What You Need to Know. US Food & Drug Administration.
https://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/FoodAllergens/ucm079311.htm​.
Updated February 8, 2018. Accessed February 8, 2018.

3. ​Allergenic Foods and their Allergens, with links to Informall. ​Institute of Agriculture and
Natural Resources Food Allergy Research and Resource Program.
https://farrp.unl.edu/informallbig8​.
Published 2018. Accessed February 8, 2018.