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An international research team tested the food allergy knowledge of 295 restaurant staff in 15 districts of Düsseldorf, Germany, randomly selected.
"We looked at knowledge and attitudes, and the main finding would be that knowledge levels are not as good as we expected in restaurant staff, because they are people who handle daily food, "said Adrian Loerbroks, senior manager. researcher at the University of Düsseldorf.
Food allergies result from the fact that the body's immune system mistakenly treats the proteins in food as a threat. A small number of foods, such as peanuts, milk, eggs or seafood, are at the root of most allergies.
The researchers conducted face-to-face interviews with 295 restaurant employees between August and October 2017. About 48% of them were waiters and almost half, or 46%, had attended training. food allergy. The majority of them – 89% – expressed confidence in providing information on hypoallergenic meals.
However, the team found that this trust was misplaced: only 41% of participants were able to correctly answer all questions of a five question questionnaire true or false about general knowledge about 39, food allergy.
Loerbroks called the results "very disturbing".
Even though he did not expect the general public to be as informed, he said, he was "actually expecting a higher level of knowledge" for the people. who handle food as part of their daily duties.
"The food allergy affects millions of people around the world and for some, the consequences of an allergic reaction can be fatal," said Bridget Benelam, head of nutrition communication at British Nutrition Foundation, a British charity.
Benelam, who did not participate in the new study, wrote in an e – mail that it was "vital" that the staff members "possess the necessary knowledge to ensure that people suffering from pain and suffering". food allergies can eat safely. "
The researchers found that managers and other staff members of great restaurants and waiters those who have completed high school have a better knowledge of allergies.
Many staff members had a negative attitude towards customers with food allergies, with 42% of them not believing clients who reported food allergies. However, staff expressed a positive attitude about the need to help clients with food allergies.
Some staff also believed misconceptions, the most important being that water should be administered in case of an allergic reaction, which does not work at all, according to Loerbroks. About 65% of study participants identified this misconception as false.
The Loerbroks team found that women working in restaurants were more likely to believe customers who reported having allergies. Loerbroks believes that these servers may have had better food knowledge or would be better able to differentiate between food allergies and lifestyle choices.
The study also revealed that 19% of restaurant staff said they prefer not to serve customers with food allergies. "Not being sure to provide a safe meal was related to this preference of not serving customers with allergies," said Loerbroks.
The researchers said that it was "particularly striking" to find that there was no link between knowledge of food allergies and the completion of food allergy training. In Germany, restaurant staff must undergo mandatory training in food hygiene, but not allergies.
"All of these studies show that it's a problem – it's not a rate problem that some staff members have to deal with," Loerbroks said.
Consumers need to be cautious when eating at restaurants, Loerbroks noted. It is "unfair to badign full responsibility to customers," but customers can reduce their risk by communicating in detail with restaurant staff about their allergies.
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