Food allergens may be a cause of distress in the catering industry. Stephanie Fsadni visits the Institute of Tourism Studies to see how tomorrow’s chefs are being trained to cater for people suffering from food allergies and what precautions are needed.

The catering industry is facing one big hurdle: food allergens, foremost among which is gluten. Five per cent of the population suffers from allergens, and one per cent is coeliac, that is circa 4,000 people.

Although there is no legally-binding rule that a restaurant must meet the dietary requirements of clients, turning away prospective clients is not an ideal option. However, for restaurants to claim they provide allergen-free food, they must be 100 per cent committed to the service offered and take their clients seriously.

Joseph Casingena, programme coordinator, food preparation and production at the Institute of Tourism Studies, is deeply concerned.

“To date, no kitchen in Malta is legally recognised as being equipped for people with allergens. Some factories are up to standard but restaurants still lag behind,” Casingena says.

When a client asks you about ingredients, he’s not being difficult but simply cautious about what he’s ordering

He refers to restaurants that offer, for example, gluten-free alternatives to pasta and pizza.

“It’s illegal to offer a gluten-free alternative to clients unless you have scientific proof,” he claims.

EU Regulation 1169/2011, on the provision of food information to consumers, requires that allergen information is made clear. This applies to both pre-packed food and non-pre-packed foods, including catering.

According to the new regulation, there are 14 major allergens:

• Cereals containing gluten (namely wheat, such as spelt, khorasan wheat/kamut) rye, barley, oats or their hybridised strains

• Nuts, namely almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts and macadamia nuts

• Peanuts

• Milk

• Celery

• Sulphur dioxide and sulphites

• Sesame seeds

• Soybeans

• Eggs

• Fish

• Crustaceans

• Molluscs

• Lupin (a plant of the pea family)

• Mustard

In the case of pre-packaged food, it is relatively easy to make such allergens clear to consumers on the label, but businesses such as restaurants should highlight them in specific ways on the menu to help identify them.

“The menu is a restaurant’s label,” points out Casingena. “You cannot have secret ingredients.”

In the case of gluten, only foods that contain 20 parts per million (ppm) or less can be labelled as ‘gluten-free’. This may apply to specialist substitute gluten-free products like breads, flours and crackers, which may contain gluten-free wheat starch, as well as processed foods made from naturally gluten-free ingredients like soups, baked beans and crisps.

Foods with a gluten level between 21ppm and up to 100ppm may be labelled as ‘very low gluten’.

It is fairly impossible to have foods containing no gluten, because the protein is found in a vast number of products, such as hams, sausages, mince meats, chicken nuggets, tomato ketchup, ground spices and sweetened creams. Some of these products contain rusk, which is a wheat-based food additive, or have gluten as a bonding agent.

A restaurant offering gluten-free food also needs to have a segregated area where the ingredients are handled and the food is cooked.

You cannot say you offer gluten-free pizza when you bake it in the same oven as normal pizza

“You cannot say, for example, that you offer gluten-free pizza when you bake it in the same oven as normal pizza.”

Casingena is worried about the fact that some restaurateurs may not take the issue as seriously as it calls for. He says that many coeliacs in Malta in fact never go to restaurants because they are afraid of not being taken seriously.

“When a client asks about ingredients, you need to take him seriously. He’s not being difficult but simply cautious about what he’s ordering.

“Food servers have to be reassuring and not base themselves on some kind of fair assumption.”

At ITS, food allergens are covered in food safety management and are tackled from both a theoretical and practical perspective.

“Students learn how to modify the menu according to the needs of the individual. This can range from classical dishes to cocktails,” says food and beverage coordinator Helena Micallef. “They learn about the need to clean the kitchen well before cooking for people with allergens. Ideally, there should be a separate cooking area, like we have at ITS. Utensils and crockery have to be freshly sanitised and uniforms have to be freshly laundered.”

Although Micallef says that food allergies may be a “big headache”, the students take it in their stride.

She adds that Coeliac Association Malta organises two events a year at ITS, where they are offered the normal menu, including pasta, but modify the ingredients.

“They feel safe here,” says Micallef proudly.

The two lecturers agree that the worst case scenario for any restaurant is when people have multiple allergies.

“And these are unfortunately on the increase,” says Casingena.

He stresses that one must also draw a distinction between allergies and intolerance.

The aforementioned allergens are nowadays considered one of the four classes of food safety hazards, meaning they have the potential to cause harm or an adverse health affect when consumed. The others are physical, chemical and biological agents.

Allergies occur when the body’s immune system mistakenly identifies a protein as harmful. This causes a reaction, which may range from mild symptoms such as nausea or vomiting to chest pain.

In the most extreme cases, severe allergic reaction can lead to anaphylactic shock, wherein symptoms can affect several areas of the body and may threaten breathing and blood circulation. If anaphylactic shock is not treated immediately, it can be fatal.

Food intolerances are less severe, yet one must also beware of them. A typical reaction would be eczema.

“You cannot cheat on a client when he asks you for details of a dish. If you do that, you may suffer very serious consequences. Besides dabbling with a client’s health, it also results in bad marketing.”

Casingena says that all the above should be included in staff handbooks at catering establishments.

“Even though there’s no law that stipulates that one must meet the dietary requirements of people, you are ethically obliged to serve them. At the end of the day, you’re there to give a service.”