Potential Problem Areas

• Menus don’t contain full information about foods that can cause serious allergic reactions. This could be confusing. For example, if the menu says that one dish contains nuts, customers might think there are no nuts in other dishes where nuts aren’t mentioned

• Hidden ingredients, especially peanuts and nuts, are not included in the menu /product description – for example, nuts used in the base of a cheesecake.

• Foods that can cause severe allergic reactions are put next to other foods in the preparation area, for example, pastries with nuts or seeds on top are put on the same baking tray as those without nuts or seeds.

• Small amounts of foods that can cause severe allergic reactions get into other dishes, because worktops and equipment haven’t been cleaned properly.

• Foods that can cause severe allergic reactions, especially nuts, seeds and milk products, can be transferred from one dish to another in self-service areas, for example if customers use the same spoon.

• Customer orders get mixed up – for example, a customer asking for a salad made without walnut oil dressing is given a salad with the usual dressing on it.

• Staff run out of one ingredient and use something else instead (for example, peanuts to replace another type of nut) and don’t tell the serving staff.