Like so many who fight for the rights of those with food allergies and food-related disease, Mary C. Vargas found her calling when her youngest son was diagnosed with food allergies and celiac disease. Unlike most of us, Mary also is a founding partner with Stein & Vargas LLP, a civil rights law firm committed to the principle that all people have full and equal access to all parts of American society.
Professor and food safety expert Ben Chapman tackles the tough topic of how to keep meeting participants safe from COVID contagion, from buffets to food festivals.
Erin Malawer had dedicated her life to creating a greater awareness of what food allergies are — and are not — and advocating for those living with food allergies.
A self-described “systems-change nerd,” Emily Brown, founder and CEO, Food Equality Initiative is determined to ensure that all who need allergy-free food have access to it. Celebrating Women’s History Month with stories of women making history today in the food and beverage industry.
Ensuring a safe meal boils down to the importance of communication and advocating for guests with special diets. Creating and delivering memorable events is the plan. But, if an attendee becomes ill due or food poisoning or a meal being contaminated with listeria, the likelihood of return engagement evaporates. Food safety aside, another way attendees can become ill is by being served a meal unsafe or inappropriate for their health condition. Equally concerning is serving a dish which contradicts a religious belief system or health choice. Food allergies, celiac disease, and diabetes are a few health conditions that require personalized…
Many individuals with disabilities use service dog to help with daily living activities like pulling a wheelchair, pushing elevator buttons, retrieving medication or phones and detecting the presence of an allergen. Understand what you need to know about accommodating service animals at events.
Latex lurks in everything from balloons to rubber bands to gloves and can cause skin and respiratory allergic reactions in a growing number of people. Are you doing all you can to ensure the safety of those with latex allergies at your events?
Wine may be made from grapes, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t cause problems for vegan attendees or even those with milk, egg and shellfish allergies.
Attendee dietary and disability needs data need protection too. How are you protecting it?
Understanding Food Safety is Crucial for Controlling Risk Thinking of everything that can go wrong with an event is nearly impossible, but that is what meeting professionals try to do when we create contingency plans as a means to controlling risk associated with our events. Think about the Farmers Insurance “Hall of Claims” commercials showcasing things that have gone wrong — cement pouring into a car, hot air ballon landing on a parked car. It’s a clever campaign that highlights unique claims their customers have submitted. At the end of each commercial, the “voice of God” affirms their tagline: “We…
