Tag: food allergies

Worldwide Food Service Safety Month chef testing Temperature of the meat
Food Safety December 15, 2016

Worldwide Food Service Safety Month Recognizes Practices as Critical as Any Other Customer Service Standard

Food Safety December 15, 2016

Preventing Harm is Basis of Worldwide Food Service Safety Month  Every year since 1994, December marks Worldwide Food Service Safety Month. The annual observation was established to remind everyone, from the professional food service industry, to cooks at home around the world, that food safety is of supreme importance. Buying, storing, preparing, and serving food are the typical topics covered, but what does food safety really mean when it comes to serving custom eaters at our events? Hint: It’s more than remembering to wash our hands and change aprons. The Basics Let’s begin with the basics we expect to hear about:…

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thanksgiving food allergies
Community Dietary Needs Food Allergies November 23, 2016

Thanksgiving Dishes for Guests with Food Allergies

Community Dietary Needs Food Allergies November 23, 2016

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful opportunity to come together, but it can also be a bit intimidating for a number of reasons. Whether you are hosting, catering, or bringing a dish, it’s tough to make sure there will be something for everyone. Thanksgiving Food Allergies are just one of many ways to make your guests feel welcome. Chances are someone, most likely more than just one someone, will have dietary restrictions of some kind. Here are just a few recipes to consider that will help address the Big Eight allergens as well as a few other common dietary restrictions. Just…

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Jack O' Lantern on the Halloween party
Food Allergies October 27, 2016

Halloween: Keep Your Custom Eaters Safe from Forbidden Foods, Not Just Pesky Ghouls

Food Allergies October 27, 2016
Five Ideas for Frightfully Festive Cocktail Hour Fare Halloween parties are a fun opportunity to get creative while maintaining that special balance between making everything look creepy and delicious at the same time. It’s almost an art form and the catering craft has certainly seen its share of epic wins and brutal scares. One thing that shouldn’t be scary on Halloween is knowing whether the food is safe to eat. Anyone with food allergies can attest to the difficulties inherent in eating at parties. Add to that the additional vigilance needed when meals are disguised for a theme and it…

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Food Allergy and the ADA
Thrive! in the News October 12, 2016

Food Allergies and the ADA

Thrive! in the News October 12, 2016

My good friend Dr. Tyra Hilliard, PhD, JD, CMP, is a meetings industry attorney, college professor, speaker and writer. In her latest article for Plan Your Meetings, “Food Allergies and the ADA,” she explains how and why the Americans with Disabilities Act was amended in 2008 to be more inclusive and broader in scope than the original and now incorporates eating and breathing as major life activities. She and I will be talking about this together next week at IMEX America on Tuesday, October 15 at 3:00 p.m. in our session “Food, Risk & Liability: More Than Menu Planning.”

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Food Allergies October 11, 2016

Global Handwashing Day – It’s a Lifesaver

Food Allergies October 11, 2016

This month is packed with food related hashtag days, recognition days, and awareness days. What month isn’t, right? But this month, in particular, has a few I want to recognize. I have a few articles coming your way to help us celebrate, but this Saturday, October 15th, I am recognizing Global Handwashing Day. Now, Global Handwashing Day may not be the most glamorous sounding event, but when you stop to understand and think about it, we’re marking a day of awareness that helps to save lives! That’s right, washing hands with soap saves lives. The homepage for Global Handwashing Day…

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Meetings & Events September 15, 2016

Honoring Honorees & Honoring Attendees: Creative Food & Beverage

Meetings & Events September 15, 2016

Our honored attendees and distinguished guests are so important, but it’s easy for our recognition traditions to fall stagnant. From announcements in the program to event website profile pages, we work hard to provide well-deserved recognition. Following are some pretty cool ideas that help keep our recognition practices fresh and some even integrate creative food trends. Create souvenir style coasters with the name and achievement, or a personal quote, of each honoree. Don’t just throw them in the goodie bags people get upon registration. Put them on the tables in the dining area. It’s a great way to keep the…

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Dietary Needs Food Service Meetings & Events August 25, 2016

Epi-Pen Price Hikes – What you need to know

Dietary Needs Food Service Meetings & Events August 25, 2016

Prices of EpiPens have been skyrocketing for the past few years, causing many to demand answers and even more to go without a potentially life-saving treatment that was once available, decades ago, for the price of a pair of drugstore sunglasses.  EpiPens could be called a safety net. People with serious allergic reactions are at risk of anaphylaxis. Certain foods, medicines, insect bites and stings, even latex, can cause symptoms such as wheezing, swelling, drops in blood pressure, vomiting, and loss of consciousness. The EpiPen quickly delivers adrenaline in the form of epinephrine to temporarily pause the immune system’s reaction…

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Allergic Living Spring 2016 cover
Food Allergies Meetings & Events August 2, 2016

Mixing Business & Allergies

Food Allergies Meetings & Events August 2, 2016
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2016 issue of Allergic Living. Off to a convention and packing special food needs? There's much to know. Allergic Living Spring 2016 As I exited a luncheon in a hotel ballroom last fall, I saw a fellow attendee being tended to by a swarm of EMTs and convention staff. She was being treated for an anaphylactic reaction to the food she was served. She had informed the meeting planner and hotel of her serious food allergies, yet in this case, that wasn’t enough. Fortunately, after a trip to the hospital, the woman recovered…

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An Open Letter to the Meetings Industry
Dietary Needs Duty of Care Food Service Meetings & Events July 21, 2016

Meetings Industry – An Open Letter on Inclusion

Dietary Needs Duty of Care Food Service Meetings & Events July 21, 2016

Dear Meetings Industry, In June 2016, I attended Meeting Professionals International (MPI) World Education Congress. As usual, the international conference was well attended and a wonderful gathering of top industry professionals. We studied food and beverage topics, budgeting, international trends, hybrid and virtual meetings and more. Added to this year’s event was a celebration of inclusion … mostly. Unfortunately, the convention occurred on the heels of the tragic LGBT nightclub shooting in Florida, where 49 people were killed, over 50 were injured, and over 200 were held hostage until the gunman’s death, when police stormed the club around 2 a.m.…

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Food Allergy Action Month
Dietary Needs Food Allergies Food Service Medical Conditions Meetings & Events May 3, 2016

May is Food Allergy Action Month: Quick & Easy Ways to Celebrate

Dietary Needs Food Allergies Food Service Medical Conditions Meetings & Events May 3, 2016

It’s Food Allergy Action Month: Learn the Facts to be Prepared Right now it’s peak season for allergies and that includes food allergies. While the prevalence, severity, and impact of food allergies as well as the current understanding of food allergies in diagnostics, treatments, prevention and public policy are being studied, it’s important that a broad awareness be built – allergies are potentially life threatening and there is no known cure. Thrive! Meetings & Events is helping to create public awareness out of the commitment to serve individuals, families, and communities affected by the disease, but most importantly to also help inform…

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