Tag: food allergies

Check Lists Dietary Needs Food Allergies Laws & Regulations February 2, 2016

Valentine’s Day Reminders for Sweet Success

Check Lists Dietary Needs Food Allergies Laws & Regulations February 2, 2016

Valentine’s is right around the corner and while loved ones are fervently planning the perfect evening, you are assembling the team that will make it happen. But are food allergies and dietary restrictions being planned into your event? Here are just a few reminders to help make the evening a sweet success. Allergens Let’s face it, anaphylaxis isn’t sexy. Keeping an epinephrine auto-injector may or may not be an option in your state. It’s a life saving tool, so if it is available add it to your emergency kit along with at least one staff member trained in how to…

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New Jersey Governor Christie signs Epinephrine Access and Emergency Treatment Act
Food Allergies Laws & Regulations January 21, 2016

New Jersey Announces that Stock Epinephrine Bill is Now Law

Food Allergies Laws & Regulations January 21, 2016

New Jersey Governor signs into law “Epinephrine Access and Emergency Treatment Act” In December 2015 you may have read in the Thrive! blog that the New Jersey state Senate had unanimously approved legislation that would create a training program for anyone who wishes to administer EpiPens, especially coaches, teachers, and other professionals in a public environment. The legislation was written broadly enough to include restaurant, hotel, and convention workers. The New Jersey legislation, Bill A-4094/S-2884, titled, “Epinephrine Access and Emergency Treatment Act,” had been awaiting Governor Christie’s signature until Monday, January 11th, when it was signed into law. Epinephrine is a controlled substance and…

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The new Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2015 was introduced simultaneously to the U.S. Senate and to Congress
Food Allergies Laws & Regulations January 14, 2016

A Spotlight on the New Food Labeling Modernization Act and Meetings

Food Allergies Laws & Regulations January 14, 2016

The new Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2015 is important to the food allergic community and the meetings industry [list icon=”icon: check-square-o” icon_color=”#d81c5c”] The new bill will add sesame to the U.S. top allergen list The bill leaves out important provisions preventing cross-contact Unpackaged foods will need to declare allergens at point-of-sale [/list] New legislation, introduced simultaneously to the U.S. Senate and to Congress in November 2015 has serious implications for the meetings industry and is of significant importance to the food allergic community. Named, “The Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2015,” the purpose of the bill is “to amend the Federal Food,…

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Stock epinephrine laws can help keep attendees safe at meetings
Food Allergies Laws & Regulations December 29, 2015

2015 Saw Dramatic Increase in Epinephrine Laws Across the U.S.

Food Allergies Laws & Regulations December 29, 2015

Epinephrine Laws Enable Venues to Stock and Educate Staff on this Life-saving Medication When someone experiences a severe allergic reaction, their first line of defense is epinephrine, a drug that treats many signs of anaphylaxis all at once. Up until the last few years, epinephrine was only allowed to be purchased with a personal prescription or administered by trained medical staff. Today, as food allergy reactions increase and awareness for this potentially life-threatening condition grows, the call for epinephrine laws to allow “stock” EpiPens in places like schools, restaurants, convention centers, and even airplanes, has escalated. For those individuals who…

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Food Allergies Laws & Regulations December 15, 2015

Allergy Labelling in the European Union: How Confident is the Freefrom Customer when eating out?

Food Allergies Laws & Regulations December 15, 2015

Food businesses and their staff need more training to better manage the expectations of the FreeFrom customer A year ago the European Union enacted EU1169 requiring that all food served directly to consumers – pre-packaged and unpackaged – list any of the 14 food allergens they contained. Our friends at Food Allergy Training Consultancy (FATC) wanted to see how the freefrom community thought food service business were doing in meeting the regulations for allergy labelling in the European Union. Below are the results from the survey they did, reprinted with permission from Food Allergy Aware. Since the European Union introduced the Food Information Regulations…

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Thrive!'s Meal Ticket System Helps Streamline Dietary Needs Management
Dietary Needs December 8, 2015

Introducing Meal Tickets to Simplify Dietary Needs Management

Dietary Needs December 8, 2015

Meal Tickets Help Identify and Communicate Important Information One of the biggest challenges meeting planners and catering managers face is the efficient accommodation of the spectrum of allergies, religious restrictions, and dietary choices of attendees. As the founder of Thrive!, Tracy Stuckrath is very familiar with the increasingly common outcry around dietary needs management, “I wish there was a clear, organized system for identifying and accommodating the dietary restrictions of our attendees – without slowing down service.” In answer to this challenge, Thrive now offers standard and customized Meal Tickets! By implementing Thrive’s Meal Ticket system, dietary needs management just got easier. Through the use of diet…

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Waitress is carrying two plates
Dietary Needs Food Service September 5, 2015

In the Meetings Industry, Bad Service Is a Disservice

Dietary Needs Food Service September 5, 2015

At some point, we have all experienced bad service at a restaurant. The exact experiences may vary, but bad service always leaves patrons feeling unfulfilled and well, sort of peeved. When we choose to spend our money at an establishment, we expect certain, basic standards to be met. The standards bar is set differently from restaurant to restaurant, but there are fundamental expectations patrons look forward to. These include going over the specials, offering drink refills, and checking in once in a while to ask if everything suits their needs. This and other tidbits of service should be the standard…

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Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho Ingredients
Meetings & Events August 21, 2015

Do you Know What Ingredients You Need to Create a Safe Food Event?

Meetings & Events August 21, 2015
An Analysis of the Ingredients Used for an Event Earlier this year, I attended a meetings industry conference where I was hired to give two presentations on how to manage dietary requests at meetings and events. The challenges with managing dietary needs can be confusing, frustrating and never ending. We already have a lot on our to do list, so adding a few more ingredients might seem annoying. However, I see those ingredients as opportunities to make attendees feel safe, valued and confident in their experience. I commend the organization for taking steps to meet the needs of their more than 2,000 attendees…

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Putting out "fires" at events is part of a meeting planner's job description. What procedures do you have in place to manage them successfully?
Duty of Care July 31, 2015

How to Avoid Food Allergy Catastrophes at Events

Duty of Care July 31, 2015

I hate to be a downer, but when was the last time you thought about the worst case scenario at your event? Catastrophes can come in many forms: hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, acts of terrorism, bombings, riots, medical pandemic, attendee accidents or death. Having procedures in place to handle situations is key to ensuring guest safety, whether you’re a meeting or event planner, a travel director or representative of a corporation. It’s your responsibility (it falls under your duty of care) to your attendees while at your event. Aside from these five standard safety measure all meeting planners and travel directors can…

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Stock epinephrine laws can help keep attendees safe at meetings
Duty of Care Food Allergies Laws & Regulations May 14, 2015

Historic Law Makes Georgia Events Safer for Attendees

Duty of Care Food Allergies Laws & Regulations May 14, 2015

Last week, the governor of Georgia, Nathan Deal, signed a bill into law which makes Georgia events safer for attendees with food allergies. Georgia SB126 allows places of public accommodation such as restaurants, hotels and convention centers to stock epinephrine — the first-line medication to treat anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction. In light of the fact that nearly 50 percent of fatal food allergic reactions are triggered by food consumed outside the home and to foods that were thought to be safe,* allowing event venues to obtain epinephrine auto-injectors provides a huge sense of relief for food allergy sufferers who attend events in Georgia. According to the Convention…

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