Sizzle - Winter 2010

our nature is creative
and nurturing, or
you wouldn’t have chosen
to venture into the culinary
field. But that terrain can be
a minefield of allergens that
have the potential to kill the
very guests you aim to please.
That’s a pretty scary scenario,
but the reality is that increasing
numbers of Americans have
food allergies—now about 12
million, or one in 25—plus, a
huge number of people have
undiagnosed food allergies.
Y
People with food allergies
must strictly avoid the
allergen, that is, the food—or
even a trace amount of that
food—that would trigger
an allergic reaction. The
eight foods that trigger
approximately 90 percent of all
food-related allergic reactions
are: milk, shellfish, eggs,
peanuts, tree nuts (almonds,
walnuts, cashews, pecans,
etc.), fish, wheat and soy.
Some experts now suggest
that a ninth allergen, corn,
should be added to the list.
When an allergic reaction is
severe, anaphylaxis—a rare
but potentially fatal reaction
that includes swelling of the
mouth and throat, a drop
in blood pressure, hives or
unconsciousness—may occur.

In the back of the house,
preventing even a trace amount
of allergen from getting into
the food to be served is key,
notes Elizabeth Bugden, a
food safety consultant based
in Manchester, N.H. Bugden
recently participated in “Food
Safety Considerations and
Food Allergy Management
Best Practices for School Food
Service,” the fourth podcast in a
series that was presented by the
School Nutrition Foundation
(SNF) and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA).

“Cross contact occurs when one food comes into contact with another food and their proteins mix,” Bugden explains. “Cross contact can be direct—such as placing a piece of cheese on a hamburger—but it may also be indirect and less obvious. Indirect cross contact may cause food allergen risk because a small amount of food allergen can be transferred to a food. This amount can be enough to cause an allergic reaction.” For example, Bugden says that using the same spatula to serve chicken breast after serving a soy-containing burger may transfer soy to the chicken. Even if this cross contact occurs prior to cooking the chicken breast, the heat of cooking will not kill the protein of the soy contaminant. Certainly, the use of separate utensils reduces the cross contact risk.

Indirect cross contact can also occur by hand—even a gloved hand. As Bugden points out in a school foodservice example, “A foodservice employee picks up a banana/nut muffin with a gloved hand and places it on a student’s tray, and then picks up a blueberry muffin with the same gloved hand and places it on a different student’s tray. The nuts in the banana/nut muffin are known allergens. Small pieces of the nuts may remain on the glove and be transferred to the blueberry muffin. Using separate, clean and sanitized utensils rather than a gloved hand to serve the muffins would reduce the risk of cross contact.” Indirect cross contact can also occur from surfaces, such as a cutting board. “Even a few crumbs from gluten-containing breads and crackers can turn your gluten-free food into a toxic treat,” says Danna Korn, founder of the national support group R.O.C.K. (Raising Our Celiac Kids) and author of Living Gluten-Free for Dummies (Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2006). “Be diligent about cleaning crumbs, and remember the golden rule: When in doubt, leave it out. If you’re not sure that your meal is uncontaminated, don’t eat it.” And, don’t serve it to a guest.

reading labels,
yet again

That edict, “When in doubt, leave it out,” should be taken to heart when diligently reading food labels after each new delivery, warns Peggy Eller, RD, CD, nutrition services director for Wisconsin’s Hudson School District. Eller underscores the dangers of hidden allergens, noting that studies by the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) show that half of reported allergic reactions were caused by hidden allergens. “It is imperative for the foodservice staff to read and check nutrition labels of all products on each delivery,” Eller says. “It is possible for manufacturers to change ingredients without notice. If an ingredient statement is not available or if there is any uncertainty, the product should not be used.”

Cybele Pascal’s allergen-free fudge brownies and chocolate chunk blondie bars. Photo: Chugrad McAndrews; Reprinted with permission from The Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook (Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, 2009)