With food allergies understandably commanding more industry, regulatory, media and consumer attention, a leading food and health & safety consultancy is offering customised eLearning modules for its clients – enabling them to train staff specifically on their own menus and dishes.
Food Alert, together with established eLearning partner Flow Hospitality, offers a dedicated online module that teaches staff how to recognise the signs and symptoms of allergic reactions, deal with customer queries and understand the food allergens that relate to their particular place of employment. Additionally, it can be integrated into their newly improved and functionally rich digital food safety and health & safety platform, ALERT65, which is available via desktop and App.
David Bashford, Managing Director of Food Alert says: “There has definitely been an increased interest in allergen training and the ability to personalise the eLearning module has enabled clients to refer to their own products and potential allergens and not just a generic list. This makes the training more relevant and interesting.
“It’s about being proactive rather than just reactive and this also helps with ‘due diligence’ as any investigation would focus on whether the food business has taken all reasonable allergen management precautions and measures available to them.”
Food Alert clients learn about the 14 different types of legally prescribed food allergens and how they affect the body, how to deal with customer enquiries relating to particular allergens and being able to recognise the immediate signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction.
This can potentially range from minor food intolerance conditions to extreme cases of anaphylactic shock. The module also includes the latest updates on legislation, as well as allergens on food product labels, allergen signage and emergency food replenishments.
A new law protecting allergy sufferers is due to come into force on 1st October 2021 and will require the full listing of allergens present in foods that are prepacked for direct sale. Until then Food Alert is adopting a robust approach to allergen management training so that its clients can help keep their customers safe and comply with current legislation.