School canteens face the difficulty and challenge of safely providing the nutrition required by children with food allergies and intolerances.
Food allergy or hypersensitivity is an adverse reaction presented by an individual after the ingestion, contact, or inhalation of a food with a proven immunological cause.
Food intolerance is characterized by the inability to digest and metabolize a food. In this case, no immune defense mechanism is involved.
Some people with an intolerance are able to consume small amounts of the food to which they are intolerant (except in the case of gluten), whereas in the case of an allergy, the component must be completely eliminated.
The most common intolerances are to lactose and gluten (celiac disease).
Allergies occur only in certain previously sensitized individuals and can happen after exposure to very small amounts of food. Allergens are recognized by the immune system as “foreign” or “dangerous” substances, whereas in most people they cause no response at all.
For example, the main foods most involved in allergic reactions are:
- Cow’s milk.
- Eggs.
- Fish.
- Shellfish.
- Legumes: lentils, peas, soy, chickpeas, green beans, broad beans…
- Cereals.
- Fresh fruit.
- Nuts.
Once a food allergy has been determined, treatment involves avoiding the food in question.
One of the main problems in school canteens is the hidden allergen caused by labeling errors, the use of shared utensils for different foods, the use of the same oil or griddle to fry different foods, proximity or contact between foods, cooking different foods together, manual handling without proper hygiene, or the use of processed foods such as doughs, béchamel, soup stocks and soups, wines, or breadcrumbs.
Prevention measures in school canteens:
- Require a medical certificate to avoid confusion.
- Keep parents informed of the menu their child is going to consume.
- Always read the ingredients of the foods to be used in the preparation of the menu.
- Keep the allergen information list visible (in the kitchen).
- Do not use latex gloves.
- Cook the allergic person’s food first to avoid contamination, set it aside, and keep it isolated until served.
- Handle utensils carefully; ideally, use exclusive utensils for the allergic person.
- Sanitize all work surfaces to avoid contamination.
- Try to ensure the allergic person’s meal is as similar as possible to that of their peers.
- Completely eliminate the allergen from the menu, both the food itself and the various products that may contain it as an additive or ingredient.
- Always cook with fresh oil and a clean pan to avoid cross-contamination. For example, if the fryer has been used to make breaded fish, that oil can no longer be used to fry anything for someone allergic to eggs or fish, as the oil remains contaminated with the allergen regardless of how many days have passed since the frying. Filtering the oil is also ineffective as it does not remove the component. This is one of the most important practices and should not be taken lightly.
- Always have the appropriate medication at the center, especially for those with very serious allergies whose lives are in grave danger if there is no timely reaction.
- The list of prohibited additives and ingredients should always be kept in mind to be able to check a label knowledgeably.
- If there is any doubt about the presence of an allergen in the food, do not give it to the child.
To address these difficulties and challenges faced by school canteens, Taberner has developed PROFOOD, the culinary solution for the professional chef. It provides advantages such as: consistent production/quality, healthy and safe dishes, guaranteed microbiological and organoleptic quality of the food, salt-free and gluten-free products…
These are some of the PROFOOD by Taberner products: Sauces: Béchamel, Demi-Glace, Tomato Base, Bolognese Base, Marinara, and Boletus and Truffle. Bases: Chicken Flavor, Meat Flavor, Fish Flavor, Valencian Paella Flavor. Stocks for rice and pasta: Seafood and Fish Paella Stock.
If you would like to receive more information about our products or stay up to date with our latest news, write to us at: marketing@taberner.es or subscribe to our newsletter.
The information for this article has been extracted from the Perseo Program of the MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND CONSUMPTION / SPANISH AGENCY FOR FOOD SAFETY AND NUTRITION and the MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SOCIAL POLICY AND SPORT / CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION.
