Cork woman's App makes it safer to eat out if you have an allergy

AS the parent of a child with multiple food allergies, eating out as a family is something that fills me with worry.

Even in restaurants where allergen information is clearly displayed, there is always the chance of new ingredients being added, or cross contamination.

Recently, I went to a café with my two-year- old daughter. They didn’t have dairy-free spread, so I ordered toast with honey. When it arrived, there were seeds on the bread. As my daughter is allergic to sesame, I asked the server what kind of seeds they were. She didn’t know, and neither did the chef. The bread was supplied by a bakery, and they couldn’t find the allergen list for that exact loaf. Eventually, the kitchen rang the bakery, who confirmed that they were sesame seeds.

Thankfully, it was a near miss, and the worst thing I had to deal with was an upset and hungry toddler. On another day, things could have gone differently.

Shannen O’Reilly, from Cork, knows how hard it is for people with severe allergies to dine out. Her family business is in forecourt delis and food trucks, and her sister has a severe peanut allergy.

Seeing her sister struggle with eating out inspired Shannen to create TrustDish, a new app for restaurants and customers, that aims to make allergens “simple for everyone to understand.”

Currently, food businesses record allergens in booklets, which means “flicking through pages for ages” to find allergen information, says Shannen. This makes it difficult for someone with allergies to find out what foods are safe to eat. It’s also challenging for the restaurant to keep the book updated, and she says staff “don’t receive enough training” on allergens.

Shannen did Early Childhood Studies in UCC, before completing a Masters in Food Business and Innovation. While on a placement with a large multinational food company, she was “so frustrated” with how they approached allergens.

For example, the Asian-inspired meals they provided for delis were cooked in peanut oil, so someone with a severe peanut allergy “wouldn’t be able to walk into the store” where this food was being served.

With TrustDish, a manager or chef can scan the labels of new products or ingredients to “update allergen information at the touch of a button.” The customer can scan a QR code when dining in a TrustDish premises to access up-to-date allergen information. A traffic light system shows them what dishes are safe to eat. The app also includes a map which highlights food businesses that are signed up to TrustDish.

Shannen says that, at the moment, “if a reaction happens in a restaurant, the restaurant gets the blame.”

She says this new approach will help restaurants by keeping a digital paper trail of everything.

This is shared responsibility.

Businesses signed up to TrustDish will also follow a set of protocols for preparing food safely, and have a dedicated allergy safe station. Chefs will be required to change their apron, gloves, and utensils. This is something restaurants are already supposed to do, but in practice it doesn’t always happen.

“A change of mindset is needed,” Shannen says.

Currently, if an Environmental Health Officer does an inspection of a premises, “food allergens is a small part” of the whole picture. If allergen information is incorrect, “you might get a slap on the wrist,” she explains.

In the UK, it took a tragedy to change the law and improve compliance. In 2016, British teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse suffered a fatal anaphylactic reaction on board a flight from the UK to France. She was allergic to sesame and purchased a baguette before boarding the flight, not realising that sesame seeds had been baked into the dough.

After her death, her family campaigned successfully for a new law on labelling requirements for pre-packaged food. Known as ‘Natasha’s Law’, these changes empower consumers with food allergies to make clear, safe choices when buying food.

At a challenging time for the food industry, it’s in the interest of restaurants to update their approach. A survey of young people with allergies by Anaphylaxis UK found “60% have avoided eating out due to their food allergy.” In the same survey, 87.5% said “they would leave a restaurant or food retailer if they were not confident in the allergen safety information provided.”

According to the Irish Food Allergy Network (IFAN), approximately 5% of children and 3% of adults in Ireland suffer from food allergies. They belong to groups and families that food businesses are losing as customers by not prioritising allergen management.

“Restaurants are increasing their potential customers by doing this,” says Shannen.

It helps them stand out from the competition.

Shannen’s goal is to make TrustDish the “number 1 global allergen management solution.”

She hopes to bring the app to the UK “as soon as we can”. Right now, TrustDish is in testing mode. It is being used in O’Reilly’s Texaco on Carrigrohane Road, Shannen’s family business. It will soon be rolled out in Sober Lane and at Léa’s at The Glucksman in UCC.

Shannen says they are also looking for customers to be BETA testers.

“We’re reaching out to people with allergies, parents, and carers,” she says.

Details can be found at www.trustdish.com