Personal Stories

Should restaurants post ingredient info? Marc certainly thinks so!

by on May 9th, 2011

[The following post was submitted to me by “Marc from New York”]

Ingredient Disclosure at Restaurants

Food allergies, although common, take quite a toll on the lives of those who suffer; I know because I suffer from a number of food allergies. I am sensitive to dairy, caffeine, and wheat-based products. When I consume products containing these ingredients I encounter indigestion, diarrhea, nausea, bloating, cramps, headaches, shakiness, and utter discomfort.

I tend to prepare the majority of my meals at home. According to my allergist, the FDA requires food manufacturers to place detailed ingredient lists and allergy information [on consumer products], which I find imperative to my dietary needs. Some foods that I would never think would contain trigger ingredients for me are processed in facilities that handle these types of products. If I consume even small amounts of my trigger foods, I end up sick for several hours, post consumption.

Last week, I decided to throw caution to the wind and have dinner with my husband and a few of my closest friends at a popular, national chain restaurant [editor note: this chain was later disclosed to AllergyEats as Applebee’s]. As typical, I ordered the item on the menu that seemed least likely to have an impact on my digestion-related health. I chose a spinach salad with grilled shrimp, bacon pieces, mushrooms, red onions, and a balsamic bacon dressing. It sounded conducive to my dietary needs, per the restaurant menu description. I had water with lemon to complete my meal, and had only eaten a gluten-free bagel with soy butter earlier in the day. Imagine my surprise almost two hours later to be curled up on the couch in extreme abdominal pain. The only portion of my meal that I could attribute to stomach upset was the salad dressing. It seems hard to imagine that a salad dressing at a restaurant would contain enough of a trigger ingredient to send me into a downward, digestion-related spiral.

I feel that restaurants should place more of an emphasis on providing consumers with detailed listings of the ingredients used in preparing their dishes. More and more people are diagnosed with food allergies every day. Those of us with food allergies should not be made to feel ashamed by restaurant staff for requesting changes or substitutions for our meals. Providing detailed menus would result in less confusion for patrons and wait staff and result in more profits for restaurant owners.

Thank you for sharing your story, Marc! So what do the rest of you think? Should restaurants be required to post ingredients or should it remain their right not to, if they so choose (since diners can always go elsewhere)? Do you feel embarassed or ashamed asking about ingredients or asking for changes/substitutions? Do you have another solution?  Please click Reply or Comments below and add your thoughts.

Also, please remember to go to the main AllergyEats site (click HERE) and rate any restaurants you’ve recently dined at. Each new rating continues to increase the value of AllergyEats as a tool for our entire food allergy and intolerance community. Let’s try to help all the Marc’s, and everyone else, have more comfortable dining experiences!

Comments

    Author:
    Amy P
    Written:


    I truly empathize with your dilemma; we just went on vacation to another state, and my research for restaurants my son could eat in started a month before we left. Until the government mandates that ingredients should be listed on the menu, you do have several options when going to a major food chain. If you do some investigation prior to going out to eat, you will find ingredient lists and major allergen lists on the food chains website. Check out the major restaurants in your area and check the menus so you can make a list of foods that are “safe” – and always ask again when you arrive. If you don’t have this opportunity, ask the manager when you arrive to see the ingredients list for the foods you are interested in. If they don’t have the information available, don’t eat there. My son has an anaphylactic reaction to egg – even if the food was only manuafactured in a facility that uses egg. It’s not fair, but diligence is the name of the game.

      Author:
      AEPaul
      Written:


      And Amy – here comes the shameless plug… but we’re on AllergyEats already – if you’re looking for ingredient lists, allergen info, menus, or anything else one of the top 400 chains has on their website, you can find it all in one place on an AllergyEats search. Anything they have (and sometimes more) would be in the far right column of the search results page, called “Restaurant Info.”

    Author:
    wanda
    Written:


    I grew up in the restaurant business and I know how tough it can be. In light of todays health problems I believe that in order to stay competative it will be emperative for restaurants to have ingredient listing available for those who ask. Part of the problem is that it would require them to know every ingredient in every item used to make a dish and if they are using packaged items i.e.katchup, soy sauce, salt (yes salt-most use a corn based binder to make the iodine stick to the salt chrystals), etc.
    I also believe that we as comsumers must know what we are eating. I would never ingest something that might have carmel color (balsamic) or a citric acid wash (almost all fresh veggies). I know that these items are likely derived from foods that I am allergic to.
    So I think that a combined effort is needed to keep those of use with food allergies safe.

    Author:
    Meaghan
    Written:


    I agree! I will NEVER eat at Applebees. My two sons have severe nut& sesame allergies. I called our local Applebees to see if we could possibly dine there one night. They offered me NO HELP at all when it came to choosing a meal ahead of time from the kids menu that would be safe for them. Even the manager was clueless, so sad. I knew then I had my answer and it was a no, we are not going there. How could the manager not know if the fryer (for French fries) was shared with any nut or sesame items? And they refused to tell me the ingredients for the kids meals!? Refusal, that was interesting. I was so frustrated, I called the headquarters. They too refused!! Now I have to laugh and share with this woman that we would never eat there because they think I am going to sell their recipes oh yeah, and my kids could be rushed to th hospital
    . Applebees, I got news for you…I won’t ever dine with you and next time I will spend the extra money and take my children to a finer dining establishment. But because they are 3&5 this was more their speed.
    .

    Author:
    Marina
    Written:


    How about the suppliers to restaurants have to follow the same labeling laws as to consumers. We now have to check the bread when we go out as soy is added to many of them. Many restaurants are happy to check but there are no ingredients list for them to read.

    I’m not sure why they are exempt.

    Author:
    Chris NJ Bergen Cty
    Written:


    In my opinion, restaurants should fully disclose all ingredients used in the preparation of any of their offerings. I have had very good reaction to my questioning of servers, chefs and owners of independently owned restaurants and in some “chain” restaurants in guiding me in making safe choices.
    Sadly, Applebees is one of the worst I have encountered and have chosen not to eat there because they cannot/will not fully disclose ingredients. Even water with lemon is suspect there.

    Author:
    MaryElena
    Written:


    I definitely feel the pain of dealing with restaurants. Restaurants should be required to list ingredients. And I really don’t understand why it is not already required. If the FDA requires ingredients list on all food labels then shouldn’t restaurants be required to do the same thing. I hate having to ask tons of questions when I go out to eat so I try to avoid it at all cost by doing a lot of research online before hand. However, even when I do ask the majority of the time I never get an answer that is comforting. Usually the reply goes something like “I don’t think it has any dairy it in.” As most of you know “thinking” something doesn’t contain an allergen is not good enough you have to know for sure. I really would like to see more restaurants educating their staff so that they do know for a fact what their meals contain. I have had several managers cut the ingredients label off the packages and bring me the list so I can see for myself. Which I am thankful for but at the same time if they already had a list of ingredients prepared it doesn’t take as much trouble on their part or mine.

    Author:
    AiXeLsyD13
    Written:


    Excellent way to open the topic for discussion. I (of course) would love to see ALL ingredients listed, but don’t know how the logistics would play out…

    Author:
    Stephanie--Mom of a Son with Food Allergies
    Written:


    I have a three year old son who has severe food allergies to dairy, eggs, and nuts. We have walked out of restaurants that have either been unwilling to work with us or who give us responses like “well, I don’t think it has milk in it”. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, food allergies is a disability, which extends to public places including restaurants. Those will disabilities should be reasonably accomodated for. It is my mission as a Mom with a food allergy son to raise community and restaurant awareness such that it becomes the norm not the exception for every restaurant to provide ingredient/allergen menus. Due to my efforts, Red Lobster now has an allergen menu on their restaurant and some local restaurants have changed brands of foods. It is a small step, but I think if each and every one of us tackles a restaurant or two, and we work together to raise this restaurant awareness, we can achieve success.

    Author:
    Anita Wokhlu
    Written:


    I like the idea of restaurants posting their ingredients. ticSalad dressing in fact is often highly problematic for the potential for eggs, nut, fish/anchovies. I had no idea that the Americans with disabilities act covers people with food allergies. Stephanie, you need to provide more details on how you worked with red lobster.

    Author:
    Tami Clark
    Written:


    We are traveling to a camp for Band camp next week. We have rented tis facility for a number of years. They have become more and more ambivilanet over the years to allow me to read the ingrdiants lists. This year I sent the list of food intolerances….and simply asked what the menu was, and oculd they check the ingrediant lists, and let me know what meals I need to bring.
    I, the assistant band director, will need to bring my own food for the week—and cook it in the microwave!!!!! No access to anything..nit a grill or anything.

    grrr…..

    Author:
    Sarah
    Written:


    i have had many issues with chain restaurants being accomodating towards my sons severe food allergies, i have found ONE chain restaurant that has been more then accomodating towards his allergies and has done everything in theyre power to ensure a safe eating enviornment for him and my self. The manager and kitchen staff provided me a list upon request with all of the ingrediants on the childrens menu and even went as far as to tell me the type of oil used in their fry-o-lators and inssured me that my sons meal would not be prepared any where near anything that could potentially contaminate his food. The manager also offered to show me where my sons food would be preped.i have never been more satisfied with a chain restaurant then i have been with this ine. and it is one that would not have been my top pick for a meal outting until now. it is now the only chain i will go to because of theyre knowledge and concern for food allergies.

    Author:
    Angela
    Written:


    I am lactose intolerant and was recently diagnosed with a wheat intolerance (not just gluten, but ALL wheat…yeah, it is pretty rough!). I have only seen ONE restaurant post each ingredient used in all meals. That was at California Pizza Kitchen. I think all restaurants need to post ingredients they use for all food items.
    I actually just called a restaurant and had to speak with 4 DIFFERENT PEOPLE in order to find out if I would be able to eat anything at this particular restaurant. I don’t need to be going to the hospital due to their uninformed staff.
    I feel as though I can’t go anywhere because I don’t know how I’ll react after consuming some of their food. How can we get a law passed saying that ALL restaurants should be required to post their ingredient list.
    I worked at WDW and they have ALL ingredients used to make something. It was AMAZING. Guests that had a peanut allergy knew exactly what they could and couldn’t have. I saw so many parents beaming with joy knowing that their child wouldn’t have a reaction. Made my heart smile 🙂
    THIS SHOULD BE REQUIRED AT ALL RESTAURANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Author:
    Ken
    Written:


    I have a family restaurant that we like. But I ask before ordering soup if it has meat. Meat will make for a horrible night if you’re vegetarian. I wanted the mushroom & barley soup. Innocent enough, but I still asked. So I got a bowl and half way through, I found myself chewing on a piece of steak. I hoped that I hadn’t eaten any. But I must have because I spent most of the night in the bathroom. Maddening.

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