Is this place safe to eat?
I’m going to start by saying that in my opinion the only 100% safe place to eat as a coeliac is somewhere that is 100% gluten free. In any shared kitchen there is alway a risk of human error - even in my own kitchen I make mistakes so I don’t begrudge any professional who caters for hundreds of people a day. That doesn’t mean that there are no safe options in shared kitchens and I do genuinely believe that it is possible to go out safely with just a few steps.
One of the most common questions I get asked is from visitors to Belfast looking for safe gluten free places to visit. I always go back and double check the current menus of my ‘go to’ options but I cannot possibly visit everywhere regularly but I do try to keep up to date via social media, recommendations from others I trust, and contacting directly. Google reviews are great although hospitality changes so quickly I try to stick to reviews within the last 6 months - anything older wouldn’t take in to account any seasonal menu changes, staff turnover, and annual hygiene inspections).
Why are these important?
Seasonal menus will often see businesses take in to account what is popular with their customers. If they find that they’re not getting many free from customers they will be less likely to offer or advertise though options as it is more expensive to cater to smaller demographics.
Staff turnover is important as not only can this signal problems behind the scenes regarding the wellness of the business itself but knowledge of allergens and how the venue is equipped to deal with them is key to safety because we ask and double ask and even when we go back we ask again because we have to be sure. If a knowledgeable staff member leaves the new hires may not have had time to learn yet. And if turnover continues to be high then it is unlikely they’ll have time to properly train and get the knowledge and confidence that comes with time. Experience is valuable confidence when talking through processes and option is reassuring to us customers.
Annual hygiene inspections not only indicate the general cleanliness and standards of a kitchen, they will also have been given advice on the latest recommendations from the Food Standards Agency about how to cater for allergens. With Gluten Free being a protected phrase I have lost count of the times I’ve seen a ‘Gluten Free’ menu become a ‘Gluten Friendly’ menu or have the labelling disappear completely because they cannot “guarantee”. Often you will see this:
“If you have a food allergy, intolerance, or coeliac disease – please speak to the staff about the ingredients in your food and drink before you order.
Thank you.”
this statement, and similar variations, is recommended by the FSA. When it comes to menu labelling the details of what is and isn’t recommended is very involved and even as someone with coeliac can often seem overwhelming. Its no wonder that places opt to give options verbally (This is an allowed option for non-prepackaged food only) as they don’t want to tie themselves down or risk mislabelling something. Understandable but also not great for providing an easy, fuss free experience for anyone dealing with allergies and coeliac. I’ll be honest sometimes I feel that this kind of statement is a bit of a cop out, especially when followed by this (and no other mention of dietary requirements beyond vegan and vegetarian).
“Please make any allergies & intolerances known to a member of staff.
Although every effort will be made to accommodate your request, we cannot guarantee always meeting your needs.”
Interestingly the FSA recommends that information should ideally be available without customers having to ask* but this does not seem to be the option chosen. This doesn’t mean that the place isn’t safe but it was something that stood out to me when I was researching guidelines. I do still believe that a fully labelled menu is doable and more reassuring from a customer standpoint but I am more understanding as to why this isn’t often practical especially for venues who regularly change their ingredients and menus to keep up with availability and seasonality.
Whilst we don’t all need to be experts in the legalities and details of menu labelling and allergen matrices I do recommend a quick scan of the FSA website** this will help inform us of what is and isn’t allowed and it will give us something to look out for when we are out and this will, hopefully, help you to feel safe. As always the verdict is just to ask, it can be frustrating but this is often the only way to get a clear picture of how safe the food will be - at least before it enters your digestive cycle!
Often you will see Icons used in place of text to declare allergens. These Icons also come with recommended instructions of how to be used including that they cannot be used to declare “gluten free” as gluten itself is not an allergen***
* https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/allergen-information-for-non-prepacked-foods-best-practice-providing-written-allergen-information
** https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/allergen-information-for-non-prepacked-foods-best-practice-approach
***https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/download-your-allergen-icons-and-posters
