Madison, WI – Did you know that reaction to food allergens results in 200,000 emergency room visits and as many as 200 deaths each year? Are you aware that about one in every 25 customers you serve in a day has a food allergy or is shopping for someone with an allergy?
The number of consumers affected by food allergens is increasing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report a 50% increase in food allergies among children between 1997 and 2011. For the estimated 15 million Americans (including one in every 13 children) with food allergies, a single bite of food could trigger a reaction ranging from a mild response like an itchy mouth, to anaphylaxis, a severe and potentially deadly reaction that requires immediate medical assistance. Taking proper steps to educate service associates on safe food-handling and storage, as well as ingredients found in the products they sell, can help dramatically reduce the chances of allergic reactions among shoppers.
This year, the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association™ (IDDBA) is conducting its second-annual, year-long food safety campaign called Safe Food Matters! Focus on Allergens. Its goal is to build awareness of safe-food practices and serve as an industry resource for food retailers, manufacturers, and their employees. The Focus on Allergens initiative will spotlight best practices to reduce the likelihood of allergic reactions from direct exposure and cross-contact in store-level fresh perimeter departments. It will also illustrate the importance of transparency in properly labeling food for both consumers with food allergies and the growing number of consumers who now routinely request products free from certain ingredients.
“Food allergies are a daily concern for some customers that shop retail fresh perimeter departments,” said Mary Kay O’Connor, VP Education, IDDBA. “The consumption of a specific food protein that some people are allergic to can quickly set off a reaction that turns a customer’s shopping trip into a medical situation.
“A key component of minimizing the likelihood of allergic reactions among our shoppers is awareness and education, which is the cornerstone of this year’s Safe Food Matters! Focus on Allergens campaign,” she added. “We’re providing our members and the industries we serve with training tools and resources to assist management and retail associates in properly identifying common allergens in the products they serve and sell, as well as ways to prevent direct exposure and cross-contact.”
For over 28 years, IDDBA has been a leader in providing quality food safety information to its members, usually free of charge. This includes online and mobile training videos, job guides, podcasts, workbooks, and educational presentations.
Current and planned programs around the Safe Food Matters! Focus on Allergens campaign include:
- A new online food allergen awareness training course at training.iddba.org.
- IDDBA allergen job guides.
- A new IDDBA trustability research report prepared by Phil Lempert, SupermarketGuru.
- Up to $2,000 in food-safety certification reimbursement for food retailers.
- Topical educational sessions at IDDBA’s Dairy-Deli-Bake Show & Sell Workshops June 5-7 in Houston, TX.
- Online training tools, white papers, and other resources.
To learn more about IDDBA’s Safe Food Matters! Focus on Allergens campaign, visit http://iddba.org/safefoodmatters-allergens.aspx.
About IDDBA: IDDBA is a nonprofit membership organization serving the dairy, deli, bakery, cheese, and supermarket foodservice industries. Member companies enjoy many benefits and services including the annual Dairy-Deli-Bake Seminar and Expo, leading-edge research, free training programs, management tools, and an annual trends report, What’s in Store 2016. For more information, contact IDDBA at 608.310.5000 or visit iddba.org.
Source: International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association™ (IDDBA)