Food allergens: Knowledge and practices of food handlers in restaurants

This survey evaluated the knowledge of managers and food handlers, who work in restaurants functioning in two large supermarket chains in the metropolitan region of the city of Sao Paulo (Brazil), concerning food allergies. Twelve restaurants were evaluated, representing a total of 74 people (12 managers and 62 food handlers). Results have shown that even though the survey showed that food handlers had some knowledge on food allergies, allergic people must stay on the alert, questioning the place where they are going to have their meals in terms of the ingredients used, verifying whether the food is really free of allergens, and always observing the labels of food products. This is needed since there is no real concern by these establishments in preparing safe meals in terms of food allergies. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.