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INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS OF ALLERGIC CONSUMERS WHEN EATING OUT: A - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS OF ALLERGIC CONSUMERS WHEN EATING OUT: A - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS OF ALLERGIC CONSUMERS WHEN EATING OUT: A RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE Julie Barnett Professor of Health Psychology University of Bath The Project and the Team THE PREFERENCES OF THOSE WITH FOOD ALLERGIES AND/OR INTOLERANCES
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Eating out with an allergy
Avoidance of the allergen is the key management strategy for people with a food allergy or food intolerance
- 20-30% accidental allergen ingestion occurs in restaurants
- Another 13-23% occurs in other eating out establishments
- Quality of life impacted by requirement for constant vigilance and risk
management
Leftwich, J., Barnett, J., Muncer, K., Shepherd, R., Raats, M., Gowland, H., & Lucas, J. (2011) The challenges for nut allergic consumers of eating out, Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 41, 243-249
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EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation
From December 2014….
- New requirements to provide allergy information around what
is deliberately added as an ingredient or processing aid
- For prepacked foods there is a new requirement to emphasise
allergens in the ingredients list
- For loose (non prepacked foods) there is a new requirement to
provide information about allergens
- The presence of 14 allergens must be clearly declared
- Information about allergens can be written or oral
HOW DO CONSUMERS WANT TO RECEIVE INFORMATION ABOUT ALLERGENS?
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Our Research
Two main research phases
- In-depth qualitative exploration
- f the eating out preferences
and practices of food allergic and intolerant individuals using 75 interviews + 19 diaries
- Questionnaire survey to
characterise the information preferences/practices of food allergic/ intolerant individuals and to derive baseline measurement of quality of life - completed by 874 people
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Who has taken part in this research?
People with food allergy or intolerance…. BUT Confirmation of allergy in clinical setting
- not possible
- not desirable
Self reported screening criteria
- Must suffer problems after eating at least one of the 14 allergens – or
have a child that does
- Must avoid eating at least one of the 14 allergens because of this reaction
- Should eat out sometimes
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Classification Symptom Severity
ALL LLERGY
'Stinging nettle' rash, urticaria, hives Itching or swelling of the lips, tongue or mouth MILD Asthma, wheezing Facial swelling MODERATE (may also have mild symptoms) Breathing difficulties Anaphylaxis, collapse SEVERE (may also have mild and/or moderate symptoms)
INT INTOLERANCE
Vomiting Diarrhoea Sneezing Catarrh Hyperactivity Tiredness Stomach cramps Other digestive problems (e.g. bloating, constipation) Eczema flare Migraines/headaches Aching joints/muscles Behavioural/mood changes (NO ALLERGY SYMPTOMS +)
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Overview…
Eating out is seen as increasing risk and is often a source of concern and anxiety Particular characteristics of information provision are likely to reduce concern and increase safe food choices The service encounter is basis for decision making
- Ideally familiarity and trustworthiness are conveyed within the
service encounter
- People take notice of direct and indirect cues within the service
encounter
EXPERIENCES OF THE SERVICE ENCOUNTER ARE LINKED WITH SUBSEQUENT BEHAVIOURS: DISHES ARE ORDERED, CONSUMED OR
- AVOIDED. VENUES ARE VISITED, REVISITED OR SHUNNED
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Written information
PRE REPLANNING AT T THE THE DOOR AT T TH THE E TABL ABLE
- Decision points at which people use written information
- Menu at the table was the primary and preferred written
information reference point
- Menu on website and outside venue inform assessment
- f how likely it is to be able to eat there safely
- Clear allergen related information on menu was generally
trusted & provided reassurance
- In the face of unfamiliarity and reluctance to ask, written
information provides a tangible anchor for food choice
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Additional written information
Strong preference for information about ingredients – especially for those reacting to more than one allergen Participants valued
- a supplementary list/menu of for example, gluten-free or milk-
free options
- an invitation to ask staff for more information about
allergens/allergen-free options (on menu, on notices in the venue)
- a reference source showing all ingredients/allergen content
- signs next to e.g. gluten free products in a shop/café
MANY FEEL THAT THINGS ARE IMPROVING … MORE OPTIONS, MORE INFORMATION
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Reservations about menu information
Provide insufficient information
- what do the dishes contain? how are they cooked?
Use of symbols
- restricted to a few allergens
- applicability outside the UK unclear
- presence or absence of allergen?
Ambivalent about the role of detailed ingredients information on the menu
- could it undermine the ‘ambience’ of the venue
- would the menu be too unwieldy?
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What is the role of oral information?
- Strong preference for provision of written information
- it provides sense of autonomy, control and of ‘being
normal’
- Unwillingness to speak to staff is common –
embarrassment often cited as the reason
- Good written information has a role in facilitating
- Confidence to ask for information
- Trust in oral information
- Feeling known/understood by staff is highly valued
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Talking to staff
Consumers highly attuned to cues from staff
- How knowledgeable they are
- How interested and engaged they are with customer needs
Staff competence and care is read from demeanour and appearance While some felt that the new legislation would help ‘empower’ them to ask staff for more information, many objected to this being the principal means of accessing information
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You get some people that are quite perky and cheery and.. Also asking specifically as well. So I might accidentally say ‘no milk’ and they’d be like “do you also not want cheese?’
- r ‘no prawns?’. And they are like, ‘Are you ok with…?’ this
- ther thing. So you do get people that are quite on the ball
in that sense Also [it is good ]if a waiter is really keen on ..listening and writing all the ingredients, just to make sure she speaks or he speaks to the chef. So yeah just basically communication and the way they treat those things I’ve had them just shrug their shoulders and say “I don’t know”.. “Well does the chef know?” “I don’t think he will”.. You know sort of thing and you’re thinking, you are joking…
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“I will be more confident choosing not
- nly restaurants but even like different
places,… I will be more confident to speak to staff members, will not feel I’m wasting their time, because sometimes that’s what I feel, and also, will be more confident in large parties, because it will not cause that much trouble. I think it’s very good. I think I would still always ask, you know, even if they said, if they’d shown that there was something with nuts, I would always still ask, you know, about the individual dish that I was getting… I’d ask to make sure that it would be made in a completely separate area
- r separate, you know, utensils and
things like that. I think it would definitely make it easier, and, again, for somebody like me that feels self-conscious of asking, I think it will make it a lot easier, and I won’t have to feel that, you know, oh, self-conscious that I’ve got an intolerance to something because then I can avoid it anyway, with them telling me. “it would make you much more confident going out. If I know that, you know people work as waiters, you can’t expect them to be up on allergies and so on but if I’m confident that there is a list that I can see, just to double check if there’s eggs in this, it’s not just their
- pinion or what they hope is in it. That
would be much better, yeah.”
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Recommendations I
- When considering their information provision practices
food businesses should take account of the practices and preferences of food allergic consumers.
- Written information provided by the venue is
generally likely to be trusted – it is thus vital that it is trustworthy.
- Consider how comprehensive allergen information can
be balanced by simplicity and clarity in the basic menu and other detailed reference resources if required. The availability of the latter should be signalled in the basic menu.
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Recommendations II
- When customers ask staff questions about allergens,
they will take notice of more than the words that are given in reply. Staff training should take this into account.
- Seek to identify ways in which the venue can
actively and visibly signal that staff are attentive to the requirements of those that wish to avoid allergens
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