Food for thought Taking dietary requirements seriously

By Timmi Aplin-Barrett

Food allergies and dietary requirements are becoming more common and, with that, comes a certain level of misunderstanding by those who may not have the same requirements.

While many locations and caterers request a list of dietary requirements, some people may not truly understand the dangers of not adhering to said requirements.

For example, someone asking to have gluten free food provided for them may simply dislike gluten. Or, they may have coeliac disease which is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks the body if gluten is consumed.

This means people with coeliac disease need to be very careful as they can’t even eat food if it’s been prepared on the same bench as something with gluten in it.

Another example could be someone asking for a vegetarian option. For many people, this request comes from a moral standpoint. However, for other people, meat can actually make them sick.

Alpha-gal is a type of food allergy where the person is literally allergic to red meat and other products from animals.

Someone wanting a dairy free option may be vegan for their morals again, or, they may be seriously lactose intolerant. Of course, requesting different foods based on personal morals is a perfectly acceptable reason to adhere to their dietary requirements.

Other people may not have an allergy or autoimmune disorder but their religion or personal practices may ban them from consuming certain foods.

Religions and faiths such as Buddhism often ban people from eating any form of meat while other faiths and practices, such as Islam, ban the consumption of some forms of meat such as pork.

It is absolutely vital that these dietary requirements be taken seriously.

In the modern day, some people find it difficult to understand why others have certain dietary requirements.

For people who don’t have to restrict their diet, the concept of having to accommodate specific needs can be difficult. However, if these dietary requirements are ignored, you could make someone seriously unwell, break their religious code of conduct or put their personal morals in question.

All this may seem somewhat insurmountable but is actually fairly simple to manage.

Firstly, when organising a work function involving food - whether it be in the office or outside the office - consider sending out an email requesting everyone to state their dietary requirements.

From here, you can get a comprehensive understanding of what each person will need.

The chances are that there will only be a few people with restrictive diets and some who have extreme allergies may simply decline to attend these kinds of functions altogether. Once you’ve got everyone’s needs written down, it’s simply a job of finding a restaurant or location that can cater to those needs.

If you’re bringing food into the office, finding a caterer or location that can cater to different needs is fairly easy these days.

Not only that, but there are many pictorial symbols that show if foods are safe for certain dietary requirements.

Food that is coeliac safe and even endorsed by Coeliac New Zealand will bear a crossed grain logo.

Certified vegan friendly food can bear the Certified Vegan Logo which is a “V” within a heart.

Foods that are dairy free will often bear a symbol showing a milk bottle with a strike through it or something of that nature.

There are many symbols to show that foods or menus cater to dietary requirements - some of these symbols may simply be the item in question (like eggs or nuts), with a strike through it like the dairy free logo.

At the end of the day, work functions are all about bringing the team together and if food is involved, you ideally want everyone to be able to eat and feel safe in doing so.

For some people who have avoided work functions involving food, that simple email requesting a list of dietary requirements can mean the world.

Ensuring you’re taking everyone’s dietary requirements seriously is an excellent way of proving to your employees that you listen, care and are ready to bring everyone together fairly. CT