The Importance of Proper Labelling in Allergen Meals for Children with Food Allergies

Children who suffer from food allergies are constantly at risk of consuming the exact foods they are sensitive to today. Food allergies range from eggs to peanuts. For this reason, in-depth food labelling in allergen meals is a necessity with childcare catering. Here at Hearty Health, we label all our allergen meals accurately to ensure that no child suffers a reaction to one of our meals. We understand that reactions to an food allergen can vary from mild to life threatening, and this is why we ensure the safety of our allergen meals.

Trace Amounts Will Set Off Allergic Reactions

Only trace amounts of certain food allergens will set off allergic reactions with children. For example, a minute amount of peanut dust has caused almost deadly issues for kids. Today, we also understand there are allergies to wheat, soy, eggs and even dairy in some cases. We are quite diligent with our labelling on our allergen meals to ensure the children with food allergies can consume our foods safely.

No Hidden Ingredients

The proper food labelling does not allow for hidden ingredients. Each meal label includes all the foods and substances that we include in our meals. Parents often face this dilemma when they take their children into a restaurant to eat since the restaurant may not always accurately explain all the ingredients in their dishes. As a childcare catering company, we understand that if we slip up, it may mean the life of a child. We will not mislead the educators or parents with inaccurate labels.

Food Allergens Appear in Various Forms

Parents and educators should understand all the forms that food allergens that may appear in meals. One example of this is peanuts that may show up as hydrolyzed peanut protein, arachic oil or even nutmeat along with other food products. Milk allergies include everything from all types of milk to lactose. Eggs may be in the form of albumin, fat substitutes, and mayonnaise or meringue powder. Wheat comes in forms such as flour, cracker meal, pasta, farina and more. We think you can understand why the correct labelling in allergen meals is so critical for the health of children. Childcare centres should not disturb the labels on the meals to ensure that the right meals go to the children with food allergies.

We Ensure No Cross Contamination

On top of the correct food labelling in allergen meals, we ensure that conditions are such that they prevent cross contamination from happening during the preparation of our allergen meals. We keep all peanut products far away from the meals for children with those allergies for just one example. This goes for all the other types of allergen meals that we deliver daily.