Making Synapses · Bringing Knowledge to Mankind
CulinaryRecognizing an allergic reaction
A guest starts to feel unwell after eating. Recognizing an allergic reaction early is part of the job: the FDA Food Code requires the person in charge and trained employees to describe the symptoms a major food allergen can cause, and the FDA lists them. Mild symptoms can turn into anaphylaxis, so you act on what you see.
Free to startScenarios
- A guest's lips swell a few minutes after the first bites.
- A guest says their mouth tingles and itches.
- A guest becomes dizzy and has trouble breathing after dessert.
The steps
- Know that symptoms may appear within a few minutes to a few hours after eating, and are not the same in every person or every reaction.
- Look for the skin signs: hives, flushed skin or rash, swelling of the face, tongue or lips.
- Listen for a tingling or itchy mouth, abdominal cramps, vomiting or diarrhea.
- Watch for the dangerous signs: coughing or wheezing, dizziness or lightheadedness, swelling of the throat and vocal cords, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness.
- Treat every reaction as serious: a mild reaction does not mean the allergy is mild, and any allergic reaction can lead to anaphylaxis.
- Go straight to the emergency procedure: call 911 and stay with the guest.
Safety rules that stop the station
- Anaphylaxis can start out mild and, if not treated promptly, become life-threatening in a short time.
To pass
- Anaphylaxis can constrict the airways in the lungs, lower blood pressure severely into shock and cause suffocation by swelling of the throat and larynx.
- Allergen awareness training explains the risks to a guest who eats a food they are allergic to, including death, and the difference between a food intolerance and a food allergy.
- The person in charge and trained employees can describe the major food allergens and the symptoms they can cause.
Official source
Federal · FDA
Food Allergies: What You Need to Know
The FDA explains free in Food Allergies: What You Need to Know the symptoms of an allergic reaction and when it becomes anaphylaxis.
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