What Experts Say...

Here, we share all opinions from experts to help educate our community! From allergists in clinics, dietitians, restaurant owners, and website users, we aim to use experts to help go towards the goal of making dietary restriction community safe!

Juwon Park, PA-C; Allergy & Asthma Institute of Southeast Michigan

Eating out with food allergies involves more than checking a menu. Customers must consider ingredients, cross-contact, and whether restaurant staff understand their needs. SafeEatsDet spoke with Juwon Park, PA-C, an allergy specialist at The Allergy & Asthma Institute of Southeast Michigan, about navigating these challenges.

Communication Is Essential

“One major concern patients have is whether the allergy is being communicated to the people actually preparing the food, rather than just to the waitstaff.”

Servers may know a dish's ingredients without knowing how it is prepared or whether shared equipment is used. This uncertainty can affect families' willingness to dine out. Juwon recalled:

“One of my patients recently shared that they had gone to a restaurant for the first time at nine years old because their parents had previously been too worried about the possibility of an allergic reaction.”

Clear communication can help customers make more informed decisions, but individual allergies and restaurant practices vary.

Understanding Cross-Contact and Hidden Allergens

“Many patients say something along the lines of, ‘I’m allergic to peanuts,’ without explaining how concerned they need to be about cross contamination.”

Shared fryers, utensils, and cooking surfaces can introduce allergens into food. Juwon emphasized that customers should communicate their needs clearly and ask specific questions about preparation rather than relying on menu descriptions alone.

Hidden ingredients also matter. Sesame may appear in tahini, cashews in Indian sauces, and peanuts in various sauces and toppings. These examples highlight the importance of asking about ingredients, not avoiding entire cuisines.

Juwon identified a useful resource for people navigating these challenges:

“I think it would be very helpful to have a resource that lists the different food allergens and common/uncommon food dishes that they can be in.”

Making Informed Decisions

Juwon's advice highlights the importance of communicating allergies to both servers and kitchen staff, asking about ingredients and cross-contact, carrying prescribed epinephrine, and following an individual emergency action plan.

No menu or checklist can guarantee safety for everyone. However, clearer restaurant communication and better allergen education can help people ask informed questions and make decisions based on their individual needs.

Meghan Pendleton - Meghan Pendleton Nutrition

Managing food allergies means avoiding allergens while ensuring your diet still provides essential nutrients. SafeEatsDet spoke with Meghan Pendleton, a registered dietitian with personal experience managing multiple food allergies, about maintaining balanced nutrition while navigating dietary restrictions.

Replacing Nutrients, Not Just Foods

Eliminating foods can create nutritional gaps. Avoiding dairy, for example, may make getting enough calcium more challenging, while avoiding fish may limit omega-3 sources. Multiple allergies can make finding suitable alternatives even more complicated.

Meghan recommends creating a list of safe foods organized by food group, including protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and healthy fats. This makes planning balanced meals easier and reduces the stress of constantly searching for options.

Examples of potential alternatives include:

Peanut allergy: Sunflower seed butter
Dairy allergy: Calcium-fortified plant-based milk and yogurt
Wheat allergy: Quinoa, buckwheat, teff, and amaranth
Fish allergy: Algae-based omega-3 supplements, when appropriate

Alternatives vary in nutritional content, so checking labels and consulting a registered dietitian can help identify potential gaps.

As someone with a nut allergy, I began using sunflower seed butter as an alternative. It provides plant-based protein and unsaturated fats, demonstrating how finding suitable substitutes can preserve variety in a restricted diet.

Making Dining Out Manageable

Nutrition matters, but eating out should not become another source of unnecessary stress.

“If a person managing food allergies finds a place they can safely eat out, that's already a win.”

Pendleton emphasizes the importance of participating in meals with friends and family. Once a restaurant's ability to accommodate an individual's allergy has been appropriately established, people can consider general nutritional preferences without losing sight of the social experience.

The Emotional Side of Food Allergies

Food allergies can affect more than nutrition. They can make social situations uncomfortable, especially when someone feels hesitant to speak up about their needs.

“Managing food allergies can feel hard.”

Self-advocacy, including asking questions, communicating dietary needs, and choosing foods known to be appropriate, is an important part of managing allergies. People should not feel pressured to compromise their needs to fit in.

Building a Balanced Diet

The more foods someone eliminates, the more important it becomes to find varied alternatives. Planning meals, choosing affordable ingredients, and working with a dietitian experienced in food allergies can help people meet their nutritional needs while managing costs.

Food allergies create real limitations, but they do not have to prevent someone from eating a varied, nutritious diet or enjoying meals with others. With appropriate planning and professional guidance, it is possible to prioritize both nutrition and quality of life.

Rohani Foulkes - Founder &
Owner at Folk, Detroit

Restaurant Transparency and Dietary Accessibility: An Interview with Rohani Foulkes of Folk

By Bodhi Chinnaiyan | Expert Advice, SafeEatsDet

Dining out with food allergies or dietary restrictions often requires more than finding a dish that appears suitable. Ingredient transparency, preparation practices, and clear communication can help diners make informed decisions. SafeEatsDet spoke with Rohani Foulkes, founder and owner of Folk in Detroit, about the restaurant's approach to sourcing, menu transparency, and accommodating different dietary needs.

Transparency Comes First

Foulkes emphasizes that Folk is not an allergen-free or dietary-specific establishment. Rather than promising accommodations the restaurant cannot guarantee, the team aims to communicate its practices and limitations clearly.

Folk sources ingredients thoughtfully, prioritizing local and ethical producers when possible. The restaurant works with urban farms and regional Michigan farms, expanding to the surrounding Tri-State region and beyond when necessary.

Because the restaurant's ingredients often come from small producers and its menu changes seasonally, ingredient availability and preparation may vary. This makes clear, up-to-date communication particularly important for diners managing dietary restrictions.

Gluten-Free Options and Cross-Contact

Folk has offered a gluten-free waffle since opening and also provides gluten-free bread, along with vegetarian and vegan dishes.

However, the restaurant handles gluten in its kitchen and is not a certified gluten-free establishment. Although the team uses dedicated equipment to prepare its gluten-free waffle and takes steps to minimize cross-contact, it cannot guarantee its complete absence.

This distinction matters for people with celiac disease, wheat allergies, or other medically necessary dietary restrictions. A dish made with gluten-free ingredients is not automatically free from cross-contact risk, and individual needs can differ.

Diners should discuss their specific requirements with restaurant staff before ordering and determine whether the restaurant's preparation practices meet their needs.

Making Menu Information Accessible

Folk includes dietary and allergen information beneath each menu item's description, helping customers understand their options before ordering.

The restaurant also encourages guests with significant or medically necessary allergies to speak directly with its team. These conversations allow staff to clarify ingredients, preparation methods, and potential cross-contact concerns.

This approach highlights an important part of dietary accessibility: providing information that helps customers make informed decisions rather than relying on assumptions about a dish.

Because seasonal menus and ingredients can change, diners should confirm relevant details during each visit instead of assuming that a previous experience guarantees the same ingredients or preparation.

What Diners Can Learn

Folk's approach illustrates how restaurants can support dietary accessibility through transparency, practical accommodations, and direct communication, even when they cannot guarantee that every dish is suitable for every allergy.

For diners, a few practices can help make restaurant visits more informed:

Review menu information: Look for ingredient and allergen details before ordering.
Ask specific questions: Discuss ingredients, preparation equipment, and possible cross-contact with staff.
Confirm information each visit: Seasonal menus and changing suppliers can affect ingredients and preparation.
Understand the restaurant's limitations: Clear communication about what a kitchen can and cannot accommodate helps diners assess their options.

Building More Informed Dining Experiences

Dietary accessibility does not look the same in every restaurant. Clear allergen information, honest communication about kitchen limitations, and a willingness to discuss preparation practices can help customers better understand their options.

Folk's example reinforces SafeEatsDet's goal of making dining experiences more informed for people navigating food allergies and dietary restrictions. While no menu description can guarantee that a meal is safe for every individual, transparent information gives diners a stronger basis for deciding where and what to eat.

This article shares information provided by Folk about its practices. Menu ingredients and preparation methods may change. Diners with food allergies or other medically necessary dietary restrictions should confirm current details directly with the restaurant before ordering.

Chris Farraj - Founder & Owner of Allergy Free Bakery

Behind the Bakery: How Allergy Free Bakery Approaches Allergen Prevention

SafeEatsDet spoke with Chris Farraj, founder of Allergy Free Bakery, about operating a dedicated Top 9 allergen-free bakery and helping customers make informed decisions.

Building Allergen Prevention Into Production

Allergy Free Bakery operates in a dedicated facility that excludes the nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, and sesame.

According to Farraj, allergen prevention begins before ingredients enter the bakery. The team evaluates suppliers and reviews ingredient and allergen information before purchasing products. Procedures for receiving, storage, preparation, production, and packaging are designed to maintain the bakery's allergen standards.

Because the bakery's operations center on food allergies, allergen awareness informs its daily processes rather than being treated as an additional precaution.

Verifying Ingredients and Maintaining Standards

An ingredient list alone does not provide every detail needed to evaluate potential allergen risks. Allergy Free Bakery reviews supplier information, ingredient statements, allergen declarations, and manufacturing practices when selecting ingredients.

Farraj also emphasizes that this process must continue over time. Suppliers may change formulations or manufacturing practices, meaning ingredients need ongoing review rather than one-time approval.

The bakery uses ingredients that meet its standards and follows procedures intended to maintain those standards throughout production and packaging.

This approach highlights an important principle for food businesses: allergen management requires attention to both the ingredients themselves and the processes used to handle them.

The Challenges of Allergen-Free Baking

Traditional baked goods often rely on wheat, milk, eggs, soy, and nuts for their structure, texture, moisture, and flavor. Replacing these ingredients while maintaining the qualities customers expect can be challenging.

For Allergy Free Bakery, the task involves developing recipes that exclude all nine major food allergens while still producing baked goods that people enjoy.

This requires understanding how different ingredients interact and finding alternatives that reproduce the characteristics of conventional baked goods. Allergen-free baking therefore involves both careful ingredient selection and substantial recipe development.

Common Mistakes in Food Allergy Accommodation

One mistake food businesses can make is assuming that removing an allergen from a recipe automatically makes the finished product appropriate for someone with that allergy.

Cross-contact can occur through shared utensils, equipment, preparation surfaces, storage areas, and other parts of food production. Ingredients may also have relevant manufacturing considerations before they arrive at a bakery or restaurant.

Farraj stresses the importance of being transparent about what a business can and cannot accommodate. Giving customers more confidence than the business's actual procedures justify can create unnecessary risks.

For customers, this means asking about preparation practices and potential cross-contact, not just whether an allergen appears in a recipe.

Training Employees and Communicating With Customers

Allergen management also depends on employee awareness and consistent procedures. Allergy Free Bakery emphasizes following established processes, using approved ingredients, maintaining facility standards, and communicating accurately with customers.

Farraj explains that when employees are uncertain about an allergen-related question, they should verify the information rather than guess.

This principle applies to restaurants and bakeries of all kinds. Staff members should understand how to handle allergy questions and recognize when they need to consult someone with more knowledge of the ingredients or preparation process.

Understanding Allergen-Free Claims

The distinction between a product made without a particular allergen and one produced in a dedicated facility is important for consumers.

A recipe may not intentionally contain peanuts, for example, but the product could still be exposed to peanuts in a shared kitchen. Ingredient information alone does not establish whether cross-contact has been adequately controlled.

As Farraj explains, customers with severe food allergies should ask questions beyond, "Does this contain my allergen?" Understanding the ingredients, production environment, equipment, and cross-contact procedures can help them assess whether a product meets their individual needs.

Transparency is essential. Food businesses should communicate their actual practices and limitations rather than imply a level of protection they cannot substantiate.

What Consumers and Food Businesses Can Learn

Allergy Free Bakery's approach illustrates several important practices for managing food allergens:

Evaluate suppliers: Review ingredient statements, allergen declarations, and relevant manufacturing information.
Maintain consistent procedures: Address allergen risks throughout receiving, storage, preparation, production, and packaging.
Review ingredients over time: Changes in suppliers and formulations can affect allergen management.
Train employees: Staff should understand established procedures and verify information when uncertain.
Communicate limitations clearly: Customers need accurate information about ingredients and production practices to make informed choices.

Making Informed Food Choices

Managing food allergies requires attention to the entire process through which ingredients are sourced, handled, and prepared. Allergy Free Bakery demonstrates how allergen awareness can shape a business's ingredient selection, production procedures, and customer communication.

For consumers, understanding these practices can help guide questions when evaluating food options. For food businesses, consistent procedures and honest communication are important parts of serving customers with food allergies responsibly.

SafeEatsDet