SecondaryANNEXA

Annex A - Special dietary requirements

Special diets for customers from religious and ethnic groups


Hindus	No beef	Mostly vegetarian; fish rarely eaten	Period of fasting common


Jews	No pork	Meat must be kosher. Only fish	Meat and dairy foods must
		with fins and scales eaten	not be consumed together


Muslims	No pork	Meat must be halal; no shellfish	Regular fasting, including
			Ramadan
Rastafarians	No animal	Foods must be I-tal or alive, so	Food should be organic
	products	no canned or processed food, no
	except milk	added salt, no coffee


Sikhs	No beef	Meat must be killed by one blow
		to the head


Be aware of the content of meat products. For example turkey burgers sometimes contain pork.


Vegetarians

Many people are vegetarians. You should make every effort to offer a variety of vegetarian options.


Allergies

Food allergies are estimated to affect 1 or 2% of the adult population and are more prevalent in infants and children. The most common allergenic foods are eggs, milk, fish, shellfish, peanuts, soya, wheat, tree nuts and seeds. Allergies to certain foods, such as peanuts and peanut products, other nuts, seeds and their derivatives and shellfish can be particularly acute. People suffering from a severe food allergy need to know the exact ingredients in their food, because even a tiny amount of the allergenic food could kill them.

How can you help?

Make sure you know which children suffer from an allergy and to which food
Make sure your staff are aware of the potential hazards from the use of severe allergens such as in nuts and nut products, for example, through training sessions or notices.
If you use severe allergens in a recipe, this information must be passed to customers.
If customers ask if there are nuts in a food and you aren’t sure, tell them and suggest an alternative.
Remember also that any oil that has previously been used to cook products containing nuts can carry minute traces of nut proteins and thus have the same effect as nut oils.
Beware of accidentally transferring food from one dish to another. Cooking equipment can be a means of cross-contaminating foods with peanut or nut protein. Allergy sufferers can react to the smallest amount of protein and even minute amounts transferred through cross contamination could cause a reaction.
Ask the catering supplier to provide information as to whether the ingredients or flavourings used in their products contain nuts or seeds.
If you prepare food check the complete recipes of all your products so you can answer questions if asked.
Be clear about the school’s policies regarding first aid and administering medication, and whether a member of staff has been trained to administer medication in the event of an allergic reaction by a student. If in any doubt about the severity of a reaction, call an ambulance.