Change is usually good, but some recent restaurant menu changes could be dangerous for those with food allergies. According to Business Wire, as restaurants periodically update their menus, changes that seem minor to everyone else could have a significant impact on those with food allergies. If the changes are not announced, they could even cause a life-threatening allergic reaction, says Paul Antico, Founder of Allergy Eats.
Antico explains “A staff person at Wendy's may not think it's a big deal to butter hamburger buns, but that one seemingly minor change could make a dairy-allergic customer dangerously ill.” The Wendy's fast food chain recently made the switch to buttered buns, and all of the buns are toasted together, leading to cross-contamination issues.
Wendy's isn't the only chain to make a minor menu change that could spell danger for diners with food allergy. Burger King's new French fry has been reformulated to make it 'fluffy.' Though the new recipe is still free of the top 8 most common food allergens, people with less common food allergies should be made aware of the new fries, and check the full ingredient list before ordering, even if they've previously eaten Burger King fries without issue.
Antico commented on the recent changes, saying “I appreciate that restaurants need to evolve to stay competitive in the marketplace, but when a restaurant changes their ingredient list or preparation techniques, I believe they should communicate the changes to their customers, knowing that it could impact guests with food allergies.”
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