FOOD ALLERGEN POSTER FOR FREE

How to use a food allergen poster?

The food allergen poster lists all major allergens with clear and simple illustrations. Your poster must be easy to see at once in your food establishment which foods may cause food allergies and remember them easily. Display this poster where all your team could see it on the walls near the working zone. Keeping a food allergy poster pdf in front is especially important when serving high-risk customer groups like the elderly, children, or people with low immunity systems.

At FoodDocs, we offer you a premade food allergy poster pdf that contains all the 8 major food allergens with short descriptions. Our allergen notice posters were made vibrant and catchy to get the attention of consumers. Information on some of the foods that contain these allergens are also included. The best part about this food allergy poster is that it's free! Download your own food allergy poster pdf and print it for your food business.

What are the big eight allergens?

The top food allergens in the US are – milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybean. These allergens cause the majority of food allergy-related cases in the US. 

Below are the 8 major allergens that are responsible for most serious food allergy reactions:

1. MILK

Milk allergy is the most common among children, but in 90% of cases, children will outgrow the allergy by the age of 6. Milk is a widely used ingredient in butter, cheese, cream, milk powders, and yogurt. Also, it's used in powdered soups and sauces. Although equally require caution, milk allergy and lactose intolerance are not the same. Lactose intolerance is caused by the body's inability to process lactose, whereas milk allergy is related to the body's immune system.

2. EGG

Egg food allergy is also widespread among children and is also often outgrown by the age of 6. The egg white is a part of the egg that more often causes a food allergy than egg yolk. Since eggs are often used in food products like cakes, meat products, mayonnaise, mousses, pasta, quiche, sauces, pastries, or foods brushed or glazed with egg, always check the ingredients. 

3. FISH

Fish allergy can be surprising in some areas, but it's most common in places with higher fish consumption. Mostly the reactions are mild, but in some rare cases, they can be more severe. As there is a great range of different species, food allergy mostly applies to different species, including salmon, cod, halibut, haddock, tuna, and anchovies. Fish is usually used in fish sauces, pizzas, relishes, salad dressings, stock cubes, and Worcestershire sauce.

4. CRUSTACEAN SHELLFISH (shrimp, crab, lobster, and scampi)

Allergy to crustacean shellfish also appears especially in regions where the consumption is higher. Also, it's important to remember that shellfish retain their allergic features even after heating. People with a crustacean allergy may also suffer from molluscs (mussels and clams), allergies, and fish. Shellfish is mainly used in shrimp paste, often used in Thai and Southeast Asian curries or salads. Allergy to shellfish is caused by the immune system when it mistakes the protein tropomyosin as an allergenic substance. Symptoms of shellfish allergic reactions can be very mild but can sometimes be life-threatening.

5. TREE NUTS

Tree nuts include cashew nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecan nuts, brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, and macadamia (Queensland) nuts. Tree nuts are known as the cause of the most severe food allergies in the world. They are also coincidentally one of the most frequently occurring allergies. This is why tiny amounts of food can trigger severe reactions, and strict avoidance is essential.

6. PEANUTS

Peanuts allergy is the most popular among children, and it has tripled in the last twenty years. At the same time, it's considered the most dangerous food allergy for children as a really low dose can cause fatal reactions. Allergic reactions to peanuts usually take only a few minutes to manifest, Peanuts are often used in biscuits, cakes, curries, desserts, sauces, groundnut oil and peanut flour.

7. WHEAT

Wheat allergy is tightly related to a very widespread disease called celiac. Celiac is a reaction to a protein fraction called gluten, found in wheat and wheat-related cereals such as rye, oats, and barley. As gluten is widely used among processed food, such as baking powder, batter, breadcrumbs, bread, cakes, couscous, meat products, pasta, pastry, sauces, soups, and fried foods are dusted with flour, allergic people are in trouble trying to avoid it. Allergic reactions to gluten can cause hives, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and even a stuffy nose.

8. SOYBEAN

Like wheat, soybean is also a difficult food to avoid as it is used in many processed foods - including tofu, miso paste, soy sauce, soya flour, soya milk, and soya oil. Soya is also a staple ingredient in oriental food. Vegetarian food products often include soybeans as a substitute for meat protein. Soy can also be in forms that are very hard to anticipate such as in lecithin which is commonly used as an emulsifier for compound chocolates which can trigger allergic reactions in excessively large amounts of intake.

What documents do I need?

Important food allergy documents include:

1. Food allergen sheets template to help your team inform customers about menu items containing allergens. An allergen chart is a document that contains the food items on your menu and the allergens they may contain. It is a simple overview of the necessary information that is important to be disclosed to the customers.

Features that are most beneficial for the managers:

• Recipe management feature. Using this, our system can guide your food handlers on which allergens are in your dishes. Your team will always be properly oriented on which dishes to warn customers with food allergy intolerance which might just save their lives.
• Automatically generated monitoring forms. When you sign up with us, our system can automatically generate the most important monitoring forms and checklists based on your food safety operations. These monitoring forms are equipped with an auto-fill feature that can help your employees save time. The information logged into the forms are based on previously inserted data. All that is left to do is to verify the informaion.
• Real-time dashboard. Our digital solution also features a dashboard that gives you an overview of your everyday operations. Save at least 20% of your time from supervising your operations and identify which areas you need to focus on.
• Cloud storage. You also get a digital storage area where you can store, organize, and access everything easily.

You can get all of these features and more when you sign up for our digital Food Safety Management System. The process only requires you to answer a few basic questions regarding your food safety operations. In an average of 15 minutes, our system can automatically generate a digital FSMS for you using artificial intelligence.

With a few clicks, you can get a comprehensive food safety assurance system that is powered by artificial intelligence. You can maintain food safety compliance effortlessly and have more time for improving your business operations. 

Experience all of these features for free when you avail of our 14-day trial.