The Open University Podcasts

Making Food Allergies Your Business. Episode 2: Inclusive food allergy practices.

In this second episode Open University lecturer Claire McGuigan shares her research findings on the challenges of living with food allergies with interviewer Paddy Glasgow.  People living with food allergies tell us that they experience a raft of emotions each time they eat out of home, whether that is in a workplace canteen, restaurant or at a hotel. These experiences range from fear and anxiety that the staff they encounter will not take their allergies seriously, to being asked to leave restaurants because they cannot be catered for.  Widespread lack of staff knowledge on food allergies and limited food choices are cited as ways in which business practices exclude people with food allergies.  This sense, that the needs of customers' with food allergies are being disregarded by businesses, has led to the call for mandatory food allergy education for all staff. Listen to this podcast to hear some ideas on how food service businesses could do more to create safe and inclusive dining experiences where those with food allergies can enjoy eating out safely.   
People with food allergies feel excluded 
It is clear from this research that those living with food allergies feel marginalised and invisible in society. The image above illustrates how people with food allergies feel about eating out.  You can see some of the words they used to describe these experiences.     
Businesses can use these insights to develop more inclusive practices. By being more accommodating of food allergies, businesses could encourage greater patronage from the UK’s, almost 2 million strong, food allergy community.   How can you make inclusive food allergy practices part of your business model?   
Reference 
Here is the link to translation cards provided by Allergy UK as mentioned in this podcast: https://www.allergyuk.org/our-services/translation-cards/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAy9msBhD0ARIsANbk0A8sZDbBUKeHiUWUNNAR-uD8jT7zMYRY2OWcKYmk89g8mILOA6jzICMaAgX5EALw_wcB 
Disclaimer: The contents of this podcast series are for educational and informational purposes only. They are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Listeners are advised to consult with appropriate medical practitioners for advice on the diagnosis, treatment, and supportive management of food allergies. 
 
 

Making Food Allergies your Business. Episode 3: Businesses can do more.

In this third and final episode Open University lecturer Claire McGuigan meets Jeremy Chan, owner of Sinley Chinese Takeaway Restaurant in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. They discuss how he is currently adapting his working practices and menus so his business can make safe food for those with food allergies. With this approach, Jeremy is building customer loyalty within the food allergy community.  By leading this change he is putting the “care in his cuisine” and customers are coming back for more.  
How to make food allergies your business? 
Five actions businesses could take to create safe and inclusive spaces have been identified.  You can see them in the image below.   Implementing these 5 recommendations would help businesses build customer loyalty by showing care for inclusive food allergy practices. When customers feel valued, they remain loyal and return again with friends and family. Prioritising customer loyalty and food allergy inclusivity is smart business.  
Disclaimer: The contents of this podcast series are for educational and informational purposes only. They are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Listeners are advised to consult with appropriate medical practitioners for advice on the diagnosis, treatment, and supportive management of food allergies. 

Making Food Allergies Your Business. Episode 1: Always ASK about food allergies.

Open University lecturer Claire McGuigan has been working with food service businesses in Northern Ireland to raise awareness of how food allergies affect people's lives. This podcast series is designed for those working in the food service industry and it is hoped that through this exchange of knowledge and sharing of ideas, listeners will gain a better understanding of what it's like to live with food allergies.  You’ll learn that food allergies are not a choice people make and hear how businesses can do more to create safe and inclusive spaces.  In this first podcast Claire meets Catriona Walsh, a former paediatric medical consultant, to talk about what food allergies are and research that has identified how and when food servers should ask dining customers about food allergies.  The call to action here is for everyone to take food allergies seriously.  The recommendation is that as a society we need to make it everyone’s business to learn more about food allergies and how to keep people safe when eating out.  ASK about food allergies.  In this research we have learned how having a food allergy can affect every aspect of a person’s life. We have heard how food allergies are often invisible which means we can’t tell by looking at someone if they are allergic to certain food.  This is why people with food allergies are appealing to staff working in all food eateries to be upfront and ask, all their customers, every time if they have any food allergies. Their message urging people to take action resonates widely from takeaways to restaurants, hotels to hospitals, schools to service stations, workplaces, planes, trains, and ferries!  People with food allergies who took part in this research have identified four checkpoints in the process of eating out where communication can break down, potentially causing diners to be harmed.
Note: Please be aware that research and guidance on how to administer EpiPens may change over time so be sure to follow the most up-to-date guidance. 
Disclaimer: The contents of this podcast series are for educational and informational purposes only. They are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Listeners are advised to consult with appropriate medical practitioners for advice on the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing supportive management of food allergies. 
Want to Learn More?  
Below are additional educational resources for those who’d like to learn more about how to administer EpiPens.  
There are two types of Epi-pens primarily used in the UK at the moment. The following resources are useful to learn how to administer each one:  
Amy May Shead’s story of Food Allergy and how it has affected her life. It will also show you how to administer an EpiPen. https://youtu.be/isyth9yqlKI 
How to use a Jext Epipen (UK). https://youtu.be/gp36jnBVOHI