Va. (WSET) — Restaurants across Virginia are adapting after updated food regulations took effect Thursday, requiring food establishments to disclose major allergens in packaged and unpackaged food.
The change adds sesame as the ninth major food allergen alongside milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soy.
At The Water Dog in Lynchburg, manager Sydney Sparrow said staff are already considering which menu items will need clearer allergen information.
“Our seafood street tacos have sesame oil, so we’ll definitely have to let people know,” Sparrow said. “Especially with Alpha-gal, foodborne illnesses, allergies, all of those things — it seems like they’re on the rise, so it’s important to take it seriously and make people feel safe to come out to eat.”
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The change adds sesame as the ninth major food allergen alongside milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soy. (WSET)
Under the updated Virginia Food Regulations, restaurants can disclose allergens directly on menus using words, icons or numbers with a key. They also have the option to provide a separate allergen handout or use a QR code that leads customers to written allergen information.
The requirement applies to all food establishments, including food trucks and temporary vendors. The person in charge at each establishment is also responsible for making sure employees know the nine major allergens and the symptoms of an allergic reaction.
Adrienne McCauley, owner of Magnolia Foods, said taking customers’ allergy concerns into consideration is already a top priority.
“We don’t want anyone to ever get sick or have a bad reaction to something they ate,” McCauley said. “That’s easily avoidable. Like a food allergy, we can definitely take care of that.”
For customers like Zoey Lowe, having allergen information readily available can make deciding where and what to eat less stressful.
“I definitely have to keep in mind if it has shellfish in it; do I want to risk a potential allergic reaction later?” Lowe said. “And actually at home, we don’t put the markings on our menu to show when there’s food allergies in the food, so I find that it’s been very helpful.”
The Virginia Department of Health says restaurants do not have to reprint their menus to meet the new requirement, as long as they make written allergen information available to guests.