Speaking Up About Food Allergies To Save Your Life

Did you hear about this scary story: a 35-year-old man died of a shellfish allergy at a Ruby Tuesday restaurant in Georgia.

"Rodney "Krook" Hawkins' wife, Linda, disputes the Maryville, Tenn.-based chain's account, saying -- through a family representative -- that her husband did not order the Chicken Oscar entree, which contains crab meat. Mr. Hawkins, 35, collapsed and went into anaphylactic shock ... soon after consuming the shellfish at the Ruby Tuesday on Tara Boulevard, according to an autopsy conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The welder and aspiring rapper was rushed to Southern Regional Medical Center and pronounced dead a half hour later."

The story is full of unanswered questions illustrating the complexities of dining out with food allergies. One's safety depends on many factors: awareness of one's allergies and the severity of those allergies; communicating those food allergy needs to appropriate foodservice staff members; how a foodservice organization has been trained on issues of food safety and food allergies; and, if there is a severe reaction, the availability of emergency medication (epinephrine).

The interaction between patron, kitchen and server/management is crucial because there are many opportunities for misunderstanding and miscommunication.

Some questions for us to ask about the story:

• Did the patron declare his allergies to his server as life threatening and severe?
• If he declared his allergies, did the server make a note on the order ticket about those allergies?
• Alternatively, did the patron fully understand the nature of his allergy? Was he prepared to manage an allergic reaction with emergency medication such as epinephrine?
• Did the patron order a dish that was clearly made with the food he was allergic to, as the restaurant states?
• Did the server mishear the patron's order?
• Did the server hear the order correctly, but tell the kitchen the wrong dish?
• Did the kitchen give the server the wrong dish to serve the patron?
• Did he use his medication when he realized he was having a severe allergic reaction?
• Did anyone with whom he was dining know the signs of a severe allergic reaction and how to administer the appropriate medication if available?

As anyone with food allergies knows, dining out can be risky. One's safety depends on many factors: one's awareness of one's allergies; the severity of those allergies; the availability of emergency medication (epinephrine) and how a foodservice organization has been trained on issues of food safety and food allergies.

12 Crucial Steps to Food Allergy Safety In Restaurants
Still, many of us with manageable food allergies can eat a safe meal and have a great time when dining out. However, there are some clear steps that one needs to take to ensure the highest degree of safety possible.

As with anything else where safety is an issue, if you don't feel safe, leave!