Food Regulatory Issues for Businesses

¶ … consumer issues concerning health and nutrition that have an impact on planning food service operations? Why? How do these concerns impact menu planning and trends in the industry? From the perspective of operators of a food service organization, the rise of food intolerances and allergies has the clearest, immediate impact on their day-to-day work and planning. Clearly labeling foods for common allergens, particularly foods which do not obviously contain the offending substance (like foods fried in peanut oil, for example) is essential to avoid liability concerns.

It is also important to have a variety of options for consumers with food-related issues, such as dairy-free options and nut-free options. Having proper practices in place such as hand-washing and wearing gloves is also essential. Even if customers do not have to go gluten-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, or meat-free for life-threatening reasons, many are doing so because of the perception (real or imagined) that such diets are healthier. Having to accommodate a variety of dietary requests is essential for a business.

This not only affects food preparation but also menu planning, storage, and labeling on menus. Staff members must be educated in how to deal with customers with such issues. Even a number of higher-end restaurants have begun to accommodate special diets. For example, noted Chef Ming Tsai, "is careful to ensure that diners with allergies feel comfortable in his restaurants, where employees study a food allergy manual (Tsai calls it 'the bible') that painstakingly categorizes ingredients and possible allergens in each of his dishes" (Baskin 2014).

Another, less life-threatening concern is the question of including calories on menus. Increasingly, chains must provide caloric data on all menu options. In 2014, the FDA issued a ruling requiring all "chain restaurants with 20 or more locations to begin posting calorie information on their menus" (Aubrey 2014). This encompasses not only traditional fast food establishments such as Applebee's and McDonald's but also higher-end chains such as the Palm family of restaurants.

Even though this may not necessarily be true of all consumers at present, the fact that so many restaurants are being required to post caloric data likely means that the expectation of consumers to see such information on the menu will increase in the future. This requires more than simply changing the menu to reflect such data. Once again, greater precision in food preparation is required since uniformity of ingredients and portion sizes is needed to ensure consistency.

Also, if certain dishes are highly caloric, the venue may need to reconsider taking them off the menu, since customers may be deterred from ordering them, depending on the demographics of the customer base and their dietary concerns. Certain food venues, of course, such as school cafeterias or even restaurants that cater to children, must be especially mindful of childhood obesity concerns. New nutritional guidelines in general have been placed upon school cafeterias and parents may expect more nutritional information, including calories, to be provided.

Of course, some consumers will not pay much heed to calories. But those that do may.