Dietary needs and allergies of your guests

For a guest with a serious food allergy, a dinner invitation involves trust. Getting this right is one of the kindest and most important things a host can do.

Ask early and ask clearly

• The FSA's advice when cooking for someone with an allergy is to ask them what they can and cannot eat. Do it in the invitation so you have time to plan.
• Script: 'Do you have any allergies, intolerances or foods you do not eat? I'd like to make sure everything works for you.'
• Ask about everything at once: allergies, halal, vegetarian or vegan, foods avoided for religious reasons, and intolerances. A guide to interfaith iftars from the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign also notes that halal and kosher are different, so if you are not sure what someone needs, ask them to explain.
• If someone has a severe allergy, ask how serious it is and whether they carry an adrenaline auto-injector, and where they keep it.
• Never decide that someone is being fussy. Treat every stated allergy as real.

The 14 major allergens (UK)

• In the UK, 14 allergens must be declared on food: celery; cereals containing gluten (such as wheat, rye, barley and oats); crustaceans (such as prawns, crabs and lobsters); eggs; fish; lupin; milk.
• The rest are: molluscs (such as mussels and oysters); mustard; peanuts; sesame; soybeans; sulphur dioxide and sulphites (above 10 parts per million); and tree nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts).
• Allergens hide in places you might not expect: sesame in tahini and hummus, nuts in pesto, some sweets and baklava, milk in ghee and many desserts, gluten in soy sauce and some stock cubes, mustard in dressings.
• Check the label of every packaged ingredient: the FSA specifically mentions sauces, dressings and desserts. Keep the packaging until after the meal so you can show it to the guest.

Cooking safely for an allergic guest

• The FSA warns that just taking the allergen off someone's plate is not enough. The dish must be made without it.
• Clean worktops and equipment thoroughly before preparing allergy-safe food, wash your hands and use clean cloths (FSA).
• Cooking does not make allergens safe. The FSA explains that heating does not remove the allergenic potential of food proteins.
• Make the allergy-safe dish first, cover it and keep it apart, and give it its own serving spoon.
• The FSA advises avoiding extra toppings and decorations. Ready-made extras such as chopped nuts, sesame seeds or crispy onions can easily carry allergens.
• Simplest approach: make the whole menu free from the guest's allergen if you can, so nobody has to worry.

Labelling dishes

• The interfaith iftar guide suggests labelling each dish with the dietary needs it meets, for example halal, kosher or dairy-free. Add 'contains nuts' or similar where relevant.
• Use small cards: dish name, then 'Contains: milk, nuts' or 'Vegan, no nuts'. Be accurate; if you are not sure, say so.
• Point allergic guests to the safe dishes before others start serving, so spoons are not swapped between dishes.
• At a potluck, ask everyone to bring an ingredient list with their dish.

If someone has a serious reaction

• The NHS lists signs of anaphylaxis including swelling of the throat and tongue, difficulty breathing or breathing very fast, difficulty swallowing or a hoarse voice, feeling faint or dizzy, and blue, grey or pale skin, lips or tongue.
• The NHS says: use their adrenaline auto-injector if they have one, then call for an ambulance and say you think it is anaphylaxis. In the UAE, the ambulance number is 998; in the UK it is 999.
• Help them lie down with their legs raised, or sit up slowly if breathing is difficult. The NHS says they should not stand or walk, even if they feel better.
• If there is no improvement after 5 minutes, the NHS says to use a second auto-injector if available.
• For more detail, see the First Aid module.