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Food Allergies
Food allergies and other types of food hypersensitivities affect millions of Americans and their families. Food allergies occur when the body's immune system reacts to certain proteins in food. Food allergic reactions vary in severity from mild symptoms involving hives and lip swelling to severe, life-threatening symptoms, often called anaphylaxis, that may involve fatal respiratory problems and shock. There are nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame. More information about food allergies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is available in the resources section below.
To protect those with food allergies and other hypersensitivities, IDPH and local health departments enforce regulations requiring food businesses to list ingredients on packaged food and drinks. Local health departments also enforce regulations requiring restaurants to train kitchen managers in allergen awareness and posting signage.
Food Allergen Awareness Training for Certified Food Protection Managers
Restaurants can train staff on food allergies and how serious they can be to reduce and to prevent food allergy reactions. In Illinois, certified food protection managers working in a restaurant must complete additional training using an accredited allergen awareness training program that should be completed within 30 days of employment and recertified every three years.
Find an ANSI accredited allergen awareness training program here: All Directory Listing (ansi.org).
Food Allergen Notices
Restaurants in Illinois are required to display allergen awareness notices. These notices should inform consumers how to report information regarding food allergies to employees. The employee who receives the information about the food allergy must communicate the information to the restaurant’s person in charge or certified food protection manager.
A restaurant is in compliance with this requirement if one of the following is met:
- A restaurant posts the signage IDPH created and it is posted in an area where consumers can easily see it. This signage is available for download here: https://dph.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idph/files/publications/foodallergyawarenessnotice.pdf.
- A multi-state business or franchisee has an internal policy that requires a notice to be displayed or statement regarding food allergies to be provided on the menu.
- A restaurant displays a notice regarding food allergies or provides a statement regarding food allergies on its menu that was approved in another state prior to August 23, 2019.
There is no minimum or maximum size requirement for this allergen signage, but it must be visible to all consumers. The signage can be translated into another language, but the English signage must also be present.
Other Allergens in Food Establishments
Illinois has passed legislation to protect individuals with latex allergies through a latex glove ban. Food establishments may not allow employees to use latex gloves in the preparation and handling of food.
If non-latex gloves are not available due to a supply crisis, latex gloves may be used. If latex gloves are used, a sign should be prominently displayed at the point or order or point of purchase notifying the public of a temporary change.
