6 ms·

Restaurants don't even have to track and disclose what allergens their food contains.

M95D 1mo ago
They have to in EU! https://food.ec.europa.eu/food-safety/campaign-2026/allergies_en https://food.ec.europa.eu/food-safety/campaign-2026/allergie...
- rafram 1mo ago
  Very, very poorly enforced and followed.
  - tpm 1mo ago
    Depends on the country, as enforcing that falls to the agencies of the member states. At least here in Slovakia it is followed very strictly, but then our restaurant inspectors are notoriously business unfriendly.
- WarmWash 1mo ago
  That isn't for restaurants.
  - morsch 1mo ago
    Yes it is > For non-prepacked foods – such as those sold in restaurants, cafés or deli counters – allergen information must be provided.
    - WarmWash 1mo ago
      The linked page is for packaging, which are unique to the EU. The US has it's own allergen labeling guidelines, which seem similar, but I'm not going to 1:1 check. For restaurants it's mostly up to the states with the FDA providing guidance.
rhinoceraptor 1mo ago
It's crazy how nothing has been done in the US about this. I got an egg allergy in my late 20s, I had never thought about it before and now eating at restaurants is such a hassle. Even the delivery apps seem to have zero affordances for food allergies, at least with a restaurant you can get some assurance by asking the staff.
- tokioyoyo 1mo ago
  I’m very sorry to hear that, but I don’t think restaurants have to be forced to deal with that. The only thing I could support is “if revenue >X then allergen disclosure is mandatory”. I know personally multiple little shops that had to refuse customers, because that’s extra hassle and responsibility that they can’t afford to deal with.
  - jsjisiiss 1mo ago
    They manage fine in Europe. It’s a cultural issue. If you can’t be arsed working through the minor administrative hassle once (how often do you change the menu..) to not kill your customers then you shouldn’t be in this business.
    - voakbasda 1mo ago
      I would rather food vendors have the right to refuse service than be subjected to laws that effectively squeeze out smaller operators.
      - FireBeyond 1mo ago
        Is your perspective of restaurants, food trucks, sidewalk cafes, etc., in Europe that they're all large market providers, and not smaller operators?
        voakbasda 1mo ago
        In general, I think the barrier to entry to providing goods and services is now high enough that it discourages ever larger numbers of businesses from ever being started in the first place.
ecshafer 1mo ago
Good. Restaurants are hectic to work in. Menus can change quickly, and many dishes are being cooked and prepped at once. Cross contamination chances are high, so if a restaurant MUST say an allergen is not in X,Y,Z they basically can't have it in their restaurant at all.
- saghm 1mo ago
  Alternately, they could truthfully state what allergens are in literally all of their foods, and then people who are allergic to them can safely avoid them, which is what you're expecting them to do now except without actually saying which allergens they are.
- pricechild 1mo ago
  They manage here in the UK. When entering, "any allergens or intolerances" is normally asked before you're sat down. They distinguish the two to decide whether a station clean is required or if they can just point you to the menu. If it's not already clear on the menu, most medium/large chains then hand you a tablet letting you filter by almost anything.
  - deleted 1mo ago
    [deleted]
- jsjisiiss 1mo ago
  In forty years I have very rarely seen menus change substantially. If you are working with food you should know about allergies. It just comes with the territory. I’m baffled by how this is somehow too hard for US folks yet we manage fine.
  - failbuffer 1mo ago
    Your menus don't change because of the administrative overhead. In the mid-sized American city where I live, menus change seasonally at nice restaurants and daily at really nice restaurants. Even fast food chains experiment with adding new items all the time.
paulddraper 1mo ago
But you understand that if it were required, everyplace that doesn’t specify today, would slap allergens on the whole menu.

M95D 1mo ago

They have to in EU! https://food.ec.europa.eu/food-safety/campaign-2026/allergies_en https://food.ec.europa.eu/food-safety/campaign-2026/allergie...

rafram 1mo ago
Very, very poorly enforced and followed.
- tpm 1mo ago
  Depends on the country, as enforcing that falls to the agencies of the member states. At least here in Slovakia it is followed very strictly, but then our restaurant inspectors are notoriously business unfriendly.
WarmWash 1mo ago
That isn't for restaurants.
- morsch 1mo ago
  Yes it is > For non-prepacked foods – such as those sold in restaurants, cafés or deli counters – allergen information must be provided.
  - WarmWash 1mo ago
    The linked page is for packaging, which are unique to the EU. The US has it's own allergen labeling guidelines, which seem similar, but I'm not going to 1:1 check. For restaurants it's mostly up to the states with the FDA providing guidance.

rhinoceraptor 1mo ago

It's crazy how nothing has been done in the US about this. I got an egg allergy in my late 20s, I had never thought about it before and now eating at restaurants is such a hassle. Even the delivery apps seem to have zero affordances for food allergies, at least with a restaurant you can get some assurance by asking the staff.

tokioyoyo 1mo ago
I’m very sorry to hear that, but I don’t think restaurants have to be forced to deal with that. The only thing I could support is “if revenue >X then allergen disclosure is mandatory”. I know personally multiple little shops that had to refuse customers, because that’s extra hassle and responsibility that they can’t afford to deal with.
- jsjisiiss 1mo ago
  They manage fine in Europe. It’s a cultural issue. If you can’t be arsed working through the minor administrative hassle once (how often do you change the menu..) to not kill your customers then you shouldn’t be in this business.
  - voakbasda 1mo ago
    I would rather food vendors have the right to refuse service than be subjected to laws that effectively squeeze out smaller operators.
    - FireBeyond 1mo ago
      Is your perspective of restaurants, food trucks, sidewalk cafes, etc., in Europe that they're all large market providers, and not smaller operators?
      - voakbasda 1mo ago
        In general, I think the barrier to entry to providing goods and services is now high enough that it discourages ever larger numbers of businesses from ever being started in the first place.

ecshafer 1mo ago

Good. Restaurants are hectic to work in. Menus can change quickly, and many dishes are being cooked and prepped at once. Cross contamination chances are high, so if a restaurant MUST say an allergen is not in X,Y,Z they basically can't have it in their restaurant at all.

saghm 1mo ago
Alternately, they could truthfully state what allergens are in literally all of their foods, and then people who are allergic to them can safely avoid them, which is what you're expecting them to do now except without actually saying which allergens they are.
pricechild 1mo ago
They manage here in the UK. When entering, "any allergens or intolerances" is normally asked before you're sat down. They distinguish the two to decide whether a station clean is required or if they can just point you to the menu. If it's not already clear on the menu, most medium/large chains then hand you a tablet letting you filter by almost anything.
- deleted 1mo ago
  [deleted]
jsjisiiss 1mo ago
In forty years I have very rarely seen menus change substantially. If you are working with food you should know about allergies. It just comes with the territory. I’m baffled by how this is somehow too hard for US folks yet we manage fine.
- failbuffer 1mo ago
  Your menus don't change because of the administrative overhead. In the mid-sized American city where I live, menus change seasonally at nice restaurants and daily at really nice restaurants. Even fast food chains experiment with adding new items all the time.

paulddraper 1mo ago

But you understand that if it were required, everyplace that doesn’t specify today, would slap allergens on the whole menu.