Has the increase in customer food allergies impacted the restaurant industry? Food allergies and food intolerances are a scientific phenomenon that has affected people since the dawn of time, although we rarely heard about them before. But today20, the number of people suffering from food allergies is much higher and continues to increase. The book 8Peanut Butter, Milk, and other Deadly Threats: What You Should Know About Food Allergies, written by Sherri Mabry Gordon, reports: "According to a 2004 study published by the American Academy of Allergies, Asthma, and Immunology, the field food allergies is much broader. health problem than previously thought. It is now believed that approximately one in twenty-five Americans are affected by one or more food allergies. (Gordon 11) Other online statistics reveal22 that more than twelve million Americans suffer from food allergies and intolerances. (Network) Today, due to the increase in the number of people suffering from food allergies, more and more people requiring special diets are dining out, which inevitably poses many challenges for the restaurant chef. restaurant, to the manager. , and the service staff. Gordon informs us that “Food allergies were first documented in the fourth century BC by Hippocrates. He noted that milk could cause hives and stomach upset. » (Gordon 72) Although food allergies are not a new phenomenon, over time there has been very little accurate information about food allergies and intolerances. (Gordon 72) What is a known fact, however, is that there is no cure for food allergies, so strictly avoiding food allergens is the only way to manage allergic reactions and prevent serious illness. ...... middle of paper... ...maybe this will be the day when customers with food allergies can dine out and eat in peace. Works Book cited: Buist, Robert. Food intolerance: what it is and how to deal with it. Great Britain: Prism Press, 1984. Online publication: 15Dahl, Dick. The restaurant industry could face a wave of food allergy lawsuits. July 4, 2006. Retrieved April 26, 2011. ^ Gordon, Sherri Mabry. Bitter peanut, milk and other deadly threats: What you need to know about food allergies. New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2006. Gray, J. and W Chan. “Food intolerance”. Caballero, Benjamin, Luiz Trugo and Paul Finglas. Encyclopedia of Food Science and Nutrition Vol.4. Academic Press, 2003. 2621-2630. Websites: Network,23Food allergy and anaphylaxis. Food allergy facts and statistics. . Wikipedia. Food allergies. April 20 2011