Allergies, intolerances and preferences

[Allergyorpreference]

Ordering a vegan option from an ice cream server today, I was asked 'allergy or preference?' and I didn't know what to say, as it's neither.

I can't have dairy (lipids and/or proteins, not lactose) for medical reasons. And whilst I won't have an anaphylactic reaction, it's far more serious than the straightforward discomfort often assumed when simply saying 'intolerance', and obviously inappropriate to have to refer to typical symptoms.

AIBU to think they should just maintain good food hygiene and keep separate scoops for the choices they offer? I understand that some places can't guarantee products cooked or baked are allergen free because of the potential for cross contamination, but this was a separate container of a different product. I've not come across this elsewhere. Would something else have been drastically changed depending on the answer?

One means they just have to maintain standard hygiene procedures. The other means they have to scrub down absolutely everything as though it was the end of service as it's a matter of life and death.

It’s tricky with coeliac disease too as it’s not an allergy but can be terrible if you get cross contamination. A lot of places offer gluten free options but it’s a different level to need not a single crumb of gluten.

My dad is a coeliac and is often asked this, generally to tell him that some items may be gluten free but they can’t guarantee no cross-contamination.

I have lactose intolerance.

i always say preference.

my SIL is coeliac. A crumb of cross contamination can put her in hospital. Now she’s allergic.

(also if I say I’m allergic they won’t let me eat anything(.

Coeliac disease is not an allergy, it's also an intolerance

It's an autoimmune response.

I might feel as though I'm dying if glutened (and the increased risk of bowel cancer isn't fun, tbh), but it's not a simple intolerance or something that will have me dying on the restaurant floor without two epipens and a paramedic unit in attendance.

No it isn’t. It is an autoimmune reaction to gluten - neither an allergy or intolerance. So okay yes technically not an “allergy”, the same level of care including cross contamination is essential. Hence when speaking with places serving food and they ask allergy or intolerance will say coeliac/allergy i.e. you need to be wiping stuff down, using different utensils and so on. A crumb even if you don’t feel any symptoms causes damage internally as it triggers the autoimmune response.

My dc have non-ige allergies. People used to call these intolerances but they're not, they are an allergic response. They aren't anaphylactic but they can experience life threatening drops in blood pressure if they eat soya for example. So I hate the word 'intolerance' because it's used as if you're just being difficult. I go with allergy because they are allergies, just not ige-mediated ones.

It’s neither an allergy nor an intolerance - it’s an auto immune disease. But often places better understand how to deal with it if they treat it as an allergy.

If you say allergy they may refuse to serve you. My daughter wouldn’t be able to eat vegan ice cream that wasn’t pre-packaged as we wouldn’t be able to guarantee no cross contamination.

People with life threatening milk allergies aren’t supposed to actually trust ‘vegan’ as much as ‘dairy free’ as they can be made in the same place as products containing dairy. I expect most do. .

Also 'plant based' labelling is a nightmare.

It seems standard questions in some cafe chains

It’s just to ensure how diligent they have to be. They need to determine if it’s basic food hygiene or whether they need to act to prevent - to the best of their ability- cross contamination. It’s a huge issue for restaurants to have to prep different areas and time consuming if the customer doesn’t need that.

must remember to tell DH that it was simply a gluten intolerance that resulted in his cancer… that’ll give him a laugh.

I think it's a liability thing. If it really matters they can advise that they can't guarantee no contamination. I've noticed a lot of cafes and things locally have moved to calling things low gluten rather than gluten free, just for this reason.

I am gluten intolerant, not coeliac. I'm usually asked, when ordering gluten free options, if I'm coeliac. I then reassure them that I'm not and a bit of contamination won't matter. It's a strong intolerance, not an allergy. It's a medical condition but one that can tolerate a little contamination. I also never mind as it makes life easier for them in the kitchen.