Food Matters offers consulting services that address the need for awareness towards those with special dietary requirements. Food Matters will work, hands on, with food service organizations so that guests can enjoy gluten- and allergen-free meals when eating out. By reaching out to the community of people who suffer from dietary restrictions, restaurants will be making a service contribution as more and more people are realizing they have food restrictions, allergies and sensitivities. Food Matters will partner with restaurants in an effort to make sure that the staff, kitchen and management are informed on issues such as cross contamination, knowledge of ingredients, kitchen sanitization and allergy education.


why now?
Over the last 10 years, food allergies, have inexplicably reached epidemic proportions. Children are suddenly displaying terrifying symptoms when introduced to new foods, while adults are discovering latent or new allergies and facing unpleasant reactions. The United States is a food culture, however many people suffer from food restrictions and are forced to be watchful of what they eat.


targeted groups
food allergies: Individuals with food allergies receive an autoimmune reaction directly after they eat. This reaction could range anywhere from anaphylaxis shock to vomiting. In the United States there are 8 trigger foods, which Americans are most allergic to. These foods are wheat, soy, milk, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts, shellfish fish.

food intolerances: Individuals who suffer from food intolerances have a delayed reaction to certain foods. The reaction sometimes won't occur to the next day and could range anywhere from congestion, skin irritations or migraines.

auto immune disease: There are several autoimmune related diseases, which benefit from a specialized diet such as Celiac Disease, Diabetes, Crohn's Disease and Colitis.

autism: Many kids (1 in every 166) are born with autism today. Doctors are finding that placing the children on gluten free/casein free diets help in the development of these children. Therefore, many autistic children stay on a strict gluten free/casein free diet.


food matters role of participation
Food Matters will help restaurants achieve their goals by:
  • educating restaurant staff about allergen-free requirements, and conducting training for the management and staff on the special diets

  • identifying restaurant-specific ingredients and preparations to be potentially modified for specialized diets

  • teaching restaurants to understand guests' special dietary needs by communicating with them

  • facilitating accurate understanding of the order and special requirements by determining whether the kitchen staff understands the special order

  • following up with guests to ensure that their meal is a satisfactory dining experience

  • providing guest feedback to the manager and chef as needed



educational components
  • menu consulting

  • menu implementation

  • menu ideas

  • product purchasing

  • employee recruiting

  • staff/kitchen training

  • create allergy symbols for menu and website

  • public relations campaign



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