Our Problem:
The problem that our group is focusing on is allergies in restaurants. After doing research and conducting interviews, we realize that this is a big problem and we know that some restaurants are helping but not enough for the customers to feel comfortable and satisfied in finding allergy-friendly foods.
According to Food Allergy Research and Education, a well known company dedicated to educating the public about food allergies. This company says that there are more than 170 foods that people can be allergic to. For example, tree nuts, peanuts, shellfish and other foods are very common allergies and are common in lots of restaurants around the world and without any warning or signs, this can cause hundreds of allergic reactions a year.
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According to CDC, The Center for Disease Control, says food allergic reactions are responsible for about 30,000 emergency room visits a year and cause about 150-200 deaths a year. This number may sound like a small amount but it really isn't. In all, there are 15 million Americans that have food allergies. Sad Fact: Every 3 minutes a food allergy reaction sends someone to the emergency room.
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In the new article BBC News, restaurants must tell customers if any of their dishes contain the 14 most common allergies but it is still stressful for people to eat out with allergies. This menu above and the BBC article are both from the United Kingdom. This shows that America should adopt the ways of the UK because they care for their citizens and what to limit the amount of allergic reactions so many people have everyday. Plus, they want the customer to feel comfortable and not have to spend their entire time reading the whole menu trying to find allergy-friendly meals.
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As we conducted an interview with Coral Tree, we asked them questions about, Do they have signs for allergies next to their food? Do they let their customers know about the allergies in their food? As we received information from these questions, they told us they do not have any sort of footnote or sign that lets customers know the allergies in their food and meals. Knowing this, it shows that their has to be more restaurants that warn people about the allergies in their food.
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