ASK THE EXPERT: Get-togethers with food allergies

How do you handle your child’s food allergies while you’re traveling to other peoples’ homes? And what if you’re hosting, and one of the guests has food allergies?

We asked Susie Hultquist, CEO and Founder of Spokin, an app that connects the food allergy community to safe foods, restaurants, recipes, and more.  

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How should parents navigate their child’s food allergies when celebrating the holidays with family and friends? 

This year in particular is unique because everyone is going to be getting together with family and friends again. Do the groundwork. Call the host ahead of time to find out what’s being served. And feel comfortable making requests; “Please don’t serve the cheese balls covered with peanuts.” Also, bring a few items that you know will be safe for your child. 

What should you do if you arrive at your holiday event, and your child’s allergen is being served anyway? 

Try to plan this out ahead of time. Role-play a little bit. Will you ask that the host remove the item or just make sure your child doesn’t eat it? Try to know this answer ahead of time, so you can immediately react. 

What if you want the host to remove an item, but feel uncomfortable asking? 

Kill them with kindness. Even the most well-intentioned people may unknowingly serve something that’s not safe. No one is leaving the nuts out on purpose. Just ask them kindly to put them away. It’s hard to understand what it’s like to live with a food allergy unless you have one. Always be on guard.  

What if you’re hosting, and one of the guests has food allergies? 

In this day and age, so many people have allergies and dietary restrictions. The best thing you can do to be a gracious host is to ask ahead of time to make sure everyone is comfortable. It helps take the burden off the guest. 

And how about traveling in general. Any tips for families with food allergies? 

We are planners in the food allergy community. Pack snacks and bring your Spokin app. The reason I built the app is to give people an easy way to find safe restaurants, bakeries, hotels, etc, wherever they are. We take a lot of the leg work out.