It’s estimated that up to 45% of people consider a dietary requirement before choosing your restaurant

That’s nearly half the UK population.But this isn’t just a reflection of those directly affected with an allergy or food intolerance themselves- if a loved one, family member or colleague are sufferers then their needs will take central priority when eating out. That’s a given.Surveys taken from the FSA have suggested that up to 80% of individuals who had, or knew someone who had an allergy, still regularly ate out at restaurants or takeaways. The figures speak for themselves really, but as an overview it goes like this: Those affected with an allergy or food intolerance are still going to dine out regularly, they are just going to be extra vigilant and extra picky about where.

And of course, from a consumer point of view this makes sense, too. I mean, put it this way- if your child, friend or partner suffered with an allergy you would naturally chose a restaurant with suitable dishes, even if you yourself wanted to eat elsewhere- wouldn't you?What's more, you certainly wouldn’t want an allergy or intolerance to take away the joy of eating out, particularly when 66% of the UK consider themselves as being passionate about food and drink.In this day and age, we are increasingly governed by what we can and can’t eat, getting it right as a food business or commercial kitchen is thus imperative.In an ideal world, your menu would offer a dish to suitably accommodate every dietary requirement. Of course, this isn't the case. What really becomes key then, is the communication of your menu’s credentials to your diners; both its nutritional values and allergens.Displaying this information on your menu or packaging is law.Getting this information out there to potential diners, is connection with a rapidly growing demographic.Those 45% of diners aren’t going to chose you if they can’t see what you’ve got.Likewise, if you are an establishment who can cater for, or perhaps who specialises in, ‘free-from’ options then you need to be shouting about it to all the right people.The answer is always simplicity: if you can create the dish, showcase it.

Kafoodle can help you do this.

Even if you currently do not offer free-from dishes on your menu, or perhaps don’t know where to start in this area, Kafoodle can still help.Our cloud-based menu management system helps commercial kitchens manage their nutritional and allergen information with ease. All of this in line with the FIR legislation requirements, too. Kafoodle can even print compliant labels for food items to ensure you can communicate the information on any items that may be pre-packed or take away. We make sure this information can be communicated to all other members of staff, too. Meaning all FOH are adept to deliver further information about a dish's ingredients on request.You can find out more about what Kafoodle can do for you here or by contacting us directly at: info@kafoodle.com or on 020 3371 0450