Food allergies impact dining out? There's an app for that!

App takes risk out of dining out

A new treatment could help people with deadly allergies not have to live in fear.

ORLANDO, Fla. – What happens when the estimated 15 million Americans with food allergies or the 60% of American adults who report dietary restrictions decide to eat out? Until now, it meant spending time researching menus online and calling restaurants to ask about things like food preparation and cross-contamination. But today, the new DineSafe™ app takes the risk out of dining out nearly 8,000 restaurants nationwide, with more being added daily.

With DineSafe, iPhone and Android users can quickly and easily find restaurants whose offerings meet their dietary needs. Restaurants can add their menu to the app tracking Top 8 allergens with the ability to track as many as 33 allergens and 11 dietary preferences. Upon their first use, diners tell the DineSafe app what their restrictions are, and then the app serves up custom menus from nearby restaurants offering foods that are safe to eat within those restrictions. DineSafe is completely free for consumers and restaurants.

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Designed by a hospitality industry insider with food restrictions of his own, DineSafe helps diners and restaurants alike to navigate the world of food allergies and special dietary preferences, including vegetarian, vegan, paleo, kosher and other popular choices. Diners can rest easy knowing the menus DineSafe presents are free of their particular allergens, while restaurants can gain loyal followings of people with food allergies, along with their networks of family and friends.

Because a food allergy can turn deadly at any time, the UK and the EU already require disclosure of allergens in food, and many U.S. states are heading that way as well. DineSafe allows restaurants to proactively disclose food allergens right now to the people already interested in dining at their establishments--and to those who might not otherwise think to eat there.

"Here at DineSafe, #KnowWhatsInYourFood is more than a hashtag--it's a mantra. We are forward-thinking and created to get out ahead of food allergy regulations and the food preference trends because we know what it's like to live with food allergies," explained DineSafe, LLC co-founder and head of operation Nick Caturano. "DineSafe provides restaurants with an accurate, real-time tool for keeping track of all menu item ingredients in a centralized location and a standardized format that helps guests, servers, chefs, and even hosts or hostesses access the information and use it in a way that caters to their establishments and their customers personally."

In the coming months, DineSafe will introduce additional dietary preferences, including calorie, carbohydrate, protein and fat content. The company is actively seeking restaurants who would like to add their menu offerings to DineSafe; future plans include expanding into other countries and making the DineSafe app available in other languages. DineSafe, LLC has partnered with menu labeling experts MenuTrinfo® to help restaurants learn about and properly label food allergens.

The DineSafe app is available on the Apple App Store and on Google Play. 


About the Author:

This Emmy Award-winning television, radio and newspaper journalist has anchored The Morning Show for 18 years.