Feb 19, 2008 11:10 pm US/Eastern
Bill Aims To Improve Safety At Restaurants
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Chefs at Blue Ginger in Wellesley prepare meals at the food-allergy conscious restaurant.
WBZ
Going out to eat can be a life or death situation for many people. Twelve million Americans suffer food allergies but there's now a push to make restaurants safer.
A simple sandwich from Subway doesn't look deadly but it was for 13-year-old Emily Vonder Muelen, of Ohio.
"I don't think that most people realize that people with food allergies -- just a trace amount could take them away in a matter of minutes," said Emily's father, Paul Vonder Muelen.
Emily's family believes traces of a peanut butter cookie cross contaminated her sandwich, causing a severe allergic reaction.
It's estimated that food allergies send 30,000 people to the emergency room each year. About 150 of those die.
"Why is the threat so much greater at a restaurant than at a home?" WBZ's Joe Shortsleeve asked Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger.
"At home you have total control," Tsai said. "You know there is no peanut butter at home, you know you have washed your hands, that there is no cross contamination."
Food bought at a grocery story has federal labels, so consumers know if there are allergens on the inside. But when they out to eat there's nothing, so now there's a move to change that.
"My concern is safety," said State Senatory Cynthia Creem. "People are dying from eating something that they don't know about in a restaurant."
Sen. Creem has filed a bill to improve safety at restaurants with 50 or more seats. It would require disclosure of ingredients, mandate staff training and improve public education.
"Everyone has the right to eat safely anywhere they want to go," Tsai said.
Tsai, a nationally acclaimed chef at
Blue Ginger in Wellesley, isn't just a long time advocate for safer restaurants. He's also the father of David -- a boy with severe food allergies.
"I was doing this 10 years ago," Tsai said. "But it absolutely enhanced it when David came along. I realized this is my calling."
That's why every diner at Blue Ginger can look at the so-called food bible -- a comprehensive list of ingredients. The staff is trained to double check allergen free requests. Although a restaurant trade association opposes the bill, Tsai says this can be good for business.
"I am not trying to add cost," Tsai said. "We are actually busier because we are known as an allergy-free restaurant."
It's a trend Emily's parents want to see catch on around the country.
"If things don't change, there will be more Emily's," Paul Vonder Muelen said.
Some people in the restaurant industry are worried about increased liability issues as well as additional costs, but that didn't stop New Jersey from passing the first bill of this kind last year.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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