Food Storage Essentials for People With Allergies

Clean Up Throughout The Cooking Process

It tends to take more time, but you want to make sure that your kitchen area is clean, especially if you’re working with allergy and non-allergy food in the same area. Take the extra steps to clean all surfaces before and after you prepare the food and eat.

It includes your dining room table. Allergy food is excellent at leaving little particles around to make their way into other food. You won’t even realize that it is happening until it’s too late. You don’t need to disinfect the area as that can be dangerous for all food. Just use warm, soapy water. Don’t rely on hand sanitizer to keep your hands clear of allergens as this doesn’t kill them.

Don’t Forget About The Medical Supplies

Things happen. No matter how much you prepare and how careful you are when it comes to separating allergens from certain foods – an allergic reaction can still occur. Therefore, when you take your measures to pack for a natural disaster, you want to ensure that you pack medical supplies. You want to make a list of everything that the person with allergies needs to keep themselves healthy and to calm down any reaction.

If you need to purchase more medication, talk to your doctor or pharmacy first. They might have other ideas on how to prepare for a disaster. It’s also essential to ensure that you don’t let medication sit for a long time because they lose their effectiveness.

Make The Allergen-Free Meal First

One of the biggest mistakes people make when preparing food for people with allergies is making it the same as making other food. To take the extra safety precautions, you want to make the food for the person with allergies. That allows you to prepare it without worrying about any air-born allergens getting mixed in with the food. It also allows you to clean up and put it away safely before you start preparing the other meals.

When doing this, you want to make sure that you continue to use different utensils. Again, remember to thoroughly clean the counters and area before you bring out the non-allergy food.

Allergen-Free Containers

Another direction to look to help loved ones and guests with their allergies is to find allergy-free containers. You can purchase them through companies like Food Service Direct or on Amazon. They are a bit more costly than other containers, but they help keep your foods separated and make sure that cross-contamination doesn’t happen.

These containers are similar to other Tupperware in that they’re dishwasher safe, clear, and safe for all types of food storage. Another bonus is this Tupperware say they are “Allergen Free” so you can easily keep them separated from your other Tupperware.

Think About Vapors In The Air

There are different levels of allergic reactions. Some people will show a reaction when they are in the presence of the allergen, while others need to digest it. You must know what level the person entering your home is so you can take all the precautions necessary.

One step to take is not to allow anyone allergic to particular food into the kitchen area when it is cooking. Airborne allergens always can make their way into the person’s system and cause a reaction. You should also keep them out of the kitchen for at least 30 minutes after cleaning up.

Make Sure Everyone Is On The Same Page

There are many people involved when it comes to food storage, even in your own home. With the current situation, you understand that emergencies can happen, and this is probably one reason you want to keep your food stocked. But, you can’t forget about everyone in your home or people around you that might contact your food and people with allergies.

When it comes to your family, come up with a plan, and let everyone know what it is. For example, explain to your children that allergy-free food has to remain separated from food with allergens. Show them how they can follow this process and tell why it is crucial. Write up your plan and guidelines, so everyone has a chance to look them over when they need to.

Assemble Grab Bags

With the current crisis, you know that emergencies can happen. Sometimes you’re not able to stay in your home when natural disasters or other dangers arise. You don’t know what type of food is available when you get to community shelters or the Red Cross. They might not have allergy-free foods. You also don’t know how their meals were stored and packaged.

Therefore, you want to consider your family member with allergies and make sure you have grab bags handy for them. Most emergency personnel state that it’s best to ensure you have three days worth of food and water ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Look For Dry Foods That Are Allergy-Friendly

You might not have noticed yet, but certain dry foods are turning more allergy-friendly. Major companies are seeing that a large percentage of the population can’t try their yummy food because of allergies. Therefore, they are moving in a direction that creates more food that’s allergy-friendly.

For example, certain cereals don’t have wheat or other allergens. They will usually advertise this on the package by stating it is allergy-free. They will also note when one of their items are gluten-free.

Survival Frog

Another up and coming company that focuses on allergy-free foods is Survival Frog. They work with many other companies, such as Mountain House, to ensure that their ingredients get to as many stores as possible. That not only gives people with allergies peace of mind but also more options.

Another benefit of Survival Frog is that they are here to help you get the best emergency preparedness tips for people with allergies. They focus on storage, planning, and creating a first aid and emergency food kit. They also have many tips for parents with young children who have food allergies.

Sources:

“Food Storage Essentials: Food storage ideas for those with allergies.” Leslie Probert, Desert News. August 2011.

“FOOD SAFETY: ALLERGY COMPLIANCE TIPS FOR FOOD STORAGE AND WAREHOUSES.” Remax Doors Warehouse Blog.

“Prepping with food allergies.” Valorie Violette, The Prepared. July 2017.

“Safe Cooking for Food Allergies.” Christine Mikstas, WebMD. October 2018.

“The 10 Best Survival Food Companies of 2020.” Erica Puisis, The Spruce Eats. May 2020

“Preparing for Natural Disasters When Your Family Has Food Allergies.” Kids with food allergies. July 2015.

“6 Top Tips for Keeping Allergens in Control in Your Kitchen.” Meg Nohe, Allergic Living. August 2016.