Measures to Prevent Accidental Ingestion among Children with Food Allergy at Our Hospital / 日本農村医学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

　　There is a need for measures to prevent accidental ingestion at hospitals that provide food for children with food allergies. The dietetics department of our hospital attempts to prevent accidental ingestion by providing meal tags that clearly indicate the dishes prepared without allergens (“allergen-free meal”), which are attached in the designated area by a licensed cook in charge of food preparation. During the 1-year period between January and December 2014, 258 children with food allergy were treated in our hospital and received allergen-free meals. There were 3 cases in which dishes containing allergens were served by mistake, and accidental ingestion by the patient occurred in 2 cases. Regarding the cause of these serving errors, it is likely that they occurred because allergen-free dishes were served using tableware with the same color as that used for allergen-containing dishes. Accordingly, we have revised our preventive measures against accidental ingestion so that all of the tableware and trays used for allergen-free dishes are yellow in color, in order to distinguish them from other dishes. Furthermore, we have provided a dedicated shelf for allergen-free dishes, and have also made it a requirement for final confirmation to be performed by 2 responsible cooks who double-check the food before serving. We will continue to monitor and improve our measures to prevent accidental ingestion as necessary.