More Common Than You’d Think
Food allergies affect as many as 32 million Americans, including 5.6 million children, according to Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT).
That’s approximately 1 in 13 children in the U.S. Food allergies are common enough among children that there are, on average, about two students with food allergies in every classroom.
While more than 170 foods are known to cause allergic reactions, nine foods account for approximately 90% of all food allergies:
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts
- Milk
- Eggs
- Wheat
- Soy
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Sesame
That’s why our team takes extra care in planning meals, establishing procedures and preparing food to safely accommodate people with these allergens.
Allergen-Free, Flavorful Menu
To support people with food allergies, CKC Good Food offers a special allergen-free menu designed to avoid the most common allergens listed above.
But we don’t skip on the flavor. Our rotating three-week menu features flavorful meals such as:
- Beef & broccoli
- Chicken fajitas with rice
- Chicken pilaf
- Chicken sukkha
- Beef & scallion
Each entrée is paired with vegetables, grains like steamed brown rice or corn chips, and a milk substitute to provide balanced, satisfying meals.
We also understand that every individual’s dietary needs are different. While no single menu can accommodate every possible allergen, we work closely with Food Service Managers to help identify suitable meal options whenever possible.
Keeping an Eye on Ingredient Changes
Our allergen-free menu intentionally uses minimally processed foods and a simple ingredient list for a good reason. Food manufacturers frequently change the ingredients in products used in our main hot lunch meals. Sauces, in particular, tend to have frequent ingredient changes and hidden allergens. Manufacturers can change ingredients without directly notifying food distributors, food service management companies/caterers or schools – making it one of the biggest challenges in preparing allergen-free meals.
Before any meal is prepared, our team reads the ingredient labels for allergen statements and warnings such as:
“May contain…”
“Produced on shared equipment…”
“Produced in a plant that uses…”
Foods with these warnings are not used in our allergen-free meal menu.
Preventing Cross-Contact
In addition to menu planning, CKC Good Food follows strict food handling, cleaning and preparation procedures designed to minimize the risk of cross-contact.
Our allergen safety procedures include:
- Annual allergen training for all food service personnel
- Additional training and testing on allergy protections for Certified Food Protection Managers who oversee each of our kitchens
- Dedicated allergen-free preparation and packaging areas (separate from our hot meal prep and deli prep area)
- Thorough cleaning and sanitizing before allergen-free meal prep
- Preparing meals exactly as listed on the approved menu, with no substitutions
- Individually packaged allergen-free meals for delivery to partner sites
To simplify operations and maintain consistency at the offsite kitchens we manage, all allergen-free meals are prepared at our central commissary kitchen.
Note for NSLP Schools
For schools participating in the National School Lunch Program, the Minnesota Department of Education and USDA require students with food allergies to have a Special Dietary Statement signed by a physician for meals to qualify for reimbursement. Dietary restrictions recommended by specialty doctors or dietitians do not meet the requirements.
We encourage families to work closely with their schools and healthcare providers to ensure proper documentation is in place so students can safely access meal accommodations.
More Inclusive Mealtime
Our goal with our allergen-free menu is to help make mealtime not only safe, but also more inclusive and less stressful.
We’re proud to share that throughout our many years of following these allergen safety procedures, no one has experienced an allergic reaction from meals served through our allergen-free menu.
