Odds are pretty good customers with lactose intolerance will visit restaurants, given it’s the #1 intolerance in America. But it is also likely customers with a milk allergy will visit restaurants because milk is also one of the top 8 food allergens in America.
Some people with an allergy to milk have a severe life-threatening reaction (trouble breathing, loss of consciousness, etc.), after consuming a tiny amount of milk, while others might have a mild reaction such as rashes or hives. The milk allergy reaction can take place a few minutes or hours after eating or drinking a milk product.
Lactose Intolerance vs. Milk Allergy
People with lactose intolerance are missing the enzyme “Lactase” whose job is to break down lactose–the sugar found in milk and milk products. So what happens when people with lactose intolerance accidentally consume lactose? The bacteria in the colon can break down the undigested lactose causing unpleasant but not life-threatening consequences such as nausea, cramps, gas, bloating and diarrhea.
Err On The Side Of Caution (or Allergy)
Customers with milk allergies and customers with lactose intolerance will both come into restaurants wanting to avoid milk and milk products. The first is an allergy and can lead to serious consequences with cross contact while the second does not. The person with lactose intolerance might just ask the server if that dish contains milk products and no special request will be made to the kitchen. If the person with an intolerance does ask for a special plate to be made, It might be best to treat the special plate request like you would for a milk allergy so as not to confuse staff, etc… It would not put customers at risk if the restaurant treated customers with lactose intolerance as carefully as they do customers with a milk allergy. The opposite would be a disaster—treating customers with a milk allergy as casually as they would those with lactose intolerance.
Here are a few tips on how restaurants can treat these two special requests (lactose intolerance and milk allergy) the same:
- Use colored frill picks to distinguish a plate made without milk or milk products
- Use a particular colored plate or plate cover for these special requests from the kitchen. This way the customer is assured the restaurant is taking either dietary restriction as a serious consideration. The plate cover will also help protect the plate from cross contact once the meal is plated.
- Have the manager, chef or server go over the customer’s request and meal choice in detail when it is served so they know it was personally handled.
