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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Feb 23.
Published in final edited form as: J Food Prot. 2016 Sep;79(9):1588–1598. doi: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-16-085

TABLE 3.

Descriptive data on restaurant manager and staff food allergy knowledgea

Manager (N = 277) Food worker (N = 211) Server (N = 156)



Question n % n % n %
Of the following foods, which do you think are major allergens?
  Peanuts (correct) 263 95.0 201 95.3 149 95.5
  Tomatoes 53 19.1 47 22.3 37 23.7
  Milk or dairy (correct) 252 91.0 186 88.2 145 93.0
  Strawberries 88 31.8 68 32.2 47 30.1
  Shellfish (correct) 256 92.4 191 90.5 147 94.2
  Eggs (correct) 226 81.6 164 77.7 113 72.4
  Chocolate 64 23.1 59 28.0 27 17.3
Which of the following are symptoms of an allergic reaction
    to food?
  Trouble breathing (correct) 269 97.1 204 96.7 155 99.4
  Hives or rash (correct) 272 98.2 205 97.2 156 100
  Headache 154 55.6 109 51.7 72 46.2
  Swelling of tongue and throat (correct) 270 97.5 202 95.7 156 100
  Fever 166 59.9 122 57.8 102 65.4
Which of the following should you do if a customer is having
      a bad food allergic reaction, such as trouble breathing?
  Suggest that the customer drink water 67 24.2 59 28.0 41 26.3
  Call 911 (correct) 275 99.3 207 98.1 156 100
  Ask the customer if they have medicine they could take 250 90.3 193 91.5 145 93.0
  Suggest that the customer throw up 42 15.2 28 13.3 9 5.8
Someone with a food allergy can safely eat small amounts
      of the food they are allergic to.
  Yes 33 11.9 25 11.8 18 11.5
  No (correct) 225 81.2 159 75.4 122 78.2
  Unsure or skipped 19 6.9 27 12.8 16 10.3
Someone with a food allergy can die from eating the food
      they are allergic to.
  Yes (correct) 263 95.0 200 94.8 152 97.4
  No 7 2.5 6 2.8 2 1.3
  Unsure or skipped 7 2.5 5 2.4 2 1.3
Taking a food allergen out of a meal after it has been made
      is one way to make it safe for a food allergic customer.
  Yes 17 6.1 12 5.7 6 3.8
  No (correct) 257 92.8 193 91.5 145 93.0
  Unsure or skipped 3 1.1 6 2.8 5 3.2
a

Responses are shown in the order they were asked. n, the number of managers and workers that affirmatively answered the question.