8 August 2022: 

Released today is a new food allergy training course for staff working with vulnerable people in a variety of care settings. These settings include aged care and other residential care, transitional care, respite care, rehabilitation care (including mental health, disability, drug and alcohol), quarantine facilities and services, correctional and detention facilities, hospices and overnight, short and long stay facilities.

Through our engagement with stakeholders working in this sector we understand that there are unique challenges in providing food to residents with food allergy. Residents who may be incapable of, or have difficulty with communicating about their food allergy, have less control in preparing their own food. However, some residents are transient, having greater autonomy and mobility, which may put others who are less able, at greater risk.

Staff preparing food and supervising mealtimes in these settings need practical training and best-practice safety processes that are versatile to this environment. All about Allergens for Residential Care has been designed for cooks and chefs and other kitchen staff, nurses and care staff, and allied health professionals who run food-related activities with residents. We have seen high demand for food allergy training from food service staff working in the aged care sector particularly, and we now have a specific course relevant to this group.

 For more information about the All about Allergens courses available visit www.foodallergytraining.org.au.