Carried out by hospitality recruiter The Change Group, the survey found that “many of London’s eateries serve food prepared with small amounts of animal stock in vegetarian meals, or wheat in dishes labelled as gluten free” for example.
They put this down to ‘accident’ because of the speed employees must work, coupled with understaffed kitchens.
Of the 102 London-based chefs asked:
- One in five admitted that free from dishes ‘sometimes’ contain small amounts of restricted ingredients
- One in seven said diners must ask the waiter to check which dishes suit their needs, as it’s not otherwise labelled on the menu
With gluten cited as the number one intolerance that restaurants take into consideration (87%) followed by dairy (50%) and egg (43%), only 47% said their restaurant caters for people with a nut allergy.
It is reassuring to learn however that 50% have received on the job training in diet and nutrition, while another 37% have learned about such topics during formal chef training and 15% on a separate course specifically on diet and nutrition.
5% have had no formal training on nutrition and diet at all.
Other findings include:
- 95% said their restaurant caters for food intolerances and healthy eating
- However, 69% think restaurants should provide diners with more nutritional information (such as calorie count, sugar and salt content)
As such, a number of chefs are backing healthy eating initiatives, cutting down on a number of key ingredients ‘sometimes associated with less healthy diets’, including gluten (36%), salt (34%), fat (33%), sugar (30%), dairy (26%) and meat (15%).
- 60% think restaurants should offer more alternatives for people with particular preferences (i.e. paleo)
- 48% working at fine dining establishments said their restaurant offers vegetarian options and 42% vegan dishes. A third said their restaurant took part in ‘Veganuary’
- 42% said their restaurant uses menu icons and 21% separate menus to indicate suitable dishes
- 44% believe it is front of house staff’s responsibility to ask about food allergies and explain which dishes will be most appropriate
Co-founder and director of The Change Group, Craig Allen, said: “Diet and nutrition are now key to what diners expect from fine dining and gastro establishments, and our data shows that restaurants are responding really well to this demand.
“Many restaurants are focusing attention on diet and nutrition, and there is a very high level of training, both on the job and externally.
“The reality of today’s busy, often under-staffed kitchens is that a significant minority of chefs are reporting that they work in restaurants that can allow contaminants in dishes that are meant to be vegan or gluten free.
“Equally, front of house, many diners may still need to check with the waiter that a dish is suitable to their needs as this may not be marked on the menu.
“This is further evidence of the pressures that restaurants face to deliver against customer expectations when so often they are struggling to get experienced help.
“We would advise diners with allergies and severe intolerances to check carefully whether there may be small amounts of restricted ingredients in their dish to ensure they choose something suitable.”