Managing without Milk

Despite approximately 30 million Americans suffering from lactose intolerance and dairy being one of the most common food allergies, it can still be challenging for consumers to find good dairy-free options in restaurants.¹ In recent years, however, dairy alternatives are becoming more widely available, making it easier for your restaurant to offer dairy-free menu items.

Key Terms

Lactose intolerance: the inability to fully digest lactose causing cramps and abdominal pain or even more severe symptoms such as rashes, swelling, or life-threatening anaphylaxis.
Dairy-free: products that do not contain any milk or milk products from cows, goats, or sheep.
Non-dairy: products that may contain a caseinate milk derivative such as non-dairy whipped creams or creamers. Most products labeled non-dairy are dairy-free, but it’s still important to double check.

Why Dairy-free?

There are several reasons people go dairy-free including dairy allergies and vegan lifestyles. People who suffer from lactose intolerance experience symptoms ranging from uncomfortable to painful when they ingest lactose products. Milk, cheese, and other dairy products may cause abdominal pain, cramps, bloating, or nausea in these individuals. Alternately, for those with milk allergies, dairy products may cause more severe symptoms.²

Avoiding dairy can also be a voluntary choice for people following a vegan diet. These dairy-free consumers, combined with the lactose intolerant population, add up to a number high enough that making it easier for them to order at your restaurant should be a consideration.

Menu Adjustments

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 helps consumers determine which foods contain dairy, but this act only applies to packaged foods, so eating out at restaurants is still a gamble for many people.³ Implementing these same labeling conventions in your restaurant can simplify menu adjustments to accommodate a larger customer base. Any packaged food containing one of the top eight allergens: eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, and milk, must list the allergen underneath the ingredients tab. This can help you determine if dairy or dairy derivatives are in the ingredients you're using, so you can determine which menu items are already dairy-free and which need to be altered to fit those needs.

It is important to note that non-dairy and dairy-free are not always synonymous – a distinction that can make a huge difference to highly allergic customers. Products deemed "non-dairy" can contain a small percentage of dairy.⁴ There are numerous dairy substitutes available that you can keep in your restaurant. Butter can be substituted with dairy-free margarine or vegetable oil, and dairy milk can be replaced with soy, almond, cashew, coconut, or oat milk. There are several companies manufacturing dairy-free cheese as well.

Instead of offering a completely different menu, you can simply offer menu adjustments for dairy-free patrons. For example, chicken strips normally battered with a mix including buttermilk can be prepared without the batter and grilled or baked instead. Including these options on your menu will make dairy-free customers feel welcome.

Training and Procedures

For a mildly lactose-intolerant customer, holding the cheese on a burger might be enough to avoid a reaction, but a highly allergic patron needs foods to be handled with more care. Every restaurant should have strict allergen procedures in place and ensure employees are trained in these protocols. In some states, the menu must have a notice on the menu to tell the customers and servers about any food allergies anyone in the party may have.⁵ The server then should make note of any allergies or intolerances a customer brings up and mention it to the chef, and in many restaurants, severe allergies prompt a visit to the table from the chef to discuss the needed precautions. The following considerations can make eating at your establishment easier for those with lactose intolerance, dairy allergies, and food concerns in general.

Tips to Provide Dairy-free Service

Keep notes of ingredients included in every dish so employees can easily decipher which dishes contains allergens
Set up your ticket system to print orders with food allergy accommodations in a different color ink, so your kitchen staff knows to pay special attention
Invest in purple food allergy products to help your kitchen staff prevent cross contamination.
Use color-coded stickers or differently shaped plates to identify meals going to lactose intolerant or dairy-allergic customers so your servers can ensure they are handled carefully and delivered to the correct customer.
Post a food allergy reference poster in your kitchen
Consider enrolling your staff in food allergen training. There are several in-person and online options available
In states where it's legal, keeping EpiPens stocked in the restaurant in case of an allergic reaction should be a consideration

This may seem complicated at first, but the time invested in training and developing these protocols can pay off quickly when your restaurant gains a reputation for being friendly toward diners with food allergies and lactose intolerance. Equipping your restaurant and staff to serve customers with dairy allergies can also protect your business from litigation by preventing tragic mistakes.⁶ The more welcoming your restaurant is to those with diet restrictions, allergies, and intolerances, the more likely those customers are to return.

References

Lactose Intolerance. MedlinePlus. Accessed May 2022.
Dairy Allergies vs. Lactose Intolerance. Allergy & Asthma Care. LTD. Accessed May 2022.
Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA). U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Accessed May 2022.
Non-Dairy vs. Dairy-Free: Why One May Contain Milk. GoDairyFree. Accessed May 2022.
Food Allergy Awareness in Restaurants. AllergyHome. Accessed May 2022.
Milk Allergy Death of 16-Year-Old Leads to Lawsuit. CBS Minnesota . Accessed May 2022.