About
Did you know that plenty of people find out during their adulthood that they suffer from food allergy or intolerance?
They are forced to change their eating habits, and this may represent a traumatic event.
SCENARIO
Very often, people who suffer from food allergy or intolerance give up eating outside because they are required to list orally to the waiter with a series of information related to their health, having to deal with a situation somewhat embarrassing. Subsequently, the waiter must pass this information to the kitchen staff, generating many misunderstandings and/or omissions.
The loss of information and the amount of oversights during the preparation of the meals may be very dangerous for the health of those who suffer from food allergies or intolerances.
Allergo Kì’s aim is to make clients’ management efficient, so that they could be served in the best way and without any allergen contamination.
Furthermore it allows to the person suffering from allergy / intolerance to look for a restaurant where food safety is guaranteed, with proper food and trained personnel; to choose the dish from the menu, the arrival time and place the order online.
JOURNEY
Allergo Kì is a project born from the idea of Monica Zambolin and Nicoletta Faltracco, two professionals in communication, and is growing in collaboration with the staff of WeMake within the opencare MIR project, funded by the European Commission in the Horizon2020 program. Allergo Kì wants to realize and test a kit for restaurateurs that includes communicative tools and illustrative material to facilitate communication between the person with food allergy and the kitchen staff.
Involving restaurateurs in the design of the Kit is a resource that enables us to know the dynamics within dining activities where people with food allergies can go, eat meals and be satisfied and safe.
NEXT STEPS
We are working on:
- A Kit for Restaurateurs, consisting of a set of tools to enhance the customer suffering from food allergies’ experience inside the restaurant.
- A free consultation website with multiple functions, including booking management. Through the web platform a person with allergies and/or food intolerances can search for and choose a restaurant that is right for his or her needs, view the menu in advance and make a reservation of the table indicating the time of arrival; in this way the lounge and kitchen staff are informed in advance of their arrival.
- A training project dedicated to family members and friends of people with allergies or intolerance: through smart illustrations and tips explains what precautions to take when sitting at the table in order not to vanish the precautions taken by the restaurant staff.
TEAM
Two professionals in communication, Monica - interaction designer - and Nicoletta - graphic designer - are the creators and developers of Allergo Kì project. The project started with Monica’s daily experiences, being intolerant to gluten and lactose, that she often encountered while eating outside, similar to those difficulties encountered by other people with allergies or food intolerances.