New AllergyEats Disney World Microsite
Helps Diners Find the Most Accommodating Restaurants in and around Walt Disney World
BOSTON, MA (December 5, 2011) – Walt
Disney World, known for being the happiest place on earth, is one of the most
popular vacation spots for families. Now, families with food allergies will be
even happier because AllergyEats (www.allergyeats.com), the biggest and fastest growing source for finding
allergy-friendly restaurants, has just launched a new website focused
exclusively on restaurants in and around Disney (www.allergyeats.com/disney).
People who log onto this new, free
AllergyEats Disney World microsite can quickly and easily view and rate the
food allergy-friendliness of all the restaurants in Walt Disney World’s parks
and hotels, as well as thousands of restaurants in the greater Orlando area.
“Walt Disney World is
widely-regarded as the ‘gold standard’ in terms of accommodating food-allergic
guests, but some establishments still handle food allergies better than others
and not all of the local restaurants are run by Disney itself,” said Paul
Antico, Founder of AllergyEats and the father of three food-allergic children.
“The new AllergyEats Disney World
microsite allows people with food allergies to learn more about their
restaurant options and make more informed decisions about where to dine while
visiting the area,” Antico added. “Whether people are planning their vacations
in advance or looking for a meal while onsite at the parks, the AllergyEats
Disney World microsite is a great resource to access restaurants’ AllergyEats
allergy-friendliness ratings and review peer feedback from other food-allergic
and gluten intolerant diners.”
In addition to the valuable ratings
and peer-based feedback, the new microsite features Disney Dining Tips, along
with other helpful information and resources for food-allergic families – and
more features are coming soon. The Disney microsite also provides easy access
to the main AllergyEats site, which features more than 600,000 restaurants
nationwide that users can rate, as well as restaurants’ menus (including
gluten-free menus), allergen lists, nutrition information, certifications, web
links, directions and more.
AllergyEats is a free, user-friendly
resource that provides valuable peer-based feedback about how well (or poorly)
restaurants accommodate the needs of food-allergic customers. Most restaurant
review sites include information about establishments’ food, ambiance or
service, but AllergyEats is singularly focused on food allergies, with peer
reviews spotlighting where people with food allergies or intolerances have more
comfortably eaten and where they’ve encountered challenges.
AllergyEats also features a new,
free AllergyEats app (available at iTunes and the Android store), providing
access to important information about restaurants’ peer ratings, feedback,
menus and other information while on-the-go.
The AllergyEats core site,
smartphone app and new AllergyEats Disney World microsite allow food-allergic
and gluten intolerant diners to quickly and easily find restaurants that will
more likely cater to their special dietary requirements – and avoid the ones
that won’t.
“In my professional life, running
AllergyEats, and in my personal life, dining out with my food-allergic
children, I’ve seen firsthand that some restaurants are genuinely concerned
about the health and safety of their guests and are very willing to accommodate
food-allergic diners,” Antico explained. “And those are the restaurants we
visit and recommend to others.”
“Whenever people dine out, whether
their experience was positive, negative or somewhere in between, we hope
they’ll take just a minute to rate the restaurant on AllergyEats, using the
core website (www.allergyeats.com), the AllergyEats app and the AllergyEats Disney World
microsite (www.allergyeats.com/disney). This valuable feedback helps the entire food allergy and
intolerance community make more informed decisions about where to dine out –
and which restaurants to avoid,” Antico continued.
AllergyEats has been endorsed by
highly-respected food, health and allergy organizations and individuals, including
the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Gluten Intolerance Group,
Massachusetts Restaurant Association, Chef Ming Tsai and more. For more
information, please go to www.AllergyEats.com.
Have a Happy (and Allergy-Friendly) Halloween!
Does your child have food allergies? Are you dreading Halloween because you feel like you have to deprive your child of the treats that other children get to enjoy? Well, just because your child has a food allergy doesn’t mean he or she can’t relish Halloween! There are many candy options out there for your child to enjoy.
Nut-Free Candy – There are actually quite a few nut-free candies that your child can partake in safely. Twizzlers, Jolly Ranchers, Jelly Belly, Mike & Ike, Peeps, and Skittles can really hit the sweet spot without giving any dangerous consequences. Safe, nut-free chocolate candy like Whoppers, Milk Duds, Special Dark Kisses, and York Peppermint Patties are also nut-free treats that your child can consume.
Non-Allergenic Treats – Some safe candies that do not include any allergenic ingredients include a lot of gummy, chewy candies. This includes candy such as Airheads, most jellybeans, chewing gum, mints, gummy bears, and Swedish Fish, which should be perfectly safe to consume. Hard candies like jawbreakers should be just fine for your child to eat and enjoy as well.
If you’re ever in doubt about any candy your child might consume, be sure to read the back of the label. It doesn’t ever hurt to check the facts!
Also, whether your child has any food allergies or not, it is always smart to be cautious with the Halloween candy he or she receives.
It is always a very wise practice to tell your children to not eat any candy until you arrive home (that way you can check all the treats before you let your child eat them). Better yet, eat dinner before you go Trick or Treating. If you start this practice early on with your children, it will be much easier to handle each year.
Additionally, it would be smart to throw away any homemade treats that your child receives, unless it is from a person you know and trust. Along with that, you should ALWAYS carefully check the packaging of the candy your child receives. If there are any holes or color modifications whatsoever, do NOT let your child consume it. If you’re not sure, it’s best to be safe rather than sorry and toss it.
Finally, our partner group, Gateway FEAST (Food Allergy, Eczema, and Asthma Support Team), is hosting the 2011 Trick or Trinket as an allergy-friendly way for local children to celebrate Halloween! Come on out on Saturday, October 22 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters in St. Louis to enjoy a food-free and allergy-free Halloween party open to children who have severe food allergies and their families. Be sure to RSVP as it is required to attend!
In an hour and a half’s worth of time, there will be carnival games, group games, and crafts, and a Halloween storytime about food allergy safety tips. Kids should wear a costume and bring a bag for goodies!
Make sure to RSVP to FEAST@aafastl.org right away, and please be sure you’ve signed up to help in some way or another, which helps make this an absolutely FREE event for you and your family!
