Diet, Nutrition and Special Diets
Diet and health in hospitality: planning balanced menus with the Eatwell Guide, catering for special diets that customers need, and handling food allergies safely so every customer can be fed well.
Justify the choices, the way you are assessed
Free interactive practice on the decisions the assessment actually asks you to justify.
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Feeding every customer well
A hospitality business serves food to many different people, and it has to feed every one of them safely and well. That means two things. First, offering healthy, balanced choices, using a model like the Eatwell Guide to plan menus. Second, meeting the special diets and food allergies that customers have, because getting these wrong can make a customer unwell or even put them in danger. This module looks at healthy eating, special diets and food allergies, all from the point of view of a business that must cater for everyone who comes through the door.
Catering diet words
Learn these before you plan a menu. They name the model, the needs and the dangers a caterer must keep in mind.
Match the diet to what it means
- vegetarian
- vegan
- gluten-free
- low-salt
- halal
- eats no meat or fish
- eats no food that comes from an animal
- eats no wheat, barley or rye
- keeps added salt low, often for a health reason
- eats only food prepared in the way their faith requires
An allergy against an intolerance
Customers may tell you about an allergy or an intolerance. They are not the same thing, and a caterer must know the difference.
Which dish suits the customer?
A customer tells you they are vegan. Which dish below can you safely offer them?
- A vegetable and bean stew
- A cheese omelette
- A chicken salad
- A milk pudding
Take every dietary need seriously
When a customer tells you about an allergy or a special diet, treat it as important every single time. For an allergy, even a trace of the food can cause a serious reaction, so you must know exactly what is in each dish, keep allergen foods apart to prevent cross-contamination, and tell the customer honestly when you are not sure. For any special diet, offer a genuine choice and never guess. Checking carefully protects the customer and the business alike.
Pick the common allergens
Select every item below that is a common food allergen a hospitality business must be able to identify.
- Peanuts
- Milk
- Eggs
- Fresh water
- A paper napkin
Order handling an allergy request
A customer says they have a nut allergy. Put the steps of handling it safely in order.
- Listen carefully and take the allergy seriously
- Check exactly what is in each dish
- Choose or prepare a dish that has no nuts
- Keep it away from nuts to prevent cross-contamination
- Tell the customer clearly what is safe
- Serve the dish and confirm it is the right one
Complete the catering diet facts
A model showing the proportions of each food group for a balanced diet is the _____. A food that can cause a harmful reaction in some people is an _____. When an allergen spreads from one food to another during preparation, it is _____. A customer who eats no animal foods at all is a _____.
One table, four different needs
Picture a table of four customers. One is vegetarian, so no meat or fish. One has a nut allergy, so every dish they eat must be checked and kept well away from nuts. One follows a halal diet, so their food must be prepared in the way their faith requires. One is simply trying to eat more healthily, so they want a balanced choice guided by the Eatwell Guide. A good hospitality business can feed all four from its menu, safely and without any fuss. Meeting different needs at a single table is everyday work in hospitality, and planning ahead for it is what this part of the course teaches.
Spot the safe practice
Tap the TWO actions that keep a customer with a food allergy safe.
- Checking exactly what is in every dish before serving it
- Keeping allergen foods apart during preparation
- Guessing that a dish is probably fine
- Hiding an allergen so the customer does not worry
Cater for the customer
Different customers tell you their needs. Choose the best response each time.
- A customer says they are coeliac and cannot eat gluten. What do you do?
- A customer has a severe nut allergy. How do you prepare their food?
- A customer asks for a healthier main course. What guides your suggestion?
Build a catering rule
Choose the word for each gap to complete one rule for catering safely.
Quick-fire catering diet check
Answer each question. You have three lives, and losing them all restarts the run.
Explain catering for every customer
A new hospitality business wants to be sure it can feed every customer safely. Explain how it should handle healthy eating, special diets and food allergies.
- Explain how the Eatwell Guide helps plan healthy menus
- Explain two special diets a business should be ready for
- Explain why a food allergy must be taken seriously
- Explain how to prevent cross-contamination
- Explain why meeting these needs is good for the business