How to Manage Food Allergies in the Workplace

Coworkers can keep each other safe

Managing food allergies in the workplace is serious business. Food is a joyful addition to any office space, but for some, other people’s favorite bites pose a potential health risk. From the break room pantry to happy hour gatherings and day-to-day in-office meals, there are many ways that allergies factor into workplace safety. These tips can help HR managers and executives keep employees with allergies safe at work.

What to know about managing food allergies in the workplace

Under today’s federal law, having a food allergy may be considered a disability. Your best bet as an employer is to take proactive measures to protect those with food allergies and empower all employees to keep each other safe. And when employees do disclose allergies, it’s your responsibility as their employer to foster an open and supportive conversation. Do your best to treat food allergies in the workplace as an opportunity to better support your employees. With that said, it’s an employee’s responsibility to inform their employer about any allergies they may have and make requests for reasonable accommodation. 

6 ways to prevent issues with food allergies at work

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say. Here are six simple best practices to create a safe environment for people dealing with food allergies at work. 

1. Education: Host training sessions or send out educational materials that bring everyone on your team up to speed about the risks of food allergies and how to prevent issues.
2. Reminders: Post signage in the break room, kitchen or pantry with a cheat sheet of ways to spot allergic reactions and the more severe outcome, anaphylaxis.
3. Ingredients: Stock your company break room with snacks and foods that don’t contain common allergens, just to be safe.
4. Supplies: Designate certain kitchen areas and accessories as being for those with food allergies, provide disposable utensils and dishware or encourage employees to bring their own.
5. Events: If you’re hosting a work gathering with food, separate sensitive foods in their own section or work to eliminate allergens from the menu completely.
6. Information: Any time your company is serving food to the team, take care to display ingredient lists so that employees can assess their own risk level.

There are certainly stricter measures available. You could prohibit certain foods in the workplace altogether or offer alternative work arrangements for those with severe allergies. In general, the best strategies are those that deputize everyone in the office to be stewards of the space together. A strong office culture will encourage employees to look out for each other and care for each other’s well-being. Make sure you take a collaborative, community approach instead of singling out any specific employee.

Stock your allergy-friendly break room with Walmart

You can tackle food allergies in the workplace with a little planning and a partner like Walmart Business. It’s easy to pick and choose allergy-safe snacks and ingredients from the variety of fresh, refrigerated and frozen foods that Walmart Business offers. You can also stock up on disposable plates, cups, napkins and utensils to avoid cross-contamination. To unlock free shipping,¹ free delivery from store on orders over $35² and 2% rewards back for purchases over $250,³ sign up for a Walmart Business+ membership today. You can even save over $500 a year!⁴ Learn more here.

¹Excludes most Marketplace items, freight and certain location surcharges.

²Restrictions apply. 

³Rewards can only be used toward future purchases on Walmart Business. Additional terms apply.

⁴Savings based on 1 free $35+ delivery order vs. $9.95 fee and 1 free shipping order under $35 vs. $6.99 fee biweekly, plus 2% Walmart Business rewards on monthly order >$250 (average value of $400).