Allergy Meal Match

Allergy Meal Match

Learning about ordering food when eating out if you have a food allergy and the different types of food allergies. 

Includes guidance for parents, carers and teachers.

Interactive
20 minutes
P3–P5P5–P7
  • HWB 1-33a - I am becoming aware of how cleanliness, hygiene and safety can affect health and wellbeing and I apply this knowledge in my everyday routines such as taking care of my teeth.

  • HWB 2-32a - I understand that people at different life stages have differing nutritional needs and that some people may eat or avoid certain foods.

  • HWB 2-33a - Having learned about cleanliness, hygiene and safety, I can apply these principles to my everyday routines, understanding their importance to health and wellbeing.

  • HWB 2-34a - Through exploration and discussion, I can understand that food practices and preferences are influenced by factors such as food sources, finance, culture and religion.

  • HWB 2-36a - By investigating food labelling systems, I can begin to understand how to use them to make healthy food choices.

  • Identify the 14 allergens 
  • Learn about allergens and develop knowledge of which foods contain them.

For parents, carers and children 

  • Click on the “play” button
  • Read the game instructions by clicking the “next” button
  • When each order is ready, use the “orders” and “allergies” pull out to find out the allergen in that meal
  • Choose a customer to serve the meals to dependent on the food allergies the customer has
  • See how quickly you can get all the orders served to the tables
  • Have a look around the restaurant for hidden fun – hint: you can change the music!

Resources

Activities

Warm up

Lesson on allergens:

  • Look at the fact sheet to identify the allergens
  • Talk about what they are and how are they identified in the ingredients
  • Talk about common food allergy reactions
  • Talk about what you should do when eating out with a food allergy
  • Introduce labelling and how foods are labelled for allergens.

Research on foods that contain allergens

  • Look up some restaurant/ takeaway menus and identify meals on the menu that contain each of the 14 allergens – discuss. The class can use the allergen fact sheet.

Class discussion

  • Pupils discuss their own experiences of allergies.
  • As a class discuss the responsibility of others with regards to allergens – do’s and don’ts.

Cross-curricular links

First aid – what to do if someone has an allergic reaction

Assessment Opportunities

SAY – identify some of the allergens and the foods/meals that contain them

SAY – describe all or some of the most common side effects from a food allergy reaction

Consider CfE Benchmarks, for example

  • Works safely and hygienically before, during and after preparing foods, for example, adhering to appropriate allergy advice, getting ready to cook, storing ingredients appropriately, washing and drying equipment and surfaces.
  • Suggests why people might avoid certain foods, for example, religion, culture, allergies, medical reasons.
  • Makes food items safely and hygienically, adhering to allergies, cleaning, cross contamination, cooking, chilling.
  • Identifies factors that may influence food choice, for example, religious, cultural, geographical, ethical factors.
  • Uses  different food labelling systems to select foods for a specified dietary requirement, for example, low in fat.