News

New food allergy app seeks restaurants' participation

August 2, 2016

A new app introduced this week called DineSafe claims to take the risk out of eating out for people who have allergies or who are on special diets. About 15 million Americans have food allergies, while 60 percent have dietary restrictions, according to a news release from DineSafe. Some of the dietary preferences the app can help users with include vegetarian, vegan, paleo and kosher. 

The app includes menu information for about 8,000 U.S. restaurants and is available for iPhones and Androids, said the app's makers, who are hoping to partner with as many brands as possible. Restaurants give their menu info to DineSafe, which tracks the top eight allergens but can track as many as 33 allergens and 11 dietary preferences. The app is free for restaurants and diners, according to a company press release, and relies on the expertise of food scientists and researchers at MenuTrinfo to help restaurants properly label food allergens.

How it works

After a diner downloads the app, he adds his restrictions and the tool provides custom menus from nearby restaurants offering foods that are safe for him to eat.

"Here at DineSafe, #KnowWhatsInYourFood is more than a hashtag--it's a mantra. We are forward-thinking and created to get out ahead of food allergy regulations and the food preference trends because we know what it's like to live with food allergies," said Nick Caturano, the company's co-founder and head of operations. "DineSafe provides restaurants with an accurate, real-time tool for keeping track of all menu item ingredients in a centralized location and a standardized format that helps guests, servers, chefs and even hosts or hostesses access the information and use it in a way that caters to their establishments and their customers personally."

Additional dietary preferences coming to the app include those involving restricted calories, carbohydrates, protein and fat content.