Business: Outdoor Adventure Girls
Policy owner: Outdoor Adventure Girls
Version: 1.0
Date: August 2026
Review date: August 2027, or sooner if required

1. Purpose

Outdoor Adventure Girls (OAG) is committed to protecting guests with food allergies, intolerances and dietary requirements whenever food is provided as part of an OAG trip, event or activity.

Food is only an occasional part of OAG’s activities and may include self-service breakfasts, group dinners, packed lunches, snacks or other catering arrangements.

This policy sets out how OAG identifies, communicates and manages food allergens to reduce the risk of allergic reactions and ensure guests receive clear and accurate information about the food being provided.

The safety of guests with food allergies is a priority. However, OAG will never guarantee that food is completely free from allergens or cross-contamination unless this has been specifically confirmed by an appropriately qualified food provider.

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

OAG employees
OAG hosts
Volunteers or other OAG representatives involved in food provision
Food prepared directly by OAG
Food purchased by OAG
Self-service breakfasts and buffets
Group dinners
Packed lunches and food prepared for trips
Food provided by accommodation providers, restaurants or external caterers where OAG is responsible for communicating guest requirements

Where food is provided entirely by a third-party caterer, restaurant, hotel or accommodation provider, that provider remains responsible for its own allergen management and legal food safety obligations.

OAG will nevertheless communicate relevant guest requirements to the provider and take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate information is available.

3. The 14 Regulated Allergens

OAG recognises the 14 allergens regulated under UK food allergen legislation:

Cereals containing gluten
Crustaceans
Eggs
Fish
Peanuts
Soybeans
Milk
Nuts
Celery
Mustard
Sesame
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
Lupin
Molluscs

These allergens may be present as ingredients or may be introduced through cross-contact during food preparation, cooking or service.

4. Guest Allergen Information

Where OAG is providing food, guests will be asked to provide relevant dietary and allergen information during the booking process or before the trip.

Guests should be encouraged to provide:

The allergen(s) they need to avoid
The severity of their allergy where they wish to disclose this
Any relevant dietary requirements
Whether they carry an adrenaline auto-injector/EpiPen
Any other information they believe the food provider needs to know

Guests are responsible for providing accurate and complete information about their own allergies and dietary requirements.

OAG will not assume that a dietary preference is an allergy, or that an allergy is simply a dietary preference.

5. Recording Allergen Information

Relevant allergen information will be recorded securely and shared only with people who need it to safely provide the food.

For each trip involving food, the responsible OAG team member should review the guest list before food is purchased or prepared.

The team member should identify:

Guests with allergies
Guests with intolerances
Vegetarian/vegan requirements
Other medically or culturally significant dietary requirements where disclosed

Allergen information should be communicated to the relevant host, caterer, accommodation provider or restaurant in advance wherever possible.

6. Responsibility of OAG Hosts

Any OAG host involved in food provision must:

Read the allergen information before preparing or serving food.
Understand which guests have declared allergies.
Check ingredient labels.
Follow the food safety procedures in the OAG HACCP plan.
Prevent cross-contact wherever reasonably practicable.
Never guess whether a food contains an allergen.
Ask the responsible person or food provider if information is unclear.
Ensure guests can access relevant allergen information.
Escalate any uncertainty immediately.

If a host is unsure whether a food is safe for a guest with an allergy, they must not tell the guest that it is safe.

7. Checking Ingredients

When OAG prepares or purchases food directly:

Ingredient labels must be checked before food is served.
Allergen information should be checked against the current packaging.
Changes to ingredients or recipes must be considered.
Original packaging should be retained where practical until the food has been served.
Information from memory must not be relied upon.
Online information should not be relied upon where the physical packaging is available.

If an ingredient’s allergen status cannot be confirmed, it must not be served to the guest with the relevant allergy.

8. Cross-Contact and Cross-Contamination

OAG recognises that an allergen can be transferred unintentionally from one food or surface to another.

Examples include:

Using the same knife for butter and an allergen-free spread
Using the same chopping board for bread and other food
Using the same serving spoon for different dishes
Allergen-containing crumbs entering another dish
Using the same cooking oil for different foods
Using contaminated hands or utensils
Preparing allergen-free food on an unclean surface

To reduce this risk, OAG will:

Clean preparation surfaces before use.
Wash hands before food preparation.
Use clean utensils.
Keep ingredients appropriately separated.
Use separate utensils for different dishes.
Prepare allergen-sensitive food before other food where practical.
Keep allergen-containing ingredients clearly identified.
Avoid unnecessary handling of food.

9. Self-Service Breakfasts and Buffets

Self-service food presents an increased risk of cross-contact because guests may use serving utensils incorrectly or allergens may be transferred between dishes.

Where possible:

Each dish should have its own serving utensil.
Food should be clearly labelled where allergen information is relevant.
Guests should be discouraged from using personal utensils in shared dishes.
Foods containing common allergens should be clearly identified.
Food should be protected from unnecessary contamination.
Spills or obvious cross-contamination should be dealt with immediately.
A dish should be removed if there is a reasonable concern that it has been contaminated with an allergen.

Where a guest has a serious food allergy, OAG should consider whether a separately prepared portion is safer than relying on a shared buffet.

10. Food Prepared by Third Parties

Where OAG uses a:

Hotel
Restaurant
Caterer
Activity centre
Accommodation provider
Other external food provider

OAG will communicate relevant guest allergies to the provider as early as reasonably practicable.

OAG should request confirmation from the provider that they can accommodate the requirement.

Where appropriate, OAG should ask the provider:

Which dishes are suitable?
Which allergens are present?
Whether cross-contact can be controlled?
Whether a separate meal can be prepared?
Whether the kitchen can safely accommodate the allergy?

OAG will not independently guarantee the safety of food prepared by a third party.

If a provider cannot confidently accommodate a guest’s allergy, OAG will work with the guest and provider to identify a safer alternative where reasonably possible.

11. Severe Allergies

Guests with severe or potentially life-threatening allergies should be encouraged to carry their prescribed emergency medication, including an adrenaline auto-injector where applicable.

OAG hosts should be informed of any emergency arrangements the guest has chosen to disclose.

OAG hosts must not administer prescription medication unless they are appropriately trained, authorised and acting within their training and the circumstances permit it.

In an emergency, the host should follow the appropriate emergency response procedure and seek urgent medical assistance.

12. Communication With Guests

OAG will communicate allergen information clearly and honestly.

Hosts must never make statements such as:

“I’m sure it’s fine.”
“It shouldn’t contain nuts.”
“I think that’s gluten-free.”
“There won’t be any cross-contamination.”

unless the relevant information has been verified.

Instead, where information is uncertain, the guest should be told that the information needs to be checked.

Never guess when dealing with an allergy.

13. Dietary Requirements vs Allergies

OAG recognises the distinction between:

Allergy

A reaction involving the immune system which can potentially be severe or life-threatening.

Intolerance

A reaction to a food which does not involve the same immune response as an allergy and may have different implications.

Dietary preference

A personal choice about what someone does or does not wish to eat.

All three should be taken seriously, but they should not be treated as interchangeable.

14. When OAG Cannot Safely Accommodate an Allergy

There may be circumstances where OAG cannot guarantee a particular food is safe for a guest, particularly where:

Food is prepared in a shared commercial kitchen.
The accommodation provider cannot provide reliable allergen information.
The supplier cannot confirm ingredients.
Cross-contact cannot reasonably be controlled.
Food is provided as a shared buffet.
OAG does not have sufficient control over the food preparation environment.

In these circumstances, OAG will communicate this clearly to the guest.

Where appropriate, OAG may recommend that the guest brings suitable alternative food or makes their own arrangements.

OAG will never knowingly tell a guest that food is safe when its safety cannot be confirmed.

15. Food Labelling

Where OAG prepares food directly for a group, dishes should be labelled where this will assist guests in making safe choices.

Labels should include, where appropriate:

Dish name
Relevant allergen information
Key dietary information such as vegetarian or vegan

For packaged food, the original packaging should be retained where practical so that guests can check the full ingredient and allergen information.

16. Emergency Response

If a guest appears to be experiencing a serious allergic reaction:

Take the situation seriously.
Alert the OAG host/team immediately.
Follow the guest’s known emergency plan where available.
Encourage/use the guest’s prescribed emergency medication in accordance with their emergency plan and the host’s training and responsibilities.
Seek urgent medical assistance.
Do not leave the guest alone.
Record the incident once the immediate emergency has been managed.
Notify OAG management.

An allergic reaction should be treated as potentially serious even if symptoms initially appear mild.

17. Incident Reporting

Any allergen-related incident or near miss must be reported to OAG management.