
For Melvin Carter III's family, dining out is living dangerously. The St. Paul City Council member's 3-year-old daughter has a severe peanut allergy and could die if she eats peanuts and doesn't get immediate treatment.
"It's not unique to my family. Many families have to manage allergies on a daily basis," Carter said. "Shots and EpiPens are not fun to do."
Carter wants to make restaurants safer for people with allergies with a requirement that establishments make public the lists of ingredients they use.
For restaurateurs and chefs, the thought of Carter's proposal is cause for indigestion.
"It's not unique to my family. Many families have to manage allergies on a daily basis," Carter said. "Shots and EpiPens are not fun to do."
Carter wants to make restaurants safer for people with allergies with a requirement that establishments make public the lists of ingredients they use.
For restaurateurs and chefs, the thought of Carter's proposal is cause for indigestion.
"The economy is in the crapper; businesses are struggling to survive; and now he wants us to list every ingredient?" said Mike Costello, owner of Costello's Bar & Grill on Selby Avenue. "He's asking the impossible. I'll guarantee Kentucky Fried Chicken is not going to tell him what's in their ingredients."
Carter has obtained advice and support from various camps. Representatives from Hospitality Minnesota, St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, Minnesota Nurses Association, Food Allergy Initiative and Sysco food service weighed in on the issue and agreed on this goal statement:
"Anyone should be able to walk into any food establishment in St. Paul, and when asked about food allergens, food operators and/or servers shall provide accurate information to the extent that they are able to or to refer customers to an alternative information source."
"Anyone should be able to walk into any food establishment in St. Paul, and when asked about food allergens, food operators and/or servers shall provide accurate information to the extent that they are able to or to refer customers to an alternative information source."
What the group didn't agree on was how the mandate would be implemented. The St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce wanted it to be voluntary. Carter wanted a city ordinance.
He was ready to introduce a proposal to the St. Paul City Council requiring restaurants to provide customers with food allergen information in book form, listing all of the ingredients in every dish.
But he put his proposal on hold for fine-tuning after the restaurant industry reacted angrily.
"Insane" is what Tim McKee, who operates Barrio in Lowertown, Smalley's Caribbean Barbecue in Stillwater and the high-end La Belle Vie in Minneapolis, calls the proposal.
"Insane" is what Tim McKee, who operates Barrio in Lowertown, Smalley's Caribbean Barbecue in Stillwater and the high-end La Belle Vie in Minneapolis, calls the proposal.
"You can't micromanage your menu like that," he said. "We accommodate people as best we can. But we're cooks, not dietitians."
The St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce also opposed the draft proposal.
"We understand councilman Carter's concerns," said Liz Bogut, the organization's spokeswoman.
"But they're very expensive and unrealistic for these businesses to implement."
"That's why we continue to work closely with him to find an approach that's realistic."
Carter hasn't given up.
"Restaurant owners and chefs are not champions of what I'm trying to do, but they are incredibly sensitive of the needs of folks with allergies that eat in their restaurants," he said.
"I have a theory that if folks are willing to sit down and chat through stuff honestly and get to the heart of the matter face to face, a lot of this could be easier than we make it."
Kathie Jenkins can be reached at 651-228-5585.
By Kathie Jenkins
kjenkins@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 09/16/2009 12:02:40 PM CDT
kjenkins@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 09/16/2009 12:02:40 PM CDT
Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press http://www.twincities.com/ci_13345601?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com&nclick_check=1
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