Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association partners with EpiPen® to educate members about food allergens

TORONTO, Feb. 21, 2013 /CNW/ - The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) is working with the Canadian distributor of EpiPen auto-injectors to better serve the estimated 1.3 million Canadians with food allergies when they dine at restaurants.

Safely managing food allergies in restaurants is becoming increasingly important as more Canadians are experiencing anaphylaxis, the most serious type of allergic reaction that can cause death - sometimes with just trace amounts of the offending food. The new partnership will allow CRFA to provide restaurant-specific food allergy resources to its members.

"Providing a safe environment for customers is a top priority for every restaurant owner. With the help of EpiPen, we're giving CRFA members comprehensive information to reduce the risk of allergic reactions in their establishments," said Garth Whyte, President and CEO of CRFA.

"We are very pleased to partner with the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association to raise awareness of managing food allergies within Canada's foodservice industry," said Allen Van der Wee, General Manager, Primary Care Business Unit at Pfizer Canada Inc., the Canadian distributor of EpiPen. "With a growing number of patrons at risk of anaphylaxis due to food allergies, this partnership presents the opportunity for us to collaborate on educational tools and programs that will help both patrons and restaurants."

CRFA and EpiPen, the leading anaphylaxis treatment, have worked together to produce an easy-to-use guide and reference poster, developed with the subject experts at Anaphylaxis Canada. The guide covers scenarios in the restaurant industry and explains what restaurants can do to avoid incidents in their establishments.

The guide and poster will be distributed in English and French to CRFA's members across Canada. An online version of the guide will be available on CRFA's online resource centre, RestaurantCentral.ca.

The makers of EpiPen and CRFA will also host an educational seminar at the CRFA Show - Canada's leading foodservice and hospitality event - to help restaurateurs learn about food allergies and reducing the risk of severe allergic reaction for customers. The show will be held March 3-5 at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto.

CRFA is one of Canada's largest business associations, with more than 30,000 members representing restaurants, bars, caterers, institutions and other foodservice providers. Canada's $65-billion restaurant industry employs more than 1.1 million people in communities across the country.

SOURCE: Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association

Prasanthi Vasanthakumar, Communications Specialist. 416-649-4254 or 1-800-387-5649, ext. 4254. Email: [email protected]