How Do I Explain a Food Allergy in a Language I Don't Speak?
Use the free tool — Allergy Menu Card
Why Saying It Out Loud Isn't Enough
A verbal allergy warning has to travel from you, to the server, to a ticket, to the line cook — in a kitchen mid-rush. Something gets lost. 1 in 13 US children has a food allergy — every kitchen already serves them, which is exactly why a written card, in the kitchen's own language, is what allergists and chefs actually recommend (FARE).
The Law Covers Labels — Not What a Server Tells You
US law recognizes the Top 9 major allergens on packaged food labels (FDA FASTER Act). Restaurants have no equivalent labeling rule. That gap is why a clear card handed straight to the kitchen matters more than a menu description.
What Belongs on a Chef-Ready Card
- The allergen, named in kitchen-standard terms — not a literal dictionary translation — with common local names in parentheses.
- Severity, written the way you describe it. A card can state that someone carries epinephrine and that exposure means going to emergency care; it does not give medical advice or dosing.
- Any exception your allergist has given you (for example, a baked-egg exception) carried exactly as you wrote it and marked "per allergist" — never expanded or guessed at.
- Short enough for a line cook to read in about 15 seconds. That length isn't a style choice — it's what actually gets read mid-service.
Cross-Contact: What Verbal Warnings Usually Miss
Shared fryers, grills, and utensils cause reactions even when the dish itself "contains none" of the allergen (FARE, dining out). Any card for a severe allergy or anaphylaxis risk needs cross-contact language on it — and a specific question to ask the server, matched to the allergen (for example, whether peanut items share a fryer, or shellfish share a steamer).
A Word of Caution
A card supports communication. It does not replace medical guidance, epinephrine, or asking the kitchen questions directly. When in doubt, don't eat it. Any card generated from what you type can be wrong and is not medical advice — confirm severity and exceptions with your allergist. Nothing typed is stored.
What to Do Next
- Type the allergies. Add severity, any allergist-approved exceptions, and the language you need. Nothing is saved.
- Get the chef-ready card. Unambiguous terms, hidden allergen names, and cross-contact wording, sized to be read in 15 seconds.
- Hand it to every server. Print it, save it to your phone, or laminate it for a lunchbox.
The free tool works from what you type — your own allergy list and severity notes — and turns it into a card. The first card is free.
Allergy Menu Card writes communication cards from what you type; it can be wrong and it is not medical advice. Confirm severity and exceptions with your allergist. Nothing you type is stored.