15/11/2025
So many people still don’t know the difference between a food allergy, food intolerance and coeliac disease.
If you’re working in hospitality, serving customers, preparing food etc, it's important to know the difference.
This will help you speak confidently with customers, show care and understanding and also ensure that you can provide them with accurate information and most importantly a safe meal.
Here’s how they differ:
1️⃣ Food Allergy - An immune system reaction to a food (usually a protein). It can be life-threatening! Even tiny amounts can trigger symptoms.
2️⃣ Food Intolerance - Not an immune system reaction but usually caused by a problem with digestion. The body has difficulty breaking down certain foods. Food intolerance is not usually life threatening but can still lead to extremely unpleasant and uncomfortable symptoms that can last for many days or even weeks.
3️⃣ Coeliac Disease - This is neither an allergy nor an intolerance. When someone with coeliac disease eats gluten, their immune system attacks their own body, damaging the lining of their gut, this means they won’t absorb nutrients and vitamins from their food intake. See less
