My health inspector suggested that when I sell wedding cakes, it would be best that I place a sign next to it stating that the cake was manufactured around nut,wheat,dairy,egg and soy products. He says this will protect me from frivalous lawsuits and that ppl with true allergies would see that as a nice touch to protect those with allergies.

I sublease from a lady with a food business and she uses soy and all the above but I also use all the above on all my cakes.(wheat,dairy,eggs,nuts)


Question how can I state these facts briefly but not to scare any wedding guests but only to warn those with allergies to any of these products? I don't like the word manufacture.

perhaps some of you already have one you would share with me Thanks

You can say that the cakes may contain nut, egg, wheat, dairy or soy products

Maybe word it that they "may have come in contact with" the various ingredients?

Or baked using equipment that has come in contact with those ingredients.

Hope that helps in some way.

My inspector told me to have a line in my contract that the bride needs to initial that talks about allergies and explains that she is taking responsibility for what she is providing and whom she is inviting.

Also, to provide the venue/caterer with a full list of ingredients and disclaimers on the provided cake, that way if a guest needs to know, they can get the full list.

I know adults with allergies and they pretty much don't eat out. Someone with an egg, nut or dairy allergy will certainly NOT just eat a piece of cake without being specifically TOLD t was made safe for them...

"This cake was baked and decorated in a kitchen that may have come in contact with peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat or milk products."

But I can't imagine anyone wanting a statement like this at a wedding reception. I would definently put it in the contract and have the bride sign off on it for the liability.

I see the contract thing makes sense and the telling the venue my ingredient list makes sense too

Having a sign next to someone's wedding cake Tacky?

I guess I'm glad I asked

I agree, a sign seems tacky at a wedding reception. On the other hand, if the cake contains nuts, I would definitely make sure that the venue staff (especially those who might be serving the cake) know that this is the case. I can't tell you how many times the servers have had no clue whether something had nuts or not. With severe/life-threatening allergies, the person with allergies is unlikely to risk eating anything at a wedding reception, unless they were SURE it was safe. On the other hand, people with less severe sensitivity to nuts may just have to avoid foods with nuts in them as an actual ingredient. Casual contact with equipment which touched nuts wouldn't be a big issue. (Both DH and I are in this situation.)

I take a list with me of all of the cake flavors for the staff at the venue to have. The bottom of the list has a generic statement about cakes containing wheat, milk, eggs, etc., and that they were baked in a kitchen that also processed nut products that week. I give the list to the person at the venue who's going to cut the cake (I always ask who that is) and that way they have the information in case someone asks them.

If someone has a food allergy they're going to ask about the ingredients, so this way the answers are there for them. I'd never put a sign next to the cake. That would probably be taken away by the staff once you left, anyway. No bride wants a sign like that on the cake table, it wouldn't last five minutes before someone threw it out.

I'm not trying to minimize this. It is an important issue, but really..... A SIGN

I eat out a lot. I attend a lot of sit down and buffet dinners related to my DH's occupation. I have NEVER seen a sign or disclaimer, let alone an ingredients list, on my menus or on the buffet line.

Sadly, allergic individuals must assume that every food is suspect, until verified otherwise. They have to ASK or not eat.

I always tell the person ordering the cake and the person who'll be cutting the cake that it was prepared in a kitchen with allergic elements present, but I'm NOT providing any sign.

Even in the crazy world of today, I can't believe that an allergic person would have a leg to stand on if they chose to eat a prepared food that WASN'T marked as allergen free.

Just my .02
Rae

I could see the court case...

Judge: "Were you aware of your allergy previous to attending said event?"

Sue Happy: "well... I knew.... but I...."

Judge: "So you knew you had an allergy and did not ask ANYONE the ingredient list?"

Sue Happy: " I asked my friend..."

Judge: "Case Dismissed"

I agree, not a sign. I do tell the catering manager (whoever is charge) and I also have a clause in my contract that I bake in a facility that uses those ingredients, and some of my recipes have those ingredients.

I'm required by my state's regulations to label everything I sell with ingredients and put an allergy statement on that label. A sign next to a wedding cake? I agree, anyone with allergies will ask or not eat it.

Good point indy. My regulations are from the Department of Agriculture, not the health department.

Yeah, but I can totally see some guy who thinks about regulations all day, and has no clue about a wedding setup, thinking that it makes sense to put a sign next to a wedding cake!