Food allergies are not the same thing as food dislikes.

As you plan your wedding, the menu is undoubtedly among the top considerations. You want to offer a delectable spread that caters to all your guests, but what about those with specific dietary needs? Two terms that often get mixed up are food allergies and food dislikes. While they may sound similar, they have crucial differences that you should know before finalizing your wedding menu.

What are Food Allergies?

Food allergies involve the immune system reacting to certain food proteins as if they are foreign and harmful substances. The body produces antibodies to fight these perceived threats, leading to a range of symptoms, including hives, itching, diarrhea, vomiting, and anaphylaxis in severe cases. Food allergies are often lifelong, and people with allergies cannot consume even tiny amounts of the allergen without a severe reaction. The most common food allergens are peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, and sesame seeds.

What are Food Dislikes?

Food dislikes are simply a matter of personal preference or taste. They don’t involve the immune system and aren’t life-threatening. People with food dislikes may experience mild gastrointestinal discomfort, such as gas or bloating when consuming the disliked food, but they can still eat it without severe consequences. Some common food dislikes include certain vegetables, meats, spices, and textures.

How to Differentiate between Food Allergies and Food Dislikes?

The key to distinguishing between food allergies and food dislikes is the severity of the reaction. If a person has a mild to moderate reaction, such as slight discomfort or nausea, it’s likely a food dislike. But if they have a severe reaction, such as anaphylaxis or trouble breathing, it’s most likely an allergy. Additionally, allergies usually occur within minutes to an hour of consuming the allergen, while food dislikes may take longer to manifest and may require repeated exposure.

When a wedding invitation RSVP asks fro a guest to list any allergies that they have, it is referring to foods that will literally cause harm to them. Coughing, rash, redness, throat-closing, swelling, hospital going, epi-pen needing harm. Not just a dislike of something. Listing a dislike as an allergy is not helpful for the catering service and kitchen operations on the back end. Hospitality is always at the heart of any good event and knowing information fully helps that happening. The difference between an allergy and dislike are important to the safety and function of a large scale event. Be honest and open and if need be, just push those brussel sprouts to the side of your plate if they aren’t your jam!

Also not the same as an allergy is a dietary preference. Your diet of choice, whether that happens to be vegan, gluten free, keto or paleo is not the responsibility of the catering team either. These unique meal plans are impossible to tailor to in a large group for one evening. There is a great deal of extra work when a life threatening allergy is involved, but caterers everywhere are more than happy to make accommodations for that. No one wants to send your guests to the hospital. Its a real party buzz kill!