Specific requirements for hotels

FOOD PREPARATION

Declaration of ingredients used in meals upon request

Possibility to pre-order special meals without the use of individually determined allergen ingredients

Substitutes free of lactose and cow’s milk for milk in coffee

Nut, peanut and almond free cereal and bread available at breakfast buffet

Selected special food items kept in stock (see requirements)

Yearly information sessions for kitchen staff to improve allergy prevention, carried out by a trained allergy specialist or nutritionist

Labelling of foods: at the buffet or on the menu (see requirements)

INTERIORS

Hotel rooms

Non-smoker/pet free rooms available (smoke as a respiratory irritant and pets as allergy triggers are common problems for respiratory allergies)

Allergy-friendly rooms without allergenic plants. All potted plants to aid in mould prevention must be kept as hydroponics.

Rooms available upon request for mite-allergy sufferers:
• without carpeting (to reduce dust and mites)
• with mite-resistant covers for mattresses, covers and pillows

Hotels located at elevations higher than 1500 m do not need to meet these requirements, as mites do not exist there

Rooms should have windows that can be opened or a quality tested air conditioner (see also: public areas)

Hypoallergenic/dermatologically safe toiletries should be provided upon request (perfume-free soaps, shampoos, creams)

Pets allowed only when registered, and only in rooms on separate floors or far apart from allergy-friendly rooms, to prevent contamination through animal hair on the floor

Public areas

No allergy-causing plants (Ficus benjamini, grass, hazel or birch)

If air-conditioning is installed in the lobby, restaurant, or spa area, an external check must be carried out according to manufacturer guidelines, and filter must be changed regularly

Non-smoking areas in restaurant and lobby

General ban on pets in the restaurant

FOOD PREPARATION

Special notification in restaurant area

1. Signs on the buffet "If you suffer from allergies, please contact our staff, we are happy to help"
(in non-English speaking countries repeat the message in the national language and in English)

The ECARF seal is exhibited next to this label

2. For "à la carte" meals, this message appears on the menu or on signs on the tables.

The following food products should be kept in stock:

Egg-free wheat spaghetti or other noodles, semolina, rice, potatoes (not pre-peeled)
Pasteurised soy milk, soy yoghurt
Pasteurised low-lactose milk
Celery-free broth (broth base powder)
Frozen fish sticks and chicken products with egg-free breadcrumb coating
At least one kind of egg-free and nut-free ice cream, milk-free and egg-free fruit sorbet
One package of non-perishable gluten-free bread
Muesli free of nuts, peanuts and almonds

INTERIORS

Notices at the reception, in the rooms and on the internet

Allergy-friendly hotel
Quality testet

The notices can be created in keeping with the hotel’s graphic design, but they should include the ECARF seal

The notices should be made visible to guests in German and English with a stand-up sign and posted on the
hotel’s internet site

FOOD

DECLARATIONS

The following ingredients should be declared
when used in the recipe of a product:

The 14 legally required allergy declarations (EU guidelines 2003/89/EG and 2006/142/EG)	Additional declaration
Cereals containing gluten: Wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut, and hybrids of or products created from these grains	Spices: Anise, caraway, camomile, coriander, cinnamon, pepper
Nuts: Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, products created from these nuts	Vegetables and plants of the nightshade family
Eggs and egg products	Fruit: Melon, kiwi, mango, banana, apple, pear, cherry, peach, plum, nectarine, apricot, lychee
Peanuts and peanut products	Carrageen
Soy and soy products	Guar flour
Mustard and mustard products	Carob bean flour
Shellfish and shellfish products	Poppy seeds
Fish and fish products	Balsam of Peru
Milk and milk products	Millet
Celery and celery products	Buckwheat
Sulphur dioxide or sulphites in a concentration of more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/l listed as So2
Sesame seeds and sesame products
Lupine and lupine products
Molluscs and molluscs products

ECARF Media-Player

Click here for interviews, radio and TV programmes about allergies, and more.

ECARF Quality Seal

The ECARF Quality Seal is awarded to allergy-friendly products and services. Find out here which products have been awarded the ECARF Quality Seal, and how companies can apply for the seal. Read more.