Research suggests that between 20–30% of consumers self-identify as having some form of food allergy or sensitivity and demand for allergy-safe foods is growing. European Union regulations require restaurants to inform diners of the presence of 14 primary food allergens. The method of disclosure, however, is left to the discretion of the restaurant and may include verbal communication, menu labels, or separate informational pamphlets. Despite these requirements, 74% of allergen related food incidents arise from the non-prepackaged (restaurant) environment. Individuals with allergens, therefore, may avoid restaurants or intentionally seek out, especially in the tourism context, venues with publicly disclosed allergen prevention protocols. Due to group effects and social media's ability to channel consumers, implementing allergy-friendly practices could substantially increase restaurant profits. This research examines the performance of the restaurant industry in leading tourist destinations in Croatia with respect to self-disclosure of potential food allergens. Menus, accompanying websites and social media reviews of 973 restaurants across 43 locations were analyzed. Results indicate that very few restaurants have taken affirmative steps to disclose food allergens on their websites (1.3% of English and 0.8% of Croatian websites). Of the subset of restaurants with on-line menus, 6.5% disclosed specific food allergens. In contrast, third-party social media reviews of 24.6% of the restaurants included some statement relating to food allergens. Based on the results, this paper suggests strategies for improved food allergen communication. Specifically, restaurants should make greater efforts to affirmatively disclose allergen information on their websites and monitor social media reviews. Very few restaurants responded to consumer comments, thereby allowing others to dictate the narrative. In light of the strong consumer interest and relatively weak self-disclosure efforts, the hospitality industry has a ready opportunity to attract new consumers by moving beyond regulatory minimums through enhanced allergen communication efforts and social media engagement.

研究表明，有20％到30％的消费者自我识别为某种形式的食物过敏或敏感，并且对过敏安全食品的需求正在增长。欧盟法规要求餐馆告知食客14种主要食物过敏原的存在。然而，公开的方法由餐厅自行决定，并且可以包括口头交流，菜单标签或单独的信息小册子。尽管有这些要求，但与过敏原有关的食物事故中有74％是由非预包装（餐厅）环境引起的。因此，患有过敏原的人可能会避开餐厅或有意寻找，尤其是在旅游业中具有公开披露的过敏原预防规程的场所。由于群体效应和社交媒体引导消费者的能力，实施防过敏措施可大大增加餐馆的利润。这项研究从潜在的食物过敏原的自我披露方面研究了克罗地亚主要旅游目的地的餐饮业表现。分析了43个地点的973家餐厅的菜单，伴随网站和社交媒体评论。结果表明，很少有餐厅采取肯定的措施在其网站上披露食物过敏原（英语的1.3％和克罗地亚的网站的0.8％）。在具有在线菜单的餐厅子集中，有6.5％的受访者透露了特定的食物过敏原。相比之下，第三方社交媒体对24.6％的餐厅的评论包括一些与食物过敏原有关的声明。根据结果​​，本文提出了改善食物过敏原沟通的策略。具体来说，餐馆应加大力度，肯定地在其网站上披露过敏原信息，并监督社交媒体评论。很少有餐厅对消费者的评论做出回应，从而允许其他人来叙述故事。鉴于强烈的消费者兴趣和相对较弱的自我披露工作，酒店业已经准备好机会，通过加强过敏原沟通工作和社交媒体参与，超越法规最低要求，从而吸引新的消费者。