Latex glove changes for food prep.

[CarrieR]

That looks like the standard email they've been sending for latex allergies for the past few years.

One of my travel companions has a latex allergy (amongst other allergies.) The chefs typically rewash the dishes, but in the past, the food prep gloves have always been safe. This is one of the reasons we choose Disney as our destination for several trips a year.

Bringing your own food in is fine, when you're going to a theme park for a day. But when you are spending 8-9 days in an insular environment where you step off of the airplane, onto a bus, have no access to a grocery store and stay in a hotel without a kitchen it's pretty impractical. Disney has created this system to "trap" you and make sure you eat 100% of your food at their restaurants - so IMO, the onus is on them to be sure they keep things as accessible as possible.

The question is, did Accident's friend's chefs overblow the situation... or is special diets slow to make a change?

If this change is true, I think my party will end up having to cancel all of our upcoming trips. We've upgraded to DDP and that price is insane enough without the food handling processes causing anaphylaxis. And the only way to stay onsite would be to make all of our own food - requiring a kitchenette, which adds $$ to the cost and is so inconvenient.

Hope it's not true!!

 

[soniam]

I wonder if there was a misunderstanding about what "latex" gloves are. Some people refer to all rubber like gloves as latex, even when they aren't. I haven't seen latex gloves, other than thicker cleaning ones, used at other places in a while, ie my dentist, restaurants, fast food, grocery store, etc. However, I have not paid attention at WDW, since I don't have such an allergy. I have just noticed when I have seen people put on gloves.

 

[CarrieR]

They 110% use latex gloves at some (not all) restaurants near me. The hospitals are good, but the dentists are hit or miss.

Based on my experience with Disney chefs, and Accident's descriptions of the conversations, I'm certain they know latex vs vinyl/nitrile. When my friend developed her latex allergy a number of years ago, Disney had no latex allergy protocol - we developed it on the fly with one of the chefs and literally took it restaurant to restaurant with us. Some time later, it became an "official" special diets thing. But every single chef - even as we explained the best way to keep her safe - knew which gloves were which type and were able to have an informed conversation with us about it.

I suppose it's possible that there is education lacking with a new crop of chefs - but that would be a deviation from what has occurred in the past.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Most resaurants don't use latex. I doubt many places use latex anymore. Most food service places use vinyl.

 

[CarrieR]

Unfortunately, many many restaurants do use latex. (Not necessarily at Disney, but in the real world.) I travel frequently with my friend and often we often eat together locally - any time we are headed somewhere, we have to call ahead, request staff to get the box and read off of it. We have walked into restaurants that have previously been safe and asked the staff to double-check, only to have them walk out with a box of latex gloves. I would guess that on phone calls, we run about a 50% safe/not safe ratio. Frequently we have staff say "latex" and ask them to go get the box and then they come back with, "Powder free?" "Can you keep reading down?" "Uh... Nit-rill?" "Nitrile. Perfect. Thanks!"

Friend had an anaphylactic reaction at Disney about five years ago on a girls' trip - food contaminated from an outside vendor - so everyone on the trip is diligent about calling, checking, and following the 'script.' None of us want to go through that experience again. It's astonishing how present it still is when you start checking.

But Disney was safe - which is part of the reason we choose to patronize it so frequently. (At least the Disney owned and operated restaurants - some, like EoS, do use latex... Or did a few years ago.) I just hope and pray that hasn't changed.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Following, I am also allergic to latex.

 

[AngiTN]

They haven't said they eliminated non-latex gloves here, have they? It sounds like nothing changed

If both are in the kitchen how can they every say without question there is no chance for cross contamination? Doesn't it stand to reason that someone could grab one from the wrong box or someone with the wrong kind on touch the wrong thing? Isn't that why Disney has the warnings that they can not assure you 100% of the time? Is that not what they are saying here?

Heck, maybe someone just sent the wrong box to the restaurant in the original post. Not that the gloves were gone but just not there then?

Here is the response I got today

Warning it's long
Thank you for making us aware of your concerns pertaining to latex
allergies and inquiring about latex free options available within our
dining locations.

Typically, the gloves used to perform food handling tasks within our
food establishments are made from raw materials that do not include
latex. Unfortunately, the potential exists that some food service areas,
and other areas in our various facilities, may utilize latex gloves;
therefore we cannot assure you that our foods or foodservice
establishments have not been exposed to latex. Please use your own best
judgment and discretion to determine whether you should eat any
particular item of food based on your own evaluation of your latex
allergy, since we cannot guarantee that latex may not have been
introduced inadvertently by us or by manufacturers, shippers or others
during some stage of the food chain process

 

[CarrieR]

That's the operative question, Angi. Is the email from special diets current and up to date? Either that email is correct, and Accident's friend's chef was mistaken - or the chef was correct and the change just hasn't made it through to the files of special diets before.

I'd love to believe that the allergy department is up to date on allergy accommodations, but given the proliferation of incorrect info that comes out of Disney (call three times get three different answers,) I'll admit I'm very, very nervous.

I'll be down solo in Jan and might try poking around - although how much can you tell about a box of gloves at a TS restaurant you don't have a reservation at? LOL. But I'd sure like to know before we embark on fall trips with DDP.

ETA: Also, having boxes of both is still problematic. Because latex is a sticky protein, when you pull a latex glove out of the box, the proteins go everywhere. So for a highly allergic person, having "both" in a food prep area is a potential recipe for disaster. They've always had vinyl before - and last I heard, they'd even changed their dishwashing gloves so there was no latex at all. This would be a major reversal.

 

[Gracie09]

That looks like the standard email they've been sending for latex allergies for the past few years.

One of my travel companions has a latex allergy (amongst other allergies.) The chefs typically rewash the dishes, but in the past, the food prep gloves have always been safe. This is one of the reasons we choose Disney as our destination for several trips a year.

Bringing your own food in is fine, when you're going to a theme park for a day. But when you are spending 8-9 days in an insular environment where you step off of the airplane, onto a bus, have no access to a grocery store and stay in a hotel without a kitchen it's pretty impractical. Disney has created this system to "trap" you and make sure you eat 100% of your food at their restaurants - so IMO, the onus is on them to be sure they keep things as accessible as possible.

The question is, did Accident's friend's chefs overblow the situation... or is special diets slow to make a change?

If this change is true, I think my party will end up having to cancel all of our upcoming trips. We've upgraded to DDP and that price is insane enough without the food handling processes causing anaphylaxis. And the only way to stay onsite would be to make all of our own food - requiring a kitchenette, which adds $$ to the cost and is so inconvenient.

Hope it's not true!!

I would not call it a trap but an option. Ye s I understand the purpose behind magic express but people are permitted to rent cars. To have groceries delivered, to take a cab uber for groceries stay off site or onsite in one of the rooms with a kitchen. They are all choices. However, Disney does do something many other theme parks does not do- allow people to bring their own food and drink into the park. Hershey park, six flag etc no outside food. Disney bring it in no glass.

 

[CarrieR]

Oh, definitely - hence why I put "trap" in quotes. DME, dining plan, etc were created to encourage families to spend 100% of their vacation dollars with the mouse.

If we go from having Disney providing 100% of our food to needing to purchase, prep, store and carry food - we'll be staying offsite in a condo. (Or, truthfully, not coming at all.) There is no practical way to store/prep an entire week's worth of food in a room at Pop Century.