Food, glorious food
I was pondering how to talk about our new allergen-free food initiative, when this email dinged in my Inbox.
This happy mom says it much better than I could:
I just read online in The Courier about your new offering of allergy free food. Thank you SO much for doing this. I have a 3-year-old son who has allergies to wheat, egg, milk, barley and nuts, so it is always hard to find things he can eat. I always feel bad when we go to places and he can't eat what others are having. We are from Evansville originally, but live in the Chicago area now. We always like to come back for visits and come to your park, and this will make it even better when we come later this summer. I also appreciate that you all have taken care to make sure there is designated equipment for preparing the food. Many people don't realize that reactions can occur just from coming into contact with the food on their skin.
This happy mom says it much better than I could:
I just read online in The Courier about your new offering of allergy free food. Thank you SO much for doing this. I have a 3-year-old son who has allergies to wheat, egg, milk, barley and nuts, so it is always hard to find things he can eat. I always feel bad when we go to places and he can't eat what others are having. We are from Evansville originally, but live in the Chicago area now. We always like to come back for visits and come to your park, and this will make it even better when we come later this summer. I also appreciate that you all have taken care to make sure there is designated equipment for preparing the food. Many people don't realize that reactions can occur just from coming into contact with the food on their skin.
Thank you again. You are all wonderful.
Kim B.
Aurora, Illinois
Happy Food Allergy Awareness Week!
Happy Food Allergy Awareness Week!
posted by Paula at 12:06 PM
20 Comments:
HOW AWESOME!!! We LOVE Holiday World but my 3 year old son has life threatening food allergies to dairy, eggs and peanuts so he has never been able to come! We are super excited about our visit on May 30th! What a HUGE blessing! Finally a family fun park that GETS that kids have food allergies! :)
5/12/08 4:17 PM
Thank You SOoooo much Holiday World and Splashin Safari because my 9 year old brother has Autism and is on the gluten-free casen free diet.He will be sooo happy to find out that even he too can eat the wonderful pizza at Safari Pizza without having an infraction.Yay HW and SS!!
5/12/08 4:42 PM
Thank you so much for thinking of us growing number of people with food allergies. Was diagnosed at age 40 with celiac disease (gluten-wheat) allergy. Thank you so much for taking the BIG STEP of making the visit to Holiday World so much easier, especially for the younger kids!
I BELIEVE YOU WILL BE STARTING A NEW TREND! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Now I can enjoy some food there too when we visit!
Bless you! K.T., Haubstadt, Ind.
5/12/08 6:09 PM
Just when I thought I couldn't love Holiday World and the people that work there more, I read this.
Thank you for ALWAYS thinking about your guests!!!!!
5/12/08 10:22 PM
thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU Holiday World!!! Like reader "K.T.", I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease at age 38. Amusement Parks quickly became one of the "worst offenders" when it came to trying to maintain a gluten-free diet. It caused me to severely cut my park time so that I could leave the property to properly manage my diet.
NOW, with the advent of your enhanced menu, there is absolutely no reason for me to leave your park. I can stay and enjoy myself - and my friends and family no longer have to feel "guilty" about accommodating my special needs while at the park.
May God bless you all for taking such a leap of faith with regard to this venture. It clearly shows to me that Holiday World Theme Park is a TREND SETTER in the amusement industry. Talk about the little park that roared! Kudos to you on your vision and the implementation of this idea. I hope more parks follow your lead in this regard.
5/13/08 8:48 AM
THANK YOU!!!. We came with our son, who has severe milk and egg allergies, last year and had to pack his lunch. He has to miss out on most dining due to restaurants not having a dairy-free selection. He will be so excited to come back and get to eat out with the rest of the family.
5/13/08 10:25 AM
I was so happy to hear about your allergen free menu that it almost brought me to tears. We have 3 daughters and our youngest daughter has autism and food sensitivities to wheat and dairy. We have been considering making the trip to your park the last 2 summers, but we knew it would be very difficult with my daughter's disability. Adding these new items to your menu will make a huge difference for us and I wanted to let you know that and to thank you.
God bless,
Sarah Cook
Avon, Indiana
5/14/08 9:25 AM
I'm not food sensitive myself, but it's great that you thought of this. I also really like that you are offering the option of applesauce or carrot sticks instead of fries...makes the park food a little more kid friendly and waistline friendly too. :-)
Have you considered limiting or at least labeling which foods contain high fructose corn syrup (HCFS)? Does Pepsi offer any of its sodas in a sugar-sweetened variety?
5/14/08 10:05 AM
We were all so thankful to hear of the new Allergy free foods offered at Holiday World~we have gone several times a year there and loved the Park, but to be as thoughtful as this, we will definitely frequent the park. My granddaughter is Allergic to peanuts, treenuts, soy and eggs....this could be a lifesaver...She is 11 and will feel very special.
Hats off to you all,
Ann
5/14/08 10:28 AM
Thank you so much Holiday World and Splashin Safari.
I read on screamscape.com about the new food choices.
My 2 year old daughter and I have food allergies. Between us we have 7 of the 8 top allergens. We also have many other allergies. Eating out in general is difficult, eating out at a theme park is a nightmare. Most theme parks you can't bring in outside food. We spend more time walking back to the car to eat than we do enjoying the rides
We visited the park last summer. I was excited that I was able to ask what was in food and get a straight answer from your employees. I had one employee get a supervisor, who didn't make us wait, she came over to us quickly. She not only got us information in her restaurant, but got information for the other restaurants.
I am excited about visiting this summer. It is about a 14 hour drive for us to visit, but with the great employees there it is worth the drive.
Mary,
Jackson, New Jersey
5/14/08 10:39 AM
My family always enjoys a weekend at Holiday World each year. My boys (now 8 and 10 years old) love the park. I love the cleanliness and my husband loves the roller coasters. I have to write to say THANK YOU for your efforts in providing for those with a restricted diet. My youngest is a Celiac kid. I have always packed much of our own food when traveling. However, this vacation to Holiday World will be especially exciting for our whole family!
God bless you!
Carol Hayden
Brownstown, Indiana
5/14/08 10:49 AM
Kudos to HW/SS for truly caring about the safety and enjoyment of their guests. We have greatly enjoyed past vacations and will certainly be back (without any worries regarding allergic reactions). My family and I can't thank you enough!!!!!!
5/15/08 9:59 AM
Everyone behind HW has again shown that this park is the best! While Im non-allerginic, Im a student chef and Ive been working with my class to devolop gultuen-free foods and studying it, and Im very excited that HW is stepping towards these goals as well! Kudos , and I cant wait to taste some yummy treats this summer! =)
5/15/08 2:32 PM
Wow, thanks so much for your interest in providing an allergy friendly experience. For so many families dealing with food allergies, a simple trip to an amusement park is not possible. This is awesome!
I visited for the first time last year, I am a teacher and we brought a group of 5th and 6th graders. I was impressed by the park and excited that you offered Caffeine free Diet Pepsi since I was pregnant and couldn't have any caffeine.
Thanks again for taking the initiative to learn about food allergies and for helping families have a "normal" experience!
5/17/08 2:50 PM
I am so proud of what Holiday World is doing for people with this disability! Unless one has a food allergy or is involved with someone who does, one can't possibly begin to understand the impact on life! I hope this will make other amusement parks and other establishments more aware of this life-threatening condition. My daughter is actually there today with her senior class. I printed off the menu so she could review it to see where and what she could eat before she went. Have you considered posting carbs for food items too? Many diabetics now do carb counting and it would make their life easier also. With heart disease and obesity on the rise, fat content would be nice too. I am going to contact the Ophrah show about you and food allergies. You need recognition for doing this! Thanks so much for all you do and continue to do for families! God bless you!
5/21/08 11:22 AM
I just checked out your allergen-free menus on the website. I wanted to say thanks. The menu is very well organized and will prove VERY helpful.
I would like to add that by listing the COMBOS that are allergen-free, you have made the process significantly easier for myself and others with allergies. One of the hardest aspects of eating out is that many places will list individual items that are allergen-free, leaving the diner to a complicated and confusing process of trying to piece together a meal from the options available. The combos eliminates that hassle.
Again, thank you for providing those menu options and for preparing the information in such an easy-to-utilize way. I hope your park(s) reap(s) many benefits from these accommodations for your patrons with allergies.
5/21/08 2:45 PM
I would like to take this opportunity to applaud you at Holiday World and Splashin' Safari for creating a safer environment for children and adults with severe food allergies. My husband and I have five children, three who are severely allergic to peanuts. Their allergy is severe enough that if someone touches them after eating peanuts, they could develop a life threatening reaction. We come to Holiday World every year and I always check on their food, wherever we eat, but I am forever nervous and always keep their EpiPens with me at all times.
I understand that your employees are going through food allergy education, and you have no idea how much we appreciate your efforts! I pray that at the conclusion of the education, your employees may realize (especially with nut allergies) that the individuals with these severe allergies DO NOT have to eat the food. It could be as simple as an employee eating a snickers candy bar and not washing their hands before checking the seat-belt on a ride. Because of this severity, I am a very protective mother. Therefore my children never leave me, and if they go on the Voyage, so do I. We are already on the ride of our lives just dealing with their allergies and I cannot thank you enough for making our journey a little less bumpy and MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE!
Bravo Holiday World and Splashin' Safari! And may God bless you for your tremendous efforts!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
With God's love,
Annie Desmond
Mom to: Foster (11)
Kenton (9)
KenLee(8)
Miche-Cadrine (11) and her sister..
Tamara (10) who both arrived home from Haiti on Jan 18, 2007.
5/21/08 9:18 PM
I am so excited to learn that you offer allergen free food! I can’t wait to visit again. We came last summer and the park was wonderful! We only wished that we could eat more food since my son and I have celiac disease. Thank you again!!!!
Christine Fry RD
Nashville Middle TN Celiac Support Group
Nashville, TN
5/31/08 9:34 AM
Our family visited Holiday World and Splashin' Safari yesterday. It was a wonderful day, most especially because our four year old daughter, Maggie, ate in a restaurant for the FIRST time, thanks to Holiday World's sensitivities to individuals with food allergies. She loved the pizza which was free of the top 8 allergens and gobbled down the applesauce, carrots, and Enjoy Life cookies, too -- having fun makes one very hungry! I was so impressed that a manager not only prepared the food upon our order being placed, but brought it to me to avoid cross-contamination. It was a joy to see our daughter's face light up as she had warm, tasty pizza along with her family which was prepared especially for her. Thank you, Holiday World, for your concern for individuals suffering from food allergies. It was an amazing day! We are already looking forward to our return to the park next year and will tell all our friends in the local food allergy support group to visit Holiday World and Splashin' Safari. God bless all of you!
Leslie from Bowling Green, KY
7/3/08 2:55 PM
To the Staff of Holiday World,
I just wanted to tell you how much your efforts to help families deal with food allergies means to my family. My 7 year old son is a patient of Dr. Jason White. He has a life-threatening peanut allergy. We must read everything he eats and carry an epi-pen at all times.
Not only are you helping us to keep our child safe, you are also giving them a little bit of normalcy. Traveling and eating out is very difficult and sometimes stressful for him and us. My son has had many disappointing moments when he had to watch other children enjoy a snack or a fun treat, while he ate the same old thing packed from home. This may seem little to others, but it will mean the world to him.
We have been to Holiday World on several occasions over the last few years and your staff has always been very kind and helpful to us. The steps you are taking to educate your employees will only make our family's visits better.
My Sincerest Appreciation,
Heather
8/2/08 5:58 PM
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