Allergen-free options now available at Busch Gardens and SeaWorld

With as many as 15 million Americans suffering from a food allergy, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment has introduced a new line of allergy-friendly dining initiatives from new menu options to personalized service. The new initiatives will be implemented at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens starting this fall. 

“We serve millions of guests each year and are committed to provide each a great experience. For families with allergen concerns, we understand how challenging it can be to safely dine out, especially while on vacation,” said Jim Atchison, president and chief executive officer of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. “Our new initiatives ‘serve up’ a family experience that everyone can enjoy.”

The company partnered with the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) to educate and train more than 6,000 culinary employees to assist guests with allergen needs.

The new initiatives include:

  • Increased personal attention to ensure the safety of each meal. Park restaurant managers and supervisors will work one-on-one with guests and oversee the preparation of each allergen-friendly meal from start to finish. “Chef Cards,” filled out in advance by guests to outline the foods to avoid, are handed to a chef before the preparation of the meal.
  • All park restaurants are equipped and trained to take care of guests with allergen needs.
  • More menu options, ranging from gluten-free pizza to an allergen-friendly Shamu-shaped chocolate bar, enhance the experience for dining guests. For those on the go, the parks also provide prepackaged snacks such as cookies from companies that specialize in allergen-friendly foods including Divvies and Gluten Free to Go.

“We commend SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment for implementing a comprehensive food allergy training program, which we were pleased to help carry out,” said John Lehr, FAAN’s chief executive officer. “Families often exhaustively research vacation options that will keep their loved ones with food allergies safe. SeaWorld has taken extra steps to educate its employees about the risks that families managing food allergies face on a daily basis.”

For more information on the parks’ allergen-free efforts visit seaworld.com or buschgardens.com.

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  1. That’s great news! I usually vacation only to WDW as Universal doesn’t have gluten-free options for counter service and I ended up very hungry by 3 pm. Now it looks like I might venture out for a day to Busch Gardens or Sea World and not have to worry. Let’s hope that Universal learns from this, and that they are eyeing counter services options. A gluten-free Energy or Udi’s bun is not that hard to do, and a dedicated fryer for french fries.