In late 2023 I was contracted by Pacific Private Hospital to develop a complete menu that incorporated food and meals that catered to all food allergy and intolerances for the upcoming short-stay surgical ward. For anyone with a food allergy or sensitivity, hospital visits can be daunting and a scary place to eat. I've even witnessed food sensitive patients being offered a piece of fruit for dinner as staff could not always guarantee the meal was allergen free.  With my knowledge and personal experience with this situation, I was able create a menu that not only offered a complete, balanced meal for each meal and snack, but I also created a reference folder to assist staff to identify appropriate meals given the transient nature of food service delivery staff and the tendency for many to be from non-English speaking backgrounds to minimise risk of an adverse reaction. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience in the food service realm of dietetics and am encouraged that hospitals are taking food allergy and intolerances seriously.