Does proactively asking about allergens before ordering improve customer outcomes? An in-business randomised controlled trial

BackgroundConsumers with food hypersensitivies need information about allergens when dining out, but may be dissuaded from seeking it. Following on from a successful feasibility trial, the Food Standards Agency commissioned the Behavioural Practice to run a full randomised controlled trial, to test whether Food Business Operator (FBO) staff proactively asking about allergens would increase customers’ confidence that they have the information they need, comfort to ask next time, and their perceptions of food safety.MethodsWe ran a cluster RCT with a matched pairs design to test the efficacy of proactive allergens information communication in 18 branches of a national FBO. Staff in half of those branches were told to ask “Do you have any food allergies or intolerances?” before customers placed their order. Staff in the other half of the branches carried on with usual practice. Participants were customers who entered the FBO from 28th March to 30th June 2022, who placed a food order at the till, and who chose to complete a voluntary survey about their experience.ResultsThere were 395 completed surveys in the treatment arm and 541 in the control arm, of which 154 surveys in the treatment arm and 376 in the control arm received the correct intervention for their arm and were entered into our pre-registered per protocol analysis. Results showed that proactively asking about customer’s food hypersensitivities increased their confidence in their ability to avoid ingredients (β = 0.26, p < 0.01) and comfort asking about ingredients on a future visit (β = 0.36, p < 0.001). However, the intervention did not have an effect on customers’ level of concern regarding the safety of the food that is sold in the FBO (β = -0.02, p = 0.920). The intervention also led to increased customer satisfaction on three metrics.ConclusionsProactively asking about allergens can increase customers’ confidence that they have the information they need and comfort to ask next time, while also increasing satisfaction in the food business, but it did not increase perceptions of food safety.