DOJ serves notice: celiac disease and severe allergies now classified as disabilities under the ADA - far-reaching implications for virtually every facility serving food
Epstein Becker Green
Andrea R. Calem and Frank C. Morris, Jr.
USA
January 24 2013
[snip]
A significant aspect of the Lesley University DOJ settlement agreement is the identification of all severe food allergies ? not just an autoimmune disease like celiac disease ? as disabilities which trigger reasonable accommodation requirements. Allergies to nuts, shellfish, dairy products and soy have become far more prevalent in recent years, for unknown reasons. Accommodation of each type of allergy to the extent set forth in this consent decree may be extraordinarily difficult to achieve in a community dining environment....
