Food Allergy & Allergen-Aware Policy

Peppercorn & Co Personal Chef Services –

Manitoba

Effective Date: August 2026

Our Commitment

At Peppercorn & Co, we take food allergies and dietary restrictions

seriously. We serve clients with a variety of food allergies and make every

reasonable effort to reduce the risk of allergen cross-contact during menu

planning, ingredient selection, shopping, preparation, cooking, packaging,

and delivery.

Our kitchen is an allergen-aware kitchen, not an allergen-free kitchen.

Because we regularly handle and store ingredients that contain common

food allergens, we cannot guarantee that our kitchen, equipment,

ingredients, or prepared foods are completely free from allergens or that

cross-contact will never occur.

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Allergens in Our Kitchen:

Our kitchen handles a variety of ingredients that may contain common food

allergens, including:

• Peanuts

• Tree nuts

• Milk and dairy

• Eggs

• Wheat and gluten-containing ingredients

• Soy

• Sesame

• Fish

• Shellfish and other seafood

• Mustard

• Sulphites

Other ingredients may also cause allergic reactions. Clients are

encouraged to disclose all known food allergies, regardless of whether the

allergen is listed above.

Our Allergen-Aware Practices:

When an allergy has been disclosed, we take reasonable precautions to

minimize the possibility of cross-contact. These practices may include:

• Reviewing ingredient labels before purchasing and using products.

• Checking processed ingredients, sauces, seasonings, condiments,

and other products for allergens.

• Keeping allergen-containing ingredients properly identified and stored.

• Washing hands before beginning allergy-sensitive preparation and

after handling allergen-containing foods.

• Cleaning and sanitizing food-contact surfaces and equipment.

• Using clean utensils, cookware, cutting boards, and preparation equipment.

• Using separate equipment where practical.

• Preparing allergy-sensitive foods separately from foods containing

the relevant allergen.

• Preparing allergy-sensitive foods before allergen-containing foods

when practical.

• Avoiding shared oils, sauces, utensils, and ingredients when they

may create a cross-contact risk.

• Taking care to prevent crumbs, powders, sauces, or other allergen

residues from contacting allergy-sensitive foods.

• Reviewing ingredient substitutions before they are used.

These procedures are intended to reduce the risk of allergen cross-

contact, not eliminate it completely.

Ingredient Verification:

We make reasonable efforts to verify the ingredients we use.

Ingredient labels may be reviewed before products are purchased or used,

particularly when preparing food for a client with a disclosed allergy.

Because manufacturers can change ingredients and production processes,

we cannot rely solely on information from previous purchases.

Cross-Contact Risk:

Even with careful procedures, cross-contact can occur unintentionally.

Potential sources of cross-contact may include shared equipment, utensils,

cooking surfaces, storage areas, ingredients, packaging materials,

airborne particles, or residues remaining after cleaning.

Because allergenic products are present in our kitchen, we cannot

guarantee zero exposure to allergens.

We therefore do not represent our food or kitchen as:

• Allergen-free

• 100% allergen-free

• Guaranteed free of a particular allergen

• Safe for every person with a particular allergy

Our commitment is to use reasonable food-safety and allergen-control

practices and to communicate honestly about the limitations of our environment.