1. Introduction
FOOD ALLERGIES
The consumption of out-of-home meals is increasing. This study is aimed at assessing the effect of an intervention on healthy offerings and the management of food allergies and intolerances. Ten (control group) and eight restaurants (intervention group) were randomized in a 12-month parallel controlled trial. The outcomes were changes regarding adherence to the Mediterranean diet (AMed) and gluten management (SMAP) criteria, the traffic light rating category, nutrients, and gluten- and allergen-free content of dishes. After 12 months, and compared with baseline, there was an improvement of ≥25% in four items of the AMed criteria in the intervention group, whereas an increase in the offer of dairy desserts without added sugar, and a decrease in the first course offerings of vegetables and/or legumes were observed in the control group (The consumption of out-of-home meals has increased in recent decades [The implementation of healthier meal offerings in restaurants is a great opportunity to improve consumers’ dietary choices and promote healthy dietary habits. Additionally, in restaurants, changing to healthier offerings can increase customer satisfaction. In a cohort of restaurant consumers from ten countries worldwide, only 18% of them were satisfied with the healthy options available on menus [A systematic review of 25 studies on community-based restaurant interventions to promote healthy eating concluded that evidence is limited, and further studies with robust designs and standardized evaluation methods are needed [In this scenario, a health intervention in restaurants is essential for improving both the food environment and individual eating behavior. A systematic review and meta-analysis on interventions promoting healthy meals in full-service restaurants and canteens was recently carried out [