Proactively asking about allergens: Aims and objectives

This trial had the following three primary objectives: 

1. To investigate whether proactively asking customers if they have any food allergies or intolerances at point of purchase makes them feel more confident that they could identify ingredients (for example if they have allergies or intolerances to them).
2. To investigate whether proactively asking customers if they have any food allergies or intolerances at point of purchase makes them feel more comfortable to ask about ingredients.
3. To investigate whether proactively asking customers if they have any food allergies or intolerances at point of purchase positively impacts customers’ perceptions of food safety regarding food and drink sold at the given chain.

As a secondary objective, we assessed the impact of the intervention on common customer satisfaction metrics: customer satisfaction, customer trust in the business, and whether the customer would recommend the business to a friend or family member.

A final exploratory objective, which investigated but for which we are not fully powered, was to investigate whether proactively asking customers if they have any food allergies/intolerances at point of purchase will increase the number of customers declaring allergies and/or food intolerances.