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Local Voices

Travel with Allergies or Diabetes, Vegan or Gluten-Free Diets

Communicate abroad with food allergies or diabetes, gluten-free or vegan diets, without knowing the language.  SelectWisely.com, the leading provider of durable translation cards, will be attending The New York Times Travel Show at the Javits Center in New York, New York.  Peak travel season will soon be upon us.  Traveling to a foreign destination is an exciting cultural adventure.  It is enchanting to become immersed in a city where the architecture and customs are new, and people cheerfully chat with one another in an unfamiliar language.  When dining gluten-free or vegan, the same allure of a new place is daunting.  Food allergies or diabetes can cast a shadow on the mystery of a novel destination.

Travelers with celiac/coeliac disease may visit a crêperie in Paris, France and try a galette, typically made of gluten-free buckwheat.  Vegan diners in Beijing, China may enjoy a dish of stir-friend choi sum.  Those with diabetes may wish to sip on unsweetened mint tea in Marrakesh, Morocco.  In these situations, it is prudent to ensure no wheat flour makes it into the galette, no oyster sauce into the stir-friend vegetables, nor a teaspoon of sugar into the cup of tea through cross-contamination or otherwise.  Translation cards from SelectWisely.com are sourced by professional translators.  When handed to waiters and chefs, travelers can feel at ease that an accurate message is being conveyed.

Diners with food allergies can have a difficult time both domestically and abroad.  Some countries require labels to list common allergens on packaged food products.  This year, Truitt Brothers recalled approximately 1.77 million pounds of a Kraft macaroni and cheese product due to the inclusion of known allergens.  The issue was not that the product included hydrolyzed soy protein and dried soy sauce, but that the allergens were not disclosed on the labels.  Last year, a director of Sunfield Australia, Vivian Sun, was fined for not listing known allergens (almond flakes, walnuts, eggs) on the labels of some cake packages.  It can be difficult to track down company representatives regarding allergens in packaged products.  However, travelers dining at restaurants can use translation cards from SelectWisely.com to communicate with waiters and chefs about ingredients in prepared dishes.

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Hope to see you at the New York Times Travel Show on March 1st, 2014!

About SelectWisely

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Launched in 2004, SelectWisely offers wallet-sized durable translation cards conveying food allergies, special diets, medical emergencies, and other important information.  People typically use the cards when traveling to foreign countries where help is needed with communication.  Professional translations are available in over 65 languages (e.g. Spanish, Greek, Thai, Russian), 150 different foods (e.g. nuts, dairy, fish, legumes), and 35 different card types (e.g. food allergies, gluten-free, vegan, diabetes).  For more information, visit www.selectwisely.com.



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