Special dietary requirements and allergies
Colombia does not have a broad awareness of special dietary requirements and food allergens, nor is there countrywide certification for food preparation personnel.
The Colombian Way is not able to honour special dietary requirement requests for guests. There does not exist the legal or educational framework within Colombia to ensure that our guests’ requirements will be either understood or honoured.
Legal requirements for allergens
INVIMA, Colombia’s equivalent of the Food and Drug Administration, does have documentary guidance for allergens when manufacturers and importers apply for a registro sanitario, the certification required to sell food or drugs in Colombia.
Document code ASS-RSA-GU053 is a guide relating to foods and drugs containing allergens. It requires manufacturers and importers to tell INVIMA about allergens in products, however there is no requirement to communicate those same allergens to consumers on product labels.
Although some manufacturers voluntarily highlight allergens within ingredients lists, and list allergens separately in bold type, this is not a statutory requirement.
Imported foods or Colombian foods that are also exported to overseas markets are more likely to have correct allergen information on nutritional labels.
Guests with severe and life-threatening allergies should exercise caution when purchasing products for consumption. By extension, it is difficult for restaurants to know when their ingredients or food-service products contain allergens.
There is no requirement in Colombia for restaurants to indicate allergens on menus, or to provide training to food preparation personnel and servers. Asking food preparation personnel or servers about allergens in food is not guaranteed to result in a reliable and accurate answer.
Personnel certification
SENA, the Colombian national training service, does include handling of allergens and correctly informing consumers of food allergens in its basic food preparation courses. There is no requirement for SENA certification in order to work in food preparation. There is also no ongoing assessment of previously qualified personnel, or a requirement to undertaker further periodic training once initial training is completed.
Buying allergen-free food in Colombia
Food packaging specifically marked as free from an allergen such as gluten, egg or dairy can be trusted. In supermarket sections of allergen-free foods you should check each individual product carefully, it cannot be assumed that supermarkets have correctly placed products in the correct section.
Most large supermarkets in major cities will stock foods that are free from allergens.
Vegetarians and vegans
As with allergens, there is no requirement for the labelling of flavourings of animal origin in packaged products, there is inconsistent training for food preparation staff and servers.
Packaged products marked as vegan or vegetarian can generally be trusted as they will have been developed specifically for this segment.
Major cities such as Bogotá, Medellín and Cartagena do have restaurants specialising in vegan and vegetarian foods as well as specialist food stores.
Religious dietary requirements
Save for a limited number of products that are certified as kosher, guests should not assume that their religious dietary requirements will be well catered for in Colombia. Guests should use their own diligence.
Planning your trip
Extended multi-destination tours in Colombia generally include breakfasts at all properties. Breakfasts tend to be simple such as scrambled eggs, arepas, empanadas, fruits and hot chocolate. It is normally easy for guests to understand which foods might contain allergens or might not be suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
Some tour components include full meal plans. In such instances, and given the circumstances and potential effects of inadvertently serving food that is not appropriate, The Colombian Way is unable to assume responsibility for special dietary requirements as there is no way of ensuring that those requirements will be understood or honoured. In all cases we request guests to use their own diligence and assume responsibility for their own requirements.
In certain remote destinations such as Caño Cristales, Amazonas, Tatacoa and Ciudad Perdida, the simple home cooking on offer will normally ensure that there is generally something suitable for everyone. However, where strict dietary requirements are a factor, we encourage guests to take appropriate snacks as there are limited or no opportunities to source additional food items locally.
For clients travelling with The Colombian Way we are happy to generate Spanish allergy cards for your tour.