Karen,
Thanks for asking your question to planDisney!
I am excited to visit the
EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival later this year. My biggest struggle is convincing myself to pick one of the exciting new food items to try out, instead of snacking on one of my perennial favorites!
With a family member who has both shellfish and tree nut allergies, this is of particular concern to me as well. When you approach any of the booths at the festival, the menu board will not immediately indicate any allergy considerations. There are some art indicators next to items that will identify something, like if it is a plant-based item, but not all the information you or I might need. Disney does offer a
Food and Wine Festival Passport, but it does not offer information on allergies either.
Disney does have a solution, though it may not be as easy as you might hope. As they mention on this
Food and Wine event page,
You may also consult with a chef or special-diets-trained Cast Member before placing your order.
So what are you to do? Well, to begin, you should rely on those cast members. We have in the past, and they are always very helpful. As long as cross-contamination is not of particular concern, you should be able to get all the answers you need on ingredients to make your decision. But I like to plan a bit more ahead, as clearly you do as well. While I cannot speak to dairy free, I do like the listing of gluten-free items and vegetarian items that you can find on the Disney Food Blog site. It is not an official Disney reference, but I find her team is always a great resource for dining planning. What I do is consult that list ahead of time, and then when I am at a booth, I ask the cast member about the ingredients list.
So no, identifying specific allergens at the Food and Wine Festival booths is not as easy as it can be at many Disney resort restaurants. But they do offer assistance, so you should be able to find your way to several exciting new finds!
BONUS TIPOn the menu boards and in the passport, you will see an art icon that looks like a piece of cheese. That is not an indicator of all the items that include dairy but instead marks items that are part of the
Emile Fromage Montage hunt. This is a challenge for guests that involves several cheese-forward items.
Please feel free to
write me back directly if you have any follow-up questions.
Have a Magical Vacation!Doug