I’m here playing at my favorite festival and getting the details for your vacation.
The flower and garden festival runs from March 2-July 4th! It’s full of fun foods, plus beautiful gardens, artistic topiaries of your favorite characters and so much more!
Let’s talk about those allergy eats though.
Flower and Garden 2023 is here! See all the Different options available this year.
As this is my personal experience, always double check in person to determine your comfort level!
Quick update on the allergy procedures
YAY! Good news friends! Things are changing for the better and I am HERE FOR IT!
First up, let’s talk about cross contact. Previously everything had a huge cross contact risk because we knew nothing about how things went in the kitchens. Chefs even stated it was a gamble.
Good news! They’ve changed procedures in the kitchen. Cross contact will always be a reality, but they have procedures in place, including dedicated stations for things like cold veggies, proteins, baked goods etc. AND the chef was proud to share that the team is trained, familiar, and the same people working it consistently to reduce any confusion.
The chefs were clear that they want to make the festival more inclusive, which we can see by the amount of labeled GF items available this year!
Next up! Info for the top 10 allergens. Previously you could ask for top 8, but the other two it would require the chef to read the item and it would take longer. Now they have that info for all top 10 (gluten/wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanut and treenut. Plus sesame and corn) they are also being very clear about what item has a cross contact risk, not just slapping a label on in a generic sense like they used to.
Lastly, the cast members working the festival are highly trained to constantly get their info from the Chef. It’s been in the works for a few festivals now, but to see them call the chef without hesitation (as we still don’t have allergy books at the booths except japan) is amazing. It takes the stress and anxietyy out of asking, especially when there’s a long line.
Prefer not to eat at the Festival or have some backup options? Head over to EPCOT guide for Food Allergies to learn more about the selections at EPCOT.
Allergy Items by Image for the Flower and Garden 2022 festival
-Vanilla, rose water and pistachio panna cotta in Morocco. Listed allergens are egg, dairy, corn,treenuts,soy lethicin. Red and yellow dyes. The bottom green piece is made with rice flour.
-Frushi in Japan lists coconut, soy and corn (plus the plant based whipped topping lists a less than 1% casein derivative. You can remove this!) . The synthetic coloring is in the raspberry sauce – and can be removed to make it artificial dye free.
-Pecan praline in America lists dairy and treenuts with peanut CC. Premade.
-Oysters in America- modified to remove dairy based topping. Shucked in front of you, grilled in front of you! Listed: shellfish
-Wild berry wonder in America at jofferys coffee. No top allergens listed. Shared facility for the dried blueberries and strawberries which contain sunflower oil.
-Potato pancakes with applesauce in Germany. These are labeled plant based and gluten friendly. Allergens listed are corn and soy lethicin.
-Tangerine Soft Serve at the Refreshment Port. Listed allergens are dairy. Conflicting info if it comes with waffle cone or not- I got it without cone. No details on the cone!
-Arepas at la isla Fresca
Two of the arepas are labeled gluten friendly. These contain cheese and corn, and cannot be modified.
The arepa topped with shrimp also contains shellfish in addition to the dairy and corn.
The last arepa topped with chorizo has gluten in it, as well as dairy and corn. (not pictured)
-Beef tenderloins in Canada at the Northern Bloom booth.
By removing the mushroom Bordelaise sauce, which has gluten, soy and corn, the only listed allergen with the meat, onions and potatoes is dairy in the potatoes.
-Corn on the cob at the flavorful kitchen booth. I removed the garlic spread to make this top 9 allergy friendly. It is literally plain grilled corn.
-Tupelo Honey and Sweet Corn Spoon Bread at The Honey Bee-stro booth is listed gluten friendly. Allergens are dairy, corn and egg and cannot be modified.
-Grilled baby vegetables at trowel and trellis are baby veggies with a tahini/sesame/chickpea hummus. You can remove the hummus. There is also treenut (coconut) used in this dish. It is labeled plant based and gluten friendly.
-The bison ribeye and goat cheese creamsicle pop are seasonal and available through April 9th at EPCOTS farmers feast.
Modified, the bison ribeye, when you remove the fondue and cheese butter, is top 10 allergy free. It is currently labeled gluten friendly with no modification.
-The goat cheese creamsicle pop, when modified to remove the olive oil cake is gluten friendly. It does contain nuts in the praline (which can be removed) and does not contain artificial dyes in the dish.
-Violet lemonade at the pineapple promenade contains no top allergens, but does contain dye.
