Atsuko Matsuzawa
Chief of Operations Section No. 1, Operations Division,
National Welfare Centre for Persons with Disabilities (Toyama Sunrise)

The National Welfare Centre for Persons with Disabilities (Toyama Sunrise) (hereinafter, “the Centre”) is a completely accessible facility with an accompanying accommodation section. People from many special needs schools use it each year, and every time, we think together with the chefs in the restaurant about how to provide safe and reliable meals. With the COVID-19 pandemic, students are currently obliged to eat school lunches in silence, and we are concerned that this situation is causing the joy of mealtimes to be lost.

In this article, I would like to give an overview of our initiatives and innovations regarding the provision of meals at the Centre.

When people with food allergies, including but not limited to students at special needs schools, stay at the Centre, we respond by providing meals without foods which include allergens, as well as by chopping the food or blending it into a paste according to the person’s wishes. In addition, with the increase in foreign residents, we need to take into consideration foods which foreigners who stay at the Centre cannot eat because these trigger allergy symptoms or which they are not allowed to eat for religious reasons.

The process up until use of our facilities is as follows. We take bookings for accommodation from groups of people with disabilities from 18 months beforehand, and have someone visit in advance to see the facilities and have a meeting with us, where we check whether or not anyone has allergies. After this, we obtain an accommodation confirmation form, which states any allergies, and individual information. We draw up a menu at least one month in advance, and have them check this at least three weeks in advance. We keep the names of dishes simple in order to provide meals which are safe and do not cause any concern, as well as to ensure that everything is listed on the menu without any omissions, of course. Moreover, when people stay here for two or more nights, we need to take care not to repeat any items on the menu.

We buy ingredients the previous day or the same day; if there are students who are unwell, we chop the food or adjust the amount of water according to their ability to chew.

The table shows excerpts from actual menus which we have provided.

When there are foods containing allergens on the regular menu, we respond by providing a replacement menu. “Allergic symptoms” is a single broad expression, but it includes life-threatening cases, so we provide a menu showing the ingredients used in advance, check whether or not the students have already eaten these ingredients, and obtain their understanding at that point.

At the Centre, we also make repeated innovations and experiments day after day, based on the principle of “handmade cooking using fresh ingredients”, with an understanding not only of each student’s food allergies but also of their disability status and underlying conditions, and without forgetting our wish to make the fundamental nature of meals, which is “sharing a fun time together with classmates,” a reality. The restaurant at the Centre has been temporarily closed since August last year, but we continue to create an environment in which anyone can stay with peace of mind, always hoping for a swift return to normal life.

Table Menu provided to students with allergies (excerpt)