Welcome to the Airport — Now Starve: Why Travelers with Food Allergies Are Forgotten

Traveling is stressful enough: security lines, delayed flights, overpriced bottled water.
But if you have food allergies or dietary restrictions, airports add another layer to the misery—because once you’re through security, you’re surrounded by food you can’t safely eat.

If you need gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free, or allergen-conscious options, you are on your own. And no one seems to care.

In 2025, when food allergies affect tens of millions of people, how is it that the entire airport dining experience still acts like safe eating is some kind of bonus feature instead of a basic necessity?

It’s simple: if you have allergies, airports treat you like an afterthought. And they always have.

Airport Food: A Sad Parade of “Nope”

Walk through any major terminal and what do you see?

• Burgers slathered in cheese
• Sandwiches on different kinds of bread
• Packaged foods with no real health quotient

If you’re lucky, you might find a tired fruit cup at a newsstand—but even then, you’ll need to wonder how it was prepared, what touched it, and whether it’s truly safe.

Meanwhile, every other traveler is grabbing greasy pizza slices, giant pretzels, and mystery sushi rolls without a second thought.
Because for them, eating isn’t dangerous. It’s effortless.

No, It’s Not “Just Being Picky”

Food allergies aren’t a lifestyle choice.
They aren’t preferences.
They’re serious medical conditions that can trigger anaphylaxis, hospitalization, or worse.

But airports still behave like allergy needs are something exotic—too rare, too complicated, too inconvenient to bother with.

More than 33 million Americans live with food allergies—that’s roughly 1 in 10 adults—and the numbers are only rising. This isn’t a niche issue. This is millions of travelers—every day—being treated as invisible.

Excuses Are Getting Old

Airport operators love to blame “logistics” and “vendor limitations.”
They’ll tell you there’s no space, no time, too many security rules.

But somehow there’s always enough space for:

• Five burger chains
• Three coffee stands
• Two overpriced wine bars
• A row of duty-free shops selling perfume no one buys

They have the room, the money, and the infrastructure when they want to.
They just don’t prioritize people with real, serious health needs.

Because it’s easier—and cheaper—to pretend we don’t exist.

Airports Are Choosing Profits Over Passenger Safety

This isn’t about luxury or personal tastes.
This is about basic access to food that won’t land someone in a hospital.

Airport executives know the numbers. They know how many millions travel with serious dietary restrictions. They know what’s at stake.

And yet—they do nothing.

They invest millions in fancy lounges, massive video walls, and new luxury shopping experiences. But when it comes to something as basic and human as safe food?
They shrug.

This is not ignorance. It’s a choice. A deliberate, calculated one:

• It’s easier to sell $15 nachos than to accommodate people with allergies.
• It’s easier to pretend “healthy snacks” cover every need than to invest in allergen-conscious kitchens.

Every day, travelers with allergies are forced to either starve or gamble their health because an airport couldn’t be bothered. Every day, airports roll the dice, hoping no one will have a serious reaction on their watch.

And one day, it’s not going to end with someone just filing a complaint or writing a bad Yelp review. It’s going to end in tragedy—one that could have been prevented with the tiniest fraction of the effort they spend on selling $6 bottles of water.

It’s Time to Wake Up

Food allergies are not rare.
Safe eating is not a luxury.
Health isn’t negotiable.

Airports have updated everything else—security, technology, entertainment.
But where it matters most—basic food safety—they’re stuck in the past.

It’s time for that to end.

There should be at least one certified, allergen-aware vendor in every terminal.
There should be sealed, properly labeled, truly safe options available without needing a treasure map to find them. There should be staff trained to understand that “may contain traces of nuts” isn’t a small thing—it’s a medical risk.

Travelers with food allergies shouldn’t have to starve, panic, or rely on hope just to get through a travel day.

Until airports recognize that, the message they’re sending is clear: If you have allergies, you’re not a valued customer. You’re an afterthought. And your health simply isn’t their priority.