TrustDish, co-founded by Shannen O’Reilly, is an allergen management system designed to make dining out safer for people with food allergies. TrustDish aims to bridge the gap between individuals with specific dietary needs and those preparing and serving their food. Food service providers, such as cafes and restaurants, subscribe to the platform for a monthly fee based on their establishment's size, while customers, including individuals, parents, and carers, can download the TrustDish app for free.

Shannen gained valuable insights into the food industry from an early age by working in her family’s food retail business. Although she pursued an undergraduate degree in Early Years and Childhood Studies, her passion for the food industry remained strong, leading her to earn a Master’s degree in Food Business and Innovation.

Shannen’s sister, Rachel, has a severe peanut allergy and Shannen witnessed firsthand the difficulties faced by both those suffering from allergies and the food service providers trying to accommodate them.

Identifying a significant gap in the market for an effective allergen management system, Shannen developed the first idea of TrustDish during her master’s thesis.

Soon after completing her thesis, Shannen joined the full-time IGNITE Start-up Incubation Programme to acquire the skills necessary to turn TrustDish into a successful startup. IGNITE, UCC’s award-winning start-up incubation programme, accepts applications from recent graduate entrepreneurs from any third-level institutions in Ireland. It offers essential workshops and seminars, guest speakers, mentoring from experienced entrepreneurs, early seed funding, flexible workspace, invaluable networking opportunities, and high visibility across UCC and the wider Cork business community.

“As someone who has worked for a multinational company and within the educational system during my undergraduate years, I reached a point where I knew that having a typical career was not what I wanted. I felt a strong desire to make a difference in the world and I knew that starting my own business was the best way to achieve this. IGNITE has been a game-changer for me, as it has given me the knowledge, skills, and confidence to turn my entrepreneurial dream into a fast-approaching reality,” Shannen said.

After nearly two years of research, team building, and app development, TrustDish has recently launched their app on Playstore and Appstore and is actively seeking beta testers to try out their innovative platform.

How does TrustDish work? When a customer visits a TrustDish subscriber’s premises, they scan a special QR code on the menu. This instantly reveals, through a traffic light system, which dishes contain ingredients that might cause issues. The QR code is dynamic, meaning the allergen profile of a dish can be easily updated if an ingredient changes. When the diner scans the QR code, the kitchen receives an alert on their digital device, linked to the TrustDish platform, indicating the customer’s special requirements, table location, and unique order ID.

In May 2024, TrustDish won the ‘Start-up of the Year’ at the UCC Research & Innovation Awards.

“TrustDish will improve the dining-out experience for allergen sufferers and reduce the likelihood of lawsuits or increased insurance rates for food service businesses,” Shannen explains.

TrustDish is planning its next hires, including a chief technology officer and a sales team whose role will be to consolidate sales in Ireland before the company moves into the UK and US markets.

Learn more about TrustDish here.