We Are SafetyZone

Food allergies aren’t a niche concern—they’re a daily reality for over 33 million Americans, including 1 in 13 children. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) classifies food allergies as a disability, yet most hospitality and foodservice operations still lack the training, protocols, and tools to safely serve this growing population.

Over 50% of severe allergic reactions occur in foodservice settings, often due to cross-contact, miscommunication, or lack of staff preparation. When even one member of a group has a food allergy, the entire party will often choose a different venue—resulting in missed revenue, lost loyalty, and brand damage.

At SafetyZone, we help you lower that risk by making food allergy safety seamless, scalable, and profitable. Whether you’re running a restaurant, hotel, stadium, campus, or venue—we help you serve more people safely while building a reputation rooted in trust.

How We Help You Get It Right

We partner with leading food allergy organizations, brands, medical professionals, educators, and advocates to fully enhance the food allergy experience in your operations

✅ Improved Epinephrine Access – Help sites integrate epinephrine into operations, creating safer environments for all guests
✅ Staff Training – Equip teams with practical knowledge to avoid cross-contact and confidently manage allergic emergencies
✅ Menu Development – Offer creative, allergy-aware dishes that invite rather than exclude
✅ Kitchen & Service Audits – Identify operational gaps and introduce smarter, safer systems
✅ Policy & Protocol Guidance – Establish clear SOPs aligned with industry best practices and ADA compliance
✅ Strategic Growth Planning – Serve wider audiences and retain allergy-conscious groups through inclusivity

Our Team

Joshua Powers - Founder & CEO

Joshua Powers is the founder of SafetyZone, a consulting company transforming food allergy safety across the foodservice and manufacturing industries. Living with anaphylactic food allergies his entire life, Joshua brings firsthand insight to a field that too often overlooks the needs of 33+ million Americans with food allergies.

He is currently studying Artificial Intelligence and Business Innovation at Nazareth University, with a minor in Public Health. Through SafetyZone, he leads initiatives that help restaurants, institutions, and food manufacturers implement medically-informed protocols, ranging from allergen-free kitchen design and ingredient sourcing to staff training, menu audits, and emergency epinephrine access.

Joshua has partnered with or is working with leading organizations, including Red Sneakers for Oakley, Abe’s Muffins, Allergy Voyage, Allergy Advocates NY, and the Greater Buffalo Food Allergy Alliance. He also has future collaboration opportunity with FARE and FASI. His work sits at the intersection of personal experience, public health, and scalable business strategy, helping clients reduce liability, increase inclusivity, and serve allergic consumers safely.

Josh's sister, inspiration for founding SafetyZone

Kristina Powers, MD - Medical Advisor

Dr. Kristina Powers serves as a trusted medical advisor for SafetyZone, lending her clinical expertise to strengthen our food allergy protocols and safety initiatives. A summa cum laude graduate of Cornell University (Biological Sciences, Class of 2019) with research honors, Dr. Powers went on to earn her medical degree from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo in 2023. During medical school, she gained hands-on experience in Allergy and Immunology clinics, sharpening her understanding of anaphylaxis and chronic allergic conditions.

Currently completing her residency in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School (2023–2028), Dr. Powers brings a unique perspective to our work, bridging clinical science and public health. Her guidance ensures that our consulting strategies and product development remain rooted in medical best practices, helping us better protect and serve individuals with life-threatening food allergies.

Francine Powers - Advisor

Francine serves as our Advocacy Director at SafetyZone, where she plays a central role in scaling food allergy safety solutions across foodservice and manufacturing. As the parent of two children with life-threatening food allergies, Francine brings a rare blend of personal insight and professional leadership to the forefront of this work.

Her background includes executive and supervisory roles in the food distribution and nonprofit sectors, with impactful contributions to organizations such as Tops Markets, US Foods, and Meals on Wheels. These experiences have given her a deep understanding of operational logistics, supply chain management, and the critical role nutrition and safety play in both institutional and consumer settings.

At SafetyZone, Francine oversees operations, strategic partnerships, and community engagement, ensuring every initiative is informed by both real-world needs and industry standards. Her advocacy leadership helps bridge the gap between families, institutions, and businesses, creating systems that are not only medically sound but also practical, scalable, and deeply empathetic. Francine’s vision and expertise have been instrumental in establishing SafetyZone as a leader in allergy-safe consulting and innovation.