Conditional Processing in Tailoring Food Safety Documentation

Conditional processing in DITA XML plays a crucial role in tailoring food safety documentation to meet the specific needs of different culinary environments, food handling practices, and allergen considerations. It allows content creators to provide customized information based on variables such as location, type of cuisine, or specific allergen concerns. Here’s how conditional processing can be applied:

Location-Based Tailoring

One common use of conditional processing is tailoring documentation for different geographic locations. For instance, food safety regulations may vary from one region to another. With DITA, you can create conditional statements that display specific content sections relevant to a particular location while hiding irrelevant information. This ensures that food safety guidelines align with local regulations, enhancing compliance.

Cuisine-Specific Information

In the culinary world, different cuisines may have unique food handling practices. Conditional processing allows you to include cuisine-specific instructions within a single document. For example, you can use conditions to display guidelines for sushi preparation in a Japanese restaurant’s kitchen manual while hiding those sections in a French bistro’s documentation. This tailoring ensures that chefs and kitchen staff receive relevant information based on their culinary focus.

Allergen Considerations

When addressing allergen considerations, conditional processing enables you to provide tailored allergen information based on specific dietary restrictions or allergies. For instance, if a customer has a peanut allergy, you can use conditions to highlight all references to peanuts throughout the documentation, making it easier for individuals with allergies to identify potential risks and safe food options.

Example:

Here’s an example of how DITA conditional processing can tailor food safety documentation for allergen considerations:

<topic id="food_allergen_information">
  <title>Food Allergen Information</title>
  <content>
    <!-- Common content for all readers -->
    <p>Be aware of potential allergens in our dishes, including:

    <ul>
      <li>Peanuts</li>
      <li>Dairy</li>
      <li>Shellfish</li>
    </ul>
    <!-- Conditional content for peanut allergy -->
    <ph conkeyref="peanut_allergy">
      <p>If you have a peanut allergy, please note that some dishes may contain peanuts or traces of peanuts. Always inform our staff about your allergy so that we can take extra precautions.</p>
    </ph>
  </content>
  <conditions>
    <conkey keyref="peanut_allergy">
      <val>peanut_allergy</val>
    </conkey>
  </conditions>

In this DITA example, conditional processing is used to display specific information for readers with a peanut allergy. The “ph” element with a “conkeyref” attribute references the condition, ensuring that peanut allergy-related information is only visible to those who need it.