Think about that time you went to a restaurant. Did the waiter ask you if you have any allergies?
By law, restaurants, cafes, and pubs must inform their consumers if they serve any of the 14 maximum non-unusual allergens.
But it doesn’t have to be written on the menu, and can be passed on orally through staff or made available online for diners to view on their phones.
The death of 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse in 2016, following a severe allergic reaction to a loaf of Pret A Manger bread, led to a tightening of the law on “pre-packaged products for direct sale” (PPDS).
After the “Natasha Law” came into force in 2021, establishments that package their products on-site will now be required to provide a full list of ingredients on the label, with one of the top 14 allergens highlighted.
But despite Natasha’s story, which has sparked some awareness, allergy sufferers and their loved ones still face daily anxiety and fatal mistakes are still made.
An investigation found that 13-year-old Hannah Jacobs died after taking a single sip of a Costa Coffee hot chocolate, which contained cow’s milk, to which she was severely allergic.
Hannah’s mother said she told the barista at Barking’s East London branch that her daughter was heavily allergic to dairy and that they agreed to clean the jug in which the drink was prepared as an extra precaution.
But after a “communication failure between the mother and the barista,” she collapsed and died that same day, February 8, 2022, the coroner ruled.
Other high-profile cases include Celia Marsh, a mother of five with a dairy allergy, who died in Bath in 2017 after eating a vegan Pret wrap containing dairy protein.
Meanwhile, the family of 18-year-old Owen Carey is campaigning for stricter rules to be set in restaurants after their Byron bird burger was marinated in buttermilk.
Vacation “trauma”
Around 2. 4 million adults in the United Kingdom suffer from food allergy, according to the most recent survey by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). In children, the proportion ranges from 2 to 4%.
Margaret Kelman, a mother of three from Fife and an allergy nurse specialist for the charity Allergy UK, is one of them.
Just a few weeks ago she experienced a scenario similar to that of Hannah Jacobs and her mother: she asked for soy milk in her tea at an airport, pointing out that she was allergic.
“I went to cafes and they put milk,” he told Sky News.
“This time I said, ‘I’m sorry, there’s cow’s milk,’ and the waiter was very stressed, very agitated and said, ‘Look, I’m busy, you’re going to have to drink it. ‘I said, “I’m sorry, I can’t.
“I watch like a hawk when I go out to eat and they prepare my food, but this example reinforces the fact that if I hadn’t done it and drunk it, I would have suffered anaphylaxis. “
Kelman, who has also suffered from severe asthma and skin allergies since she was a child, says she finds her severe dairy allergy is mistaken for lactose intolerance.
Intolerances increase when a person’s gut is unable to break down enzymes in certain foods, leading to abdominal discomfort and diarrhea.
Allergies, on the other hand, are more serious and induce an immune response. They can cause an anaphylactic reaction, which causes swelling, airway obstruction, and loss of consciousness. If temporarily treated with adrenaline, it is fatal.
Kelman was admitted to the hospital several times due to her allergies, two of which left her unconscious and required resuscitation.
Recalling the first, when her son was one year old, she says: “The anguish, when my children were younger, of leaving them without a mother was terrifying. “
She says vacations can be “traumatic” and require a lot of preparation, some restaurants have refused to serve her for fear of not meeting her needs, and she avoids certain social conditions that cause her too much anxiety.
“It has a huge effect on physical and intellectual health,” he says.
“I find it incredibly stressful and it affects everyone around me. We have to eat and drink several times a day, so every time you take a bite you check to see if it’s safe. Imagine how stressful it is. It takes a long time. “.
There is no outdoor law of the 14 most sensitive allergens
Allergic patients and their families say Natasha’s Law has made environments less stressful.
Her parents, Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse, also set up the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, which is investing £2. 5 million in an immunotherapy trial aimed at gradually exposing patients to their allergens through food.
But many warn that existing legislation has not yet been sufficiently passed.
Ten-year-old Eden Kooner was diagnosed with allergies to wheat, eggs, nuts and various legumes when he was young.
Most of them are among the 14 most sensitive, which means that school canteens, restaurants and cafeterias are required by law to provide data about them.
His mother Bal says the family, from Derby, rarely goes to restaurants.
“We don’t go out to eat often,” he says. I think it’s because we did cost-benefit research on our intellectual health. “
She compares Eden’s allergen to “little grenades about to explode: lies in her time. “
“That’s what it feels like,” he said. “For me, the scenario is as smart as the user in front of me. If I think she has understood, I calm down, but if I see that she has not understood, I tend to just walk away. “
Kooner says the Natasha Act and high-profile cases have contributed to some awareness.
She mentions the recent case of former Love Island star Jack Fowler, who suffers from a nut allergy and said he was “dead” after having an allergic reaction on an Emirates flight to Dubai.
Emirates said it “cannot guarantee that our food does not contain nuts” and that “we serve nuts on all our flights. “
“If you are allergic to nuts, we suggest you discuss your travel plans with your doctor before flying and contact your local Emirates office,” the airline added.
Kooner says of Fowler’s Instagram posts, “It’s generated more awareness than I could ever have achieved the maximum in the medical network. “
But there is still much to be done, he adds.
“Walnuts are quite easy to perceive because they are famous and well-known. But there are other people who still think that there are only 14 allergens: you can be allergic to anything. “
Call for more NHS experts
Every year, a new generation of young children is born with allergies. There is some genetic link, but a wide combination of environmental factors, coupled with a history of infection, antibiotic use and exposure to pollution, means scientists don’t know the precise cause.
They also warn that there are enough allergy specialists within the NHS.
“For years we have been challenged to be able to correctly diagnose and manage allergies in the United Kingdom,” says Professor Sheena Cruickshank, an immunologist and professor of biomedical sciences and public engagement at the University of Manchester.
Allergy UK and the British Society of Immunology signed an open letter last year calling on the NHS to recruit more allergic nurses and dietitians in each and every area, it says, “so that allergy sufferers can access specialist care, regardless of their location”.
Dr Paul Turner, a professor of paediatric allergy and clinical immunology at Imperial College London, adds that adults are in high demand.
He says it has a massive effect on patients when they turn 18, an age linked to big life changes that carry more risks.
“Older teens are too old for pediatric allergy services to notice,” she says. “But they’re at the same age where big adjustments are taking place in their lives, and there are enough specialists for that age group. “
Conflicting recommendations also generate anxiety among parents.
After years of warnings to give peanuts to newborns, a study from King’s College London showed that teenagers who ate soft peanut butter before the age of five were 71% less likely to develop a nut allergy.
This suggests that the progression of tolerance to potential allergens may aggravate the risks of their further progression.
A hygienic allergy record is required.
Allergy UK is calling for full written disclosure of all ingredients to be mandatory in all hotel establishments, and for it to be mandatory for all staff.
From a private perspective, Kelman also believes that a public record of allergy incidents and food hygiene assessments would be useful and allow patients to have greater choice about where to eat out.
“It’s about how others feel,” he adds.
“I’ve read a lot of other people online saying, ‘If you have a food allergy, why do you go out to dinner?’ But staying home and not going anywhere to stay is not a practical way to experience social dining, it’s the norm for the majority of the population, so why not for other people with allergies?
Darren Whitby, head of incidents and resilience at the Food Standards Agency, said he expressed his “deepest condolences” to Hannah Jacobs and all those who have lost loved ones to food allergies.
“It is imperative that other people can buy and consume food with confidence and without worry, and we will thoroughly address all issues raised during the investigation,” he added.
What did Costa, Pret and Byron Burger say?
Following the inquest into Hannah, Costa said he “listened to everything the coroner said and will carefully review his comments as well as any reports he may consider and respond to appropriately. “
Pret A Manger said it “has followed thorough labeling of all products produced in its kitchens” and “is committed to our procedures for tracking and handling court cases” related to allergies following research conducted by Natasha Ednan-Laperouse.
Its executive leader, Pano Christou, said of Celia Marsh’s case: “As a father and husband, I can only believe how painful this has been for Celia’s children and family. “
The company “fully supports” the coroner’s findings that the outside company that provided the yogurt in Ms. Marsh’s packaging “had data alerting them to the fact that her yogurt possibly contained milk and that this data was not transmitted to Pret. “Added.
Byron Burger said he extends his “deepest condolences to everyone affected” by the “tragic” death of Owen Carey.
He said it has “comprehensive procedures with the highest standards of protection” and “our groups are trained to adhere to strict rules and protocols, adding allergen information communication, which remains a very sensible priority for us. “
Sky News has contacted NHS England for comment.