Food Safety News – December 2010
Allergy Awareness - how aware are you?
The tragic death of 18 year old Emma Egerton last week highlighted the importance of allergen awareness amongst consumers and caterers. This young, intelligent lady was fully aware that she had an allergy to nuts however she was not informed that the dish she ordered from her local takeaway contained nuts. Emma was eating alone at home when the symptoms started. She called the emergency services and left the door open for paramedics. She was found unconscious when the ambulance arrived and was sadly pronounced dead later that evening.
Sadly this incident is not the first of its kind. Hazel Gowland, of Allergy Action, our resident allergy expert explained at the RSPH conference on Food Safety Challenges (November 2010) that approximately one death a year is attributed to peanut flour used in curries.
It is essential that all caterers can offer their customers accurate information about the ingredients of their dishes when asked and ideally food and menus will be labelled to highlight the fact that the dish contains key allergens. Parents, carers, teachers and customers should all be made aware of the significance of food allergies and how sensitive some consumers may be. A European food survey stated that 28% of people questioned in the UK said they were worried about having an allergic reaction to food.
Training courses on food allergies are available for caterers to attend along with a number of articles and books published on the subject. To find out more about the Allergy Training Courses offered by the RSPH, click here. Or if workplace learning is more appropriate for your needs why not take a look at our new Food Allergy Training Kit produced in partnership with leading allergy expert Hazel Gowland or speak to Anna about in-house allergen courses. Click here to find out more.
Please call us on 01727 866779 or email info@hygieneauditsystems.com for more information
