Exciting new chapter comes with allergy danger for young people

For many young people this is the time of year when they are about to begin the exciting new chapter in their lives as they go to university or college.

Leaving home for the first time, they will be mixing and living with new people of their own age and rightly enjoying all the fun and opportunity this brings.

However, for those suffering from food allergies this can bring new challenges and I would encourage parents to talk to their children about it.

Those aged between 16 and 24 are in the most at-risk category when it comes to allergies, so please do encourage your young person to talk to their friends and housemates, to make them aware of their situation and how to spot an allergic reaction.

Most people will already know someone with an allergy and be able to support. However, occasionally housemates are just not able to understand the seriousness of the allergy and it may be wise to speak with the university or college welfare officer to seek alternative accommodation if the allergy relates to their environment.

Also, encourage them to carry wipes and clean down surfaces, to reduce the risk of cross contamination before eating or studying around campus.

When eating out, if it is a planned occasion, suggest they look at online menus in advance if available and use social media to find recommendations for suitable places to eat out with allergies.

In Suffolk, we regularly get complaints about allergens - 14 different allergen types must be declared in law – and while people focus on nut allergies many others are just as deadly to relevant people. Allergies are increasing and are therefore more important today.

Locally, we took just over 230 food samples last year, around half of which were tested for the presence of undeclared allergens.

Of those, approximately 25% of samples were unsatisfactory in that they were either labelled incorrectly, not declaring the correct allergens or if a meal contained an undeclared allergen.

Samples are taken either because of complaints, or due to our local knowledge/intelligence of the product/premises type.

Last year we had more than 100 complaints about specific food businesses of which three quarters were complaints about allergens.

In terms of the main product type tested in Suffolk:

• Vegan chocolate – 12 samples were taken of chocolate described as ‘vegan’ – nine of which contained traces of milk. Whilst some did contain a precautionary allergen label e.g., ‘May contain milk’ – consumers may not notice this and instead rely on the name of the food and, if they are allergic to dairy, this could be an issue.
• Take-away coffee – 17 samples of take-away coffees, from a mix of independent and high street retailers were taken. Of the nine ‘non milk’ versions (oat/almond/soya latte) – five contained traces of milk. Again, a vegan customer or someone with a dairy allergy would incorrectly assume there would be no trace of milk.
• Vegan ‘ready to eat products’ such as sausage rolls, pastries and cakes - 20 samples were taken of which five contained either milk or egg traces.
• Vegan ‘takeaway’ meals - 16 samples were taken of which six contained traces of either egg, fish or shellfish.

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute is calling for a new legal definition of vegan food to be created to ensure the rules are clear, and that any food manufacturer or restaurant flouting these rules can be held accountable.

This would provide clarity for those with allergies, for example to milk or eggs, over whether food labelled as vegan is safe to eat.

Until that happens, consumers should not rely on the vegan description if they have a serious milk allergy.

Similarly, anyone with allergies really needs to read the label on food products properly, including any 'may contains' information.

In restaurants/cafes they should not rely on the vegan description alone - always have a conversation with the staff.

These are simple steps but can make all the difference.

*Anyone with concerns about the labelling of a food product, or wishing to report an allergy or intolerance reaction, can contact Suffolk Trading Standards via Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.