An allergic reaction happens the moment your immune system interacts with a foreign substance that it believes is harmful to your body. The foreign substances that activate this molecular response are known as allergens – and the response triggered is a release of antibodies. Exactly what allergens evoke a response depend on the individual’s genetic makeup, and what their immune system perceives as a threat. If you aren’t aware of your food allergies, it’s best to get an Allergy Test to identify problematic substances and adjust your diet.
Allergens can be found all around us, including in our food. A food allergy is simply an allergic reaction to ingesting or interacting with allergens. With most allergic reactions, the molecular response manifests in physical symptoms. These symptoms have a range of mild to severe symptoms. Mild symptoms include skin irritation, itchiness, and swelling.
Severe symptoms can include diarrhoea or, even worse, anaphylaxis, which can prove fatal. With food allergies on the rise in the population, it is imperative now, more than ever, for companies to be as transparent as possible with the ingredients of their food labelling stickers. Customers must be made aware of what food products contain by Natasha’s law requirements.
Companies are also responsible for ensuring that the probability of cross-contamination when preparing food is minimalised as much as possible. This includes training their employees to meet the standards of the law or list the possibility of cross-contamination in the labelling of food packaging.
There are 14 allergens that all UK food providers must provide legally.
- Celery
- Gluten
- Fish
- Crustaceans
- Eggs
- Lupin
- Milk (Dairy)
- Molluscs
- Mustard
- Peanuts
- Sesame
- Soybeans
- Sulphur Dioxide & Sulphites
- Tree Nuts
Ingredients that contain any of these 14 allergens must STAND OUT. You can read more on the 14 common food allergens.
What is Natasha’s Law?
Ingredients are the most vital part as this allows customers to come to an informed conclusion about what they will be consuming for their health. Without this information being provided by businesses, it can lead to devastating results, which was the case for teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse.
In the summer of 2016, Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, aged 15, bought a baguette sandwich from a well-known food establishment at an airport whilst on holiday with her family. Unbeknownst to her, the sandwich contained sesame, which she was extremely allergic to. After consuming the sandwich, Natasha began to experience severe symptoms, which prompted her to ask her father to use her EpiPen twice whilst on a flight {1}.
Despite their best efforts, Natasha went into cardiac arrest and tragically passed away in front of her family. The baguette sandwich that was purchased had no indicator that it contained sesame on its outer packaging, as in previous years, it was not a legal requirement for food establishments to display it on PPDS.
The unfortunate loss of Natasha prompted her family to campaign for desperately needed change. They urged and petitioned the UK government that is become a legal requirement for stricter requirements for PPDS to always display a full ingredients list.
As of October 2021, the new law, dubbed “Natasha’s Law”, came into full effect, and it is now a legal requirement for PPDS to have a list of ingredients, including allergens. This law has created safer interactions for those with allergen conditions and arms them with the knowledge of what they are purchasing. This real-life impact will help those in the future, hopefully minimising the potential of another tragic death of a loved individual.
Natasha’s family continue to enhance her legacy by delving into immunotherapy research and starting a trial with volunteers to battle tolerance against allergies. As millions are affected by food allergies, this could greatly affect people’s quality of life. This has been funded by Natasha’s Allergy Research Foundation, with donations from worldwide companies.
Why is food labelling important?
Local markets and shops, prepacked for direct sales of food or PPDS. Food labelling is information about the food printed on the product’s outer packaging. This provides the consumer with a breakdown of the product’s contents, including country of production, nutritional values, and ingredients, as required by food labelling requirements UK.
Natasha law labelling is important for many reasons, but most importantly, to help consumers make informed choices about the food they buy, how to store it, how long to store it, and the ingredients in the food. Knowing your food’s ingredients can help you prevent reactions such as food allergies and food intolerances. Food allergies can potentially result in death, so food labels must list all ingredients and especially have a food allergen label.
Suppose you need to be informed about your food allergies or food intolerances. In that case, you need to take an Allergy and Intolerance Test, which will give you a chance to know any foods that need to eliminate from your diet or ones that you haven’t tried and potentially not try it.
References
- Natasha Allergy Research Foundation. (https://www.narf.org.uk/natashaslaw)
