On Monday 25th April we celebrated Allergy Awareness Week, an initiative designed to encourage the British public to take allergies seriously and pay attention to the realities faced by millions who live with allergic conditions.
We love to write about all the special food-related days the calendar offers up. Each one is special and important in its own way but for the millions who live with allergies, Allergy Awareness Week is more important than all the others – some would even say that raising awareness that allergies should never be ignored can be a lifeline. Spreading knowledge and understanding around allergies is critical to allergy sufferers but also helps food businesses understand the health needs of their customers.
State-of-the-art, nut-free kitchen
At Quattro we love food. Food nourishes us and excites us. Food is our fuel and without it we couldn’t survive. Mindfulness about what we eat has become popular and is often associated with trends or fads. But for millions of people, food mindfulness can literally be a matter of life and death. Food allergies cause a range of symptoms, from skin issues to digestive problems and the sad reality for many is that they can even be life-threatening.
As food manufacturers, we’re always alert to allergies and our allergen management and handling is second to none. Right from our inception over ten years ago, our Portsmouth kitchen has been nut-free, to minimise risk, whilst still creating the highest quality products, including nut-free pestos and other allergy-sensitive foods.
Allergies – the facts and figures
Over 60% of the UK population, which is around 41m people, suffers from an allergy. This can be a drug allergy, a reaction to insect bites, hay fever, asthma and eczema or a severe food allergy. Exposure to the allergen can, at best, cause mild irritation and at worst, it can kill.
The largest ever UK allergy study conducted by leading charity Allergy UK shines a light on the psychological impact of living with allergies. New data uncovers previously overlooked psychological impacts experienced by those living with allergies. The research forms the basis of Allergy Awareness Week’s new campaign ‘It’s time for the UK to take allergy seriously’.
- 53% of people living with allergies in the UK regularly avoid social situations due to their allergy.
- 52% of people play down their allergies due to fear of judgement.
- 40% of parents of children with allergies said their child had experienced bullying due to the allergy.
- 44% of workers with allergies said their condition had impacted their performance at work.
Anxiety and isolation
Misunderstanding and perceptions of allergies can make life feel stressful and fear of judgement from family, friends or employers is very real for people with allergies.
Allergy Awareness Week is designed to improve healthcare provision and awareness and to enhance care standards at school, college and the workplace for people whose lives have been impacted by allergies.
Most food outlets will have customers with allergies, so contact us at Quattro Foods to discuss how we can help with delicious, nutritious, allergy-friendly food products.