‘Natasha’s Law’ – a group response

Earlier this year, the Food Standards Agency and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) announced a public consultation on proposed changes to the allergen labelling laws in the wake of the tragic death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse. Printed below is a group response submitted to that consultation and signed by more than 200 members of the allergy community.

A little background: the consultation relates only to so-called ‘PPDS’ establishments – Pre-Packed for Direct Sale. This doesn’t have a completely clear-cut definition but basically means anywhere that makes and packages items ready for sale on the premises.

That includes sandwiches packed on-site and taken by the consumer from a chiller cabinet; salads displayed in deli boxes behind a counter and bought to take away by the consumer; takeaway items collected by the consumer if displayed in packaging on-site (e.g. chicken in a box; wrapped burgers). This may also include supermarket foods such as deli counter boxed salads, weighed and packaged cheeses; fresh (uncooked) pizzas from the deli counter; baked goods from a bakery counter.

It doesn’t include foods that are ordered by the customer, prepared freshly and then wrapped or packaged to be taken away; or foods that are prepared in advance of a rush, displayed on the counter but not wrapped until they are bought by the consumer (e.g. a pile of filled bagels in a cafe).

Anyway, here goes (warning: it’s long)… *deep breath*:

Allergen Labelling Review Team
Defra
Room 202, Zone 2
1-2 Peasholme Green
York
YO1 7PX                                                                                                28 March 2019

Group Response to Allergen Labelling Review

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing as the informal representative of a group of 208 individuals who have come together under the banner of the Twitter allergy community @allergyhour to respond collectively to the DEFRA Allergen Labelling Review.

Hello…

Dear readers, I do confess, it’s been seven months since my last posting… What can I say, other than a demented 18-month-old, a four-going-on-14-year-old and the paid work I can squeeze into the moments when they are both asleep (ha!) mean I have reluctantly neglected my station?

There’s been so much I’ve wanted to blog about, too. This has been the Year of the Allergy Mama on a Mission. Our grassroots campaign to fight Alpro’s decision to merge nut and soya milk production and slap a ‘may contain nuts’ warning on all their soya products resulted in victory when they backtracked and agreed to keep the lot, bar chilled yoghurts, free from cross contamination.

AllergyBabe writes…

I JUST HAD to add a link to a blog by a fellow allergy Mum: AllergyBabe. Our sons are exactly the same age with many of the same silly allergies. Coming after my last rant, it goes to show exactly what sort of nonsense we have to put up with. And why it is absolutely vital that allergen control should become a compulsory aspect of every catering outlet’s basic hygiene training.

So, a great piece and a great blog to follow, too…

Read it here.

 

‘Do You Want My Family’s Business?’

SO, YESTERDAY WAS my debut into the (sorta) professional world of allergy. I was a guest speaker at a seminar for the catering industry on the upcoming changes to food labelling.

Despite my strong views on the subject, I wasn’t there to pontificate on the rights and wrongs of the new labelling legislation – I reckon that would only confuse the catering delegates even more, and I can tell you after yesterday that many of them are already confused enough about existing, never mind impending, allergy regulations.

I was invited as an ‘Allergy Mum’ by the organisers FATC to speak about the daily struggle to find safe places to eat, and food to buy, for my child.

So below is my presentation. It wasn’t slick, and my PowerPoint skills are rudimentary, but I hope it got some people thinking about the struggle we face to find allergy safe food. It is, as fellow speaker Michelle Berriedale-Johnson of Foods Matter succinctly put it, a “pain in the balls”.

“Your safety is our priority.” Tell that to Tracey.

IT’S BEEN more than a year since I posted my rant about British Airways and its useless allergy policy. Since then, we’ve continued to fly with the airline because (a) we’re Executive Club members and the points are handy (b) the flight times are often the best for us and, more to the point, (c) my parents often (very kindly) treat us all to a family getaway and they fly with BA.

Mostly, despite my simmering annoyance about the company’s stubborn refusal to make any allowances for those with life-threatening allergies (unlike Monarch, EasyJet, Thomson…) we’ve been lucky enough to encounter helpful cabin crew.

A doctor calls…

Well, no, not him – but am v happy to reveal that Dr Tammy Rothenberg, a consultant paediatrician with a specialist interest in allergies will be the resident expert at the food allergy parent support group in Stoke Newington on Saturday 30 June. Dr R – formerly of St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington and now the Homerton, Hackney – will be there to to answer all your burning questions about childhood food allergy. Plus there will be some great allergy friendly recipes to take home, as well as a chance just to catch up and chat with parents in the same boat.

Please follow this link for details and info on how to come along… Would love to see as many food allergy parents from the area as we can squeeze in!

Ta-da! And the support group is…

On Saturday 30th June, 3-5pm, in Stoke Newington, N16…

Since Sidney was diagnosed with his silly string of food allergies a year ago, I seem to have a constant catalogue of questions that only parents in the same plight can answer.

Our doctor, as I’ve said before, is amazing, but there are some things he just can’t help with – recommending good allergy-friendly places to eat, top holiday spots for catering for a food allergic child, the best ‘free from’ foods to buy, recipes for the ideal eggless, wheatless, ‘add your own allergy’-less breads, cakes, etcetera.

Having a local support network of people in the same position means being able to swap notes on nurseries, schools, caffs, playgroups. What does a nursery need to prove before you feel comfortable sending your EpiPen toting tot there? How do you handle the issue of other kids eating potentially risky food in a public setting? Can we get the overpriced, overprimped recently revamped park cafe to offer something allergy friendly (OK, that’s just my own current gripe).

So when the paediatric allergy nurse at St Mary’s Hospital, where Sidney is seen, said they had secured funding to run a series of support groups and would I be interested in helping to host one I said ‘yes’ right away.

They’ve already run the inaugural event in Ealing, which I’m told proved a hit, and there’s a second in Barnes this month. But for north and east London parents I’m organising one in Stoke Newington, Hackney for June. So if your child has multiple food allergies and is under the care of an allergy doctor, do come along to share tips, info, recipes and gripes, find out which places are allergy-friendly, meet other parents navigating the same issues and ask an expert from St Mary’s paediatric allergy department your burning questions.

Food Allergy Parent Support Group, Saturday 30 June, 3-5pm, Stoke Newington, Hackney, N16; places are limited so for further info and to RSVP please email alexabaracaia@hotmail.com or see www.allergysupportgroup.org.uk

Digestives!

WOO! A RARE find: biscuits that have all of Sidney’s allergy bases covered. While scouring the FreeFrom aisle in Waitrose yesterday I came across these newbies (to me, at least): TruFree Digestive Biscuits.

Amazingly, they’re wheat free, gluten free, egg free, dairy free and nut free (though not soya free). I double checked on the nut and dairy thing with the manufacturers, who happen to be part of the Dietary Specials lot.

The biccies are made in a nut free factory although legally, apparently, they can’t describe themselves as ‘nut free’ because they don’t actually test the product for nuts. Ditto they don’t test for dairy so can’t officially lay claim to the statement ‘dairy free’ but there there are no dairy ingredients used in the digestives and no hidden animal by-products – so they’re effectively vegan as well. Sounds good enough for me.

There’s a whole range of allergy friendly biscuits by TruFree, including bourbons, rich teas and custard creams, but check the packets on all before you buy: some may be made in a nut containing facility. There’s an eminently sensible guide on the TruFree website, which states:

We do not claim TruFree products are nut free. However the warnings on pack will vary according to the facilities at the manufacturing site used for that product:

Made in a factory that uses nut ingredients – nuts will be on site and may be used in the same manufacturing line.

May contain traces of nuts – no nuts are used on site but a risk from an ingredient supplier has been identified.

No warning – no risk has been identified at either the manufacturing site or our ingredient suppliers.

So pleased to have found these biscuits. They don’t taste bad, either – a little grittier than your usual digestive and they wouldn’t fool anyone in a blind challenge with a McVitie’s but they’re palatable enough, good dunked in a cuppa and now I can make my easy party special: fridge cake, allergy free and suitable for Sid! Will get going on a batch when I get the chance/can be faffed and post the recipe here…

TruFree Digestive Biscuits, £1.75 a pack, from Waitrose, ASDA, Holland and Barrett, Goodness Foods, Simply Free or online via Dietary Specials here

Essex ice cream makers scoop ‘free from’ prize

A PERSONAL TRAINER who set up his own allergy-friendly ice cream company has landed a top gong at the Free From Food Awards.

Fitness expert and nutritionist Steve Bessant established Bessant & Drury Fine Ice Cream with pal Ian Drury in Essex just last year.

The only Brit-based ice cream to be made from coconut milk, it is dairy free, egg free, gluten free, soya free and totally vegan.

And the best ‘free from’ products are…

From pies to beers, here’s the full list of winners from the Free From Food Awards 2012 – and details of where to buy ’em:

Best Pie, Flan or Ready Meal

The Gluten Free Kitchen’s Ovencrust Chicken & Bacon Pie (gluten, wheat, dairy free) “Crisp, golden pastry with a succulent, tasty chicken filling.” £2.50 from The Gluten Free Kitchen