Allergies

Food allergies affect a range of persons but are more often found in young children than adults.

A lot of children outgrow these by school age. Symptoms range from itching and swelling in the mouth, tongue and throat, swelling and itching skin, eczema and flushing, vomiting and/or diarrhoea, to a life threatening whole-body allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, or anaphylactic shock. This is a rare but potentially fatal allergic reaction where the symptoms develop all over the body, causing swelling, loss of consciousness, low blood pressure and breathing problems.

In adults, the most common food allergies are to peanuts, tree nuts (such as walnuts and hazelnuts), fish and shellfish. Foods which commonly trigger allergies in children include cow's milk, eggs, peanuts, soya, wheat, tree nuts, fish and shellfish. Food handlers need to take particular care to ensure that foods that cause allergies do not contaminate other foods, and that customers are made aware of the ingredients of specific dishes that can cause allergic reaction in some people.

Good house-keeping is essential.