I have just been having an exchange with one of our newsletter subscribers on the subject of nut allergy which I am copying in below, only because it illustrates the frustrations of suffering from a serious allergy:
‘Thank you for your fantastic news letter. Just sad that it seems to covers lot of gluten and wheat allergies and very little on Nut Allergies which is where we have a problem. Maybe one day maybe nut allergy awareness will be as relevant as gluten intolerance.’
To which I responded:
‘Thank you for your email and apologies that we do not have more on nut allergy – although a lot does crop up in the research reports.
The problem, as I am sure you are all too aware, is one of numbers….. There are just so many more people who either are, or believe themselves to be, gluten and/or dairy intolerant than there are nut allergics. Of course the nut allergy is much more serious but from a commercial point of view (e.g. a food manufacturer’s) the market is just very much smaller.’
To which my correspondent replied:
‘This is very very sad indeed as there are over a million people in the UK with a nut allergy, which is very very serious.
To which I responded:
‘You are entirely right, it is very sad but………
The alternative, of course, is the same as for every other food allergy – make you own food and then the ingredients are no longer an issue!!’
To which she replied:
‘That is easier said than done. However your comment re making your own food is a little harsh.
To which I replied:
‘Sorry – it does sound harsh – but sadly one does have to be realistic.
Any further comments from anyone are more than welcome.
From Janet at Wellfoods:
Agree with the need for more nut free foods produced in a nut free environment.
What has really surprised me is the number of people asking us if we are nut free…and I am happily answering yes….our premises are indeed nut free.
But what a lot of people may not realise is that nut oils are often used in manufacturing as a release agent.
The bakery here at Wellfoods changed to nut free 18 months ago. Not even a Snickers bar is allowed on the premises.
So muesli or other cereals have to be nut free….and I am not allowed my favourite nibble….almonds (good for sugar control). Can’t even have them in my car as it is parked on Bakery premises….
If it makes a difference to people..then its worth it…
We have a satellite bakery down the road ..300 yards away that does use nuts ….and is affectionately known….as….yes, you’ve got it – the Nut house…
Of course Michelle is right. A commercial business cannot produce products suitable for specific allergies unless there is a market big enough to pay for the cost of production and distribution. But, I wonder if at least part of the problem is to do with organisation and education? Perhaps people with nut allergies need to do a better job of working together to present a commercial case to food manufacturers. If producers know the market is there, the chances are they will make products for it.
Michelle I completely agree with your newsletter subscriber about the sheer frustration with regards to nut allergies and appreciate the fact and reality around your replies but unless respected bloggers like yourself call for increased awareness for the needs and sufferings of those million plus people with nut allergies, the manufacturers will not be bothered.
If you go to any shop, restaurant, supermarket, etc. even some of those award winning ones, and ask about Free-From product, immediately their answer and support goes around the gluten free and nothing else. The issue is not only about manufacturing Nut Free products; it extends far more beyond that. Their understanding of allergies is very limited beyond the gluten and dairy. In most supermarkets like Tesco and Waitrose, for example, you will usually find the nut selections right next to the free from products on the same shelf. I think that is very inconsiderate and dangerous, especially if there was a nut pack left accidentally open. You see a lot of people with nut allergies suffer from other allergies as well and go to that area. The difference with nut allergies, the dust of nuts in the air can trigger a severe allergic reaction or anaphylaxis and possibly death. I know how high the demand is for gluten free, and no matter how painful cross contamination can be, I never heard of a coeliac dies from being exposed to gluten cross contamination. It is a different story with nuts. Just imagine a child sitting on a trolley while parent is reading the ingredients on one product and the child pulls another from the shelf that happens to be nuts!
Although nuts are very healthy, as long as you are not allergic to them, they should never be on the same display as the Free-From shelf. But unfortunately one can only dream as more than 90% of the Free-From products do have nuts in them or manufactured in a nut contaminated environment.
I agree with you that manufacturers need to consider their profit making and that also is extended to suppliers of raw ingredients. As a small business myself, I find it extremely hard to find suppliers who can provide me with ingredients that are completely free from cross contamination, which is also reflected in their higher prices, but I will only buy from those who are able to provide me with such certification. I will only make and sell products that I am happy for my daughter to have.
As a parent of a child with severe nut allergies in addition to a long list of other allergies, I know too well how hard it is to find anything suitable and, sorry Michelle, with all due respect, to tell someone “if you can’t find it make your own” is not only harsh but sometimes it is near impossible to achieve. Not everything is easy or even possible to make at home and not everyone has the time or skill to re-create everything they need, not to mention the isolation it creates and not being able to eat out like and with “normal” people.
It is truly wonderful these days to be able to walk into a restaurant and see that they are willing to accommodate if you say you are “gluten free” but as soon as you say “nut free” they all panic and some even refuse to serve you. It is education that is needed more than anything else. With more education, more awareness and more noise, hopefully more manufacturers will begin to listen and increase their nut free provision.
So let us please make more noise for Nut-Free
May – you are entirely right about education – that is by far the most important issue for both sufferers and non sufferers. (How many deaths have been caused by someone who knew they were nut allergic not reading the label properly or not understanding enough about their allergy to know that satay sauce is made from peanuts….)
And certainly nut awareness in the public sphere needs to be massively much higher than it is – completely agree with you about the placement of nuts in supermarkets, peanuts in pubs etc etc and the ridiculous panic created in the food industry by the very mention of nut allergy. But once again that is all about education.
I am sorry if I am sounding harsh in suggesting that allergic people may have to, on occasion, make their own food rather than buy it. And, to be fair, I did not actually suggest that if you could not find it you should make for for yourself – merely that, if you have a severe allergy, the safest way to eat is to make your own food from ingredients that you know and trust.
However, I do feel that coping with allergies requires a two pronged approach. Yes, absolutely we must do everything that we can to raise awareness and encourage manufacturers to make foods that will be safe and suitable – but at the same time understand that (as you know only too well, being one yourself) manufacturing totally safe food for allergy sufferers is very difficult and, because of the difficulty, is often more expensive and less profitable to produce than ‘normal’ food.
So yes, it would be lovely to be offered a range of ‘safe’ nut free foods and we should certainly encourage manufacturers to explore how they could do this – not necessarily as hard as they think. Ilumi, for example,are producing an excellent range of nut and many other allergen-free foods which are easily available and can not only be eaten at home but be taken to a restaurant or café and heated safely for you.
But meanwhile those who are nut (and/or sesame, egg, celery, mustard, lupin etc etc) allergic also need to be proactive in creating food for themselves – exactly what all government agencies are encouraging us to do for general health reasons with nothing to do with allergy! There are so many foods that even people with multiple allergies can eat safely that it is a shame when their diets are massively restricted and boring because they do not think outside the culinary box but rely entirely on food manufacturers to feed them.
However, your point about allergic childhood isolation is absolutely right and, if anything is going be manufactured nut or other allergen free, it certainly should be foods that all kids can eat safely. Which is why the whole Alpro saga a year ago was a major eye opener for manufacturers. A range that had never set out to be an allergen-free, but just happened to be so – and provided the ideal food for nut and dairy allergic children because it was cheap, universally available and enjoyed by all kids, allergic and not.
I agree with all the above, there is more need for nut free, but for the time being, while we keep on asking for it and even demanding it, the only safe option often is to cook at home. Yes that sucks. Tonight I don’t want to but I have to cook a meal from scratch to avoid ALL my many allergies, not just to nuts but to dairy, wheat, soya etc. The task becomes even more complex with multiple allergens. I am very grateful to those who do this well and hopefully the FreeFrom Food Awards can attract more entrants to the #nutfree category next year. It was a bit low on the ground this year, and it they were nut free often they had other allergens in them.
Seriously, turn it on its head and look at all the amazing foods you CAN eat and CAN cook at home. Gives you so much more power, control and you will find some amazing foods out there. We must also be more proactive, eat less processed food and cook from fresh. Not always, but on the whole this will improve our diets. Get creative people. No idea what I’m cooking tonight but it will be nut, dairy, wheat, soya, tomato and celery free and cooked from scratch. Bring it on.
I feel that I need to respond to this debate because it stirred a lot of emotions. I totally agree with the subscriber that there should be more nut free products. I run my own online free from shop and spend a lot of time on researching foods. It is very difficult to find nut free products because even though the ingredients may be nut free so many foods are made in factories that use nuts so there may be traces of nuts. However what made me rage with anger is the view on cooking presented here. Not being able to eat out makes you less of a human? Really? Dear subscriber maybe you should revise your values and priorities. Humans have been cooking from scratch for centuries!! Does it make them less human?? It is only for a couple of decades that we really have taken into dining out. Cooking is a natural part of every day life. And dear What Allergy: cooking sucks?? Are you serious? It really is very simple and can be great fun if we only change our attitude towards it. Haven’t we just simply gone too lazy and too convenient to cook? I think what we need or definitely what the British public needs is better education on how to cook and this should start at school. When I was in primary school we had cooking lessons and it was fun for everyone! It was exciting, it was interesting and educational. Since when did eating out become a norm?
Hi Alijca
For the record dear…. I am an excellent cook and have always cooked from scratch for family and friends….
Yes we all could cook from Primary also
But I think you must have misinterpreted what I said. No one said eating out was the norm ? However in my business where I am here there and everywhere for weeks on business it is the norm! And it is very very difficult to manage to eat out and to find safe foods to purchase let alone go into a restaurant to eat.
Therefore I would like to clarify this was not Intended to say eating out is normal but a lot us do like to treat ourselves after working hard all week and I am sure there are many Mums Dads and little children whom would love to go out and eat safely , but this is physically an impossibility . And again it is a changed society lots of people eat out and it is normal
As from cooking from scratch this also can be very difficult we have to check everyt item we purchase and there are not very many variations we can have.
But I can assure you when I am home I love to cook for my family and always have done !
This is about a discussion. In relation to a Nut Allergy and the restrictions there are out there to purchase ! We really really struggle and it is an uphill battle. All I am trying to put forward that we just have very little choice!
We just want to at times feel what some people take for granted ” meaning you can go out for a nice meal …… We cannot do this as restaurants do not cater very often for nut allergic people .
I feel I need to say something after my last contribution in which I mentioned how difficult it was to find safe products to buy or eat out. The whole discussion was turned around cooking at home, which I am sure most if not every mother with allergies in her family can accommodate for. Cooking from scratch is the norm and people did it for generations and generations regardless of allergies and restrictions but what makes it more complicated when allergies are involved is finding the safe ingredients that are fee from cross contamination. The other difficulty is when you substitute ingredients for multiple allergies it is definitely not a straightforward one-for-one substitute, it is far more complicated than that, and the more allergies you are catering for the more complicated the science of cooking gets. Yes it is very enjoyable, and if I’m not good at it or I do not enjoy cooking and creating great food from scratch, I would not have thought about starting my business in that field, it is an amazingly great buzz when you manage to create something, not only edible but also enjoyable and somewhat superior to the non allergy alternative, but it is not always easy and there are certain things that can never be replicated at home, as mentioned in my previous comment, although it remains home is best.
On the other hand, why can’t people with allergies enjoy eating out safely? Just because they suffer from food allergies does not mean they have to be deprived from the joy of eating out once in a while. Societies and lifestyles have changed over time and while it is still the norm to cook at home, there is nothing wrong with asking for a safe meal when out. People go on holidays, days out, work away from home, get invited to functions and events, wanting a treat or take a break from the home kitchen, etc. etc. and for most people there is no second thought involved about that but if you or a member of your household suffers from multiple food allergies it is a completely different story.
I would like to ask those who think we should stick to home cooking, and by the way I do absolutely everything from scratch, not just meals and deserts but I also make my own preserves, pickles, chutneys, jams, sauces, stocks, cordials and even vinegar from scratch, do you think people with multiple allergies should never socialise, go to functions, never work away from home, never travel unless staying in self catering and reject wedding invitations because no one can be bothered telling them what is in the food provided, let alone provide a safe food? Also what is your opinion about children and school dinners? Do you think children with food allergies should never have school dinners and stick to packed lunches, should never join in school activities involving food and should never go to birthday parties and sleepovers? I always provided these for my daughter, but should it be so when simple alternatives are possible, only if others bother?
I previously mentioned, and I still believe it, that more awareness and education are needed with regards to food allergies and especially nuts as they are hidden in almost everything, we need more manufacturers to understand the dangers of cross contamination and start providing nut safe products. At the moment, the way I see it, most manufacturers care about maximum profit and there is only one handful of manufacturers who can honestly say their products are nut safe in addition to few more small businesses, like myself, who created our products safe from nuts to serve a need above profit.
I believe that us, the allergic families, as a community, we should all come together and call with one voice, we need safe products for our children, we need safe products for our families, we need nut safe products. There is no point of getting excited about a product that is free from nuts if it was manufactured on the same production line that handle nuts, we need to call out the manufacturers to spare a thought for the thousands who suffer from nut and other multiple food allergies. Also when it comes to restaurants and eating out, why shouldn’t I enjoy a meal out with my family? all what we ask for is honesty, we need to know what went into that finished product and we will make the decision whether to buy or not, we are not asking chefs to bend over backwards and create a dish suitable for my daughter and free from her 25 allergens.
Just a small response to May
I totally 100% agree with everything you have said. People just don’t seem to get it when we actually feel I elated when we actually have a meal a cake breakfast or a safe holiday….
The pressure we are all under is immense at all times. And I know how I feel so can only touch on how parents feel when their little children get allergies.
I only hope that one day more Restaurants / Manufacturers / Pharmacetucals / Health & Beauty / Airlines / Holiday Resorts just once spare a thought for Nut Allergenic individuals and all the other allergenic children and adults out there and try to at least treat us as important human beings like everyone else.
We all need to pull together so some of them sit up hear us and listen.
May I am so sorry your little one struggles and I can only imagine the worry you have every day.
Margaret ❤️