Allergen awareness training is an essential part of food safety and catering training. Food allergy and intolerance is increasing every year and as a business that produces or provides food to the public, you are legally responsible for certain practices in order to minimise the risk to your customers.
Allergic reactions can occasionally be life-threatening. According to Allergy UK, around one person in four in the UK suffers from an allergy at some point in their lifetime. The number of people affected is increasing every year, and up to half of those affected are children.
The FSA state that in the UK, about ten people die every year from food-induced anaphylaxis. There are also about 1,500 asthma deaths, some of which might be triggered by food allergy. Many of those who die or suffer 'near miss' reactions had no idea that they were at risk. Those who are aware of the risk can find the day-to-day unpredictability of living with food allergy risks stressful.