General information, not an individual diagnosis. Ask a healthcare professional if you are unsure about your situation.
After eating a food, throat swelling, a severe asthma attack or feeling faint, possibly with loss of consciousness, may indicate a serious allergic reaction. Call 15 or 112 in France and follow the previously prescribed emergency plan, if there is one.
For a known food allergy, prepare the meal using the allergens identified during the allergy assessment and the diet recommended afterwards. The doctor may provide a card listing them and useful instructions. If an allergy is suspected but has not been assessed, consult a doctor.
Read the ingredients list on prepacked products. In Europe, allergens that must be declared are highlighted, for example in bold or italics. If there is no ingredients list, the statement ‘contains’ must be followed by the name of the relevant allergen.
Statements such as ‘may contain traces’ or ‘made in a facility using’ indicate possible unintended allergens, including during manufacture, storage or transport. Ameli notes that labelling is not necessarily exhaustive: read it in conjunction with the medical instructions for the particular allergy.
For an unpackaged pastry, sandwich or takeaway dish, it can be difficult to know every ingredient. At a restaurant, mention the allergy and consult the written allergen information. In France, this information must also be available for meals offered to take away.
If an emergency kit has been prescribed for a marked allergy, the person must keep it with them and learn how to use it; those around them should also be informed. Prepare this before the meal. After an adrenaline injection, hospital care and medical monitoring are still necessary.
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