In early June, EFA had the opportunity to present the results of our report “Quality of Life for People with Food Allergies in Europe: A Menu for Improvement” at the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Congress. Initially planned to happen in London, the annual EAACI Congress had to take place virtually, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
EFA abstract on food allergy
EFA is thrilled that our patient-led abstract “Food detectives: quality of life, food allergen labelling and EU law”, got accepted in the medical congress 2020. While EFA’s Food Detectives project was presented in the European Parliament last December, the opportunity to bring this piece of research, collecting patient views and recommendations, to medical specialists is a milestone in our mission to improve the quality of life of people living with food allergy.
Emotional and social impact of food allergy
At the EAACI congress, EFA’s Panagiotis Chaslaridis, presented the study and its results during a late breaking thematic poster session on food allergy. In his presentation, Panagiotis focused on the emotional and social impact of food allergy on patients, ranging from anxiety and social isolation to risk-taking behaviours and limited food choices.
Gaps in current EU Regulation on Food Information to Consumers
As Panagiotis explained, the Food Detectives report “Quality of Life for People with Food Allergies in Europe: A Menu for Improvement” identifies gaps in the current EU Food Information to Consumers (FIC) Regulation. Especially, with regards to a harmonised approach on precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) across EU countries.
Moreover, he stressed the negative impact on the life of people with food allergy that have the absence of mandatory training on allergen management among food operators. He also called for clear and accurate allergen information in the non-prepacked sector.
EFA recommendations: A menu for improvement
As does the initial Food Detectives report “Quality of Life for People with Food Allergies in Europe: A Menu for Improvement”, Panagiotis concluded presenting EFA’s recommendations for better policies on food allergen labelling. Amongst others, the development of a clear EU guidance on PAL, the establishment of reference doses, and the harmonisation of rules for allergy information in the non-prepacked food sector.
More information on EFA’s Food Detectives Report can be found here.