Cosmetics companies should stop forcing people with food allergies to learn Latin to safeguard their health and display warnings written in plain English, according to an MP with a history of severe allergic reactions who calls for a radical change in the treatment of patients.
Becky Gittins, the new Labor MP for Clwyd East, said she and other food allergy sufferers currently had to learn the Latin names of some crucial ingredients in face creams, lip balms and lotions to ensure they did not come into contact with a substance that could make them seriously ill.
Gittins, who had previously been hospitalized for a reaction to nuts, said it was “absolutely crazy” to have to know the Latin names of some substances before consuming them, a practice she said was exhausting for an increasing number. of young people. affected by food allergies.
“When I use skin products, hair products and toiletries, they don't have to have allergy labels the same way foods do,” she said. “So in order not to have an allergic reaction to shampoo, moisturizer, lipstick or something like that, everyone with a nut allergy needs to know the Latin words for all the things they are allergic to.
“Why would a chocolate bar that I would eat have to say if it contains nuts, but for a lip balm that I put in my mouth in exactly the same way and probably swallow when it's in and around my mouth, it would say Do you have to know? that the almond is something 'prunus'? I wouldn't have to say almond oil. “That is a frustration.”
Gittins, who has several allergies and says she still has to ask her husband what he ate before she can kiss him, discovered she was suffering severe reactions when she was rushed to the hospital after eating a mini Snickers in a Celebrations box after the school. Christmas party. He said he had suffered several allergic reactions.
Latin names are used to ensure that there are standard ways of describing ingredients in different nations and languages as products are exported. However, Gittins said the huge growth in the number of people with food allergies means more progress needs to be made to make their lives easier.
It also said many companies were covering themselves with a standard warning that their product “may contain nuts”, making it impossible for those affected to know when they were facing a current risk.
“There are many companies that simply say 'may contain traces of nuts' to cover themselves legally, but there is no scientific threshold that decides whether they have to declare it or not,” he said. “That makes it very difficult for people like me, with nut allergies, because then I have to try to make some kind of calculated decision about my health and determine whether that company is being overly cautious or not cautious. “This is an area where allergy labeling has gotten worse.”
It comes amid evidence that the number of people diagnosed with food allergies in England has more than doubled in a decade. Recent research from Imperial School London, which analyzed the GP records of 7 million people, found that the number of new cases of food allergy increased from 76 per 100,000 people in 2008 to 160 per 100,000 people in 2018. The highest prevalence was observed in children under the age of five years.
Gittins has now vowed to become an advocate in parliament for the growing number of people suffering from food allergies in Britain.
He said flavored vapes should also have allergy information as clear as that for food, because he was aware of reports that vape smoke could contain traces of substances that can cause reactions.
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“Vaporizers are a very important issue in politics right now,” he said. “But what many people don't know is that there have been reports of allergic reactions to secondhand vaping smoke. “We hear people talk about vapers, young people and asthma, but we don't necessarily hear them talk about the possibility of allergic reactions, anaphylaxis and vapes, and that's something I want to explore.”
Gittins is backing a call by the Natasha Allergy Analysis Basis, a British food allergy charity for which she recently became a parliamentary ambassador, for a government-appointed “allergy tsar” to raise awareness of the allergy epidemic. and encourage further research and understanding.
The Foundation was set up by the parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died aged 15 in 2016 after suffering a severe allergic reaction to sesame baked in a Pret a Manger baguette.
A government spokesperson said: “We are working across government, with the NHS, voluntary organizations and patient representative groups to consider how allergy care and support could be improved. Officials have also been in talks with the Natasha Foundation for Allergy Research, and ministers will carefully consider their views. Regulations stipulate that all cosmetics must include a complete list of ingredients clearly marked on the product label or packaging. This list should be written using common or generally accepted ingredient names.”