Food allergies, the pandemic of the 21st century
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2025 6:26 am
Food allergiesOn the occasion of the Official University Master's Degree in Food Safety Management from Bureau Veritas University Center, our professor and expert in Agrifood , Eva Gómez, talks to us in this week's post about food allergies.
A few days ago, a friend of mine told me in disbelief about the allergy her daughter had recently been diagnosed with. The girl ate an apple and her face began to turn red and swell, especially her tongue and lips. They had a real scare, and after going to the hospital they detected that she was allergic to a protein present in the skin of this fruit.
Do you know anyone who is allergic to any food? Surely you do. And as the World Health Organization says , allergies are the pandemic of the 21st century. In Europe, it is estimated that some seventeen bc data million people suffer from some type of food allergy . Over the last ten years, cases of food allergies and intolerances have doubled , and there are even scientists who claim that by 2020 one in two Europeans will have an allergy .
What is the reason for this increase? It is believed that the effects of man on the environment and excessive hygiene with the use of antiseptics and antibiotics are some of the factors that could be related to the increase in allergies in developed countries.
Food allergies occur when a person reacts with adverse symptoms to contact, ingestion or inhalation of the proteins in a food . These symptoms can be very diverse, from mild ones such as the appearance of spots on the skin, to very serious symptoms that seriously endanger the life of the person suffering from the allergy. One of the most serious known cases is that of Kaleb Bussenschutt , an Australian child who can only consume water, ice and a certain brand of lemonade , due to the multiple allergies he has and which make him unable to cope with the consumption of food, so he has to be fed with a tube.
Food information
In response to this wave of food allergies, the European Union approved Regulation 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers , which came into force on December 14, 2014, and which seeks to unify all regulations on food labeling and food that is presented unpackaged for sale to consumers, such as restaurants or catering companies.
A few days ago, a friend of mine told me in disbelief about the allergy her daughter had recently been diagnosed with. The girl ate an apple and her face began to turn red and swell, especially her tongue and lips. They had a real scare, and after going to the hospital they detected that she was allergic to a protein present in the skin of this fruit.
Do you know anyone who is allergic to any food? Surely you do. And as the World Health Organization says , allergies are the pandemic of the 21st century. In Europe, it is estimated that some seventeen bc data million people suffer from some type of food allergy . Over the last ten years, cases of food allergies and intolerances have doubled , and there are even scientists who claim that by 2020 one in two Europeans will have an allergy .
What is the reason for this increase? It is believed that the effects of man on the environment and excessive hygiene with the use of antiseptics and antibiotics are some of the factors that could be related to the increase in allergies in developed countries.
Food allergies occur when a person reacts with adverse symptoms to contact, ingestion or inhalation of the proteins in a food . These symptoms can be very diverse, from mild ones such as the appearance of spots on the skin, to very serious symptoms that seriously endanger the life of the person suffering from the allergy. One of the most serious known cases is that of Kaleb Bussenschutt , an Australian child who can only consume water, ice and a certain brand of lemonade , due to the multiple allergies he has and which make him unable to cope with the consumption of food, so he has to be fed with a tube.
Food information
In response to this wave of food allergies, the European Union approved Regulation 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers , which came into force on December 14, 2014, and which seeks to unify all regulations on food labeling and food that is presented unpackaged for sale to consumers, such as restaurants or catering companies.