Cosmetic companies must stop forcing people with food allergies to learn Latin to protect their health and display warnings written in plain English, according to an MP with a history of severe allergic reactions who is demanding a step change in the way in which patients are treated.
Becky Gittins, the new Labor MP for Clwyd East, said she and other people with food allergies were currently having to learn Latin names for some crucial ingredients in face creams, lip balms and lotions to ensure they did not come into contact with a substance make them seriously ill.
Gittins, who has previously been hospitalized for a reaction to nuts, said it was “absolutely crazy” that she had to know the Latin names of some substances before using them – a practice she said was exhausting for the increasing number of young people. affected by food allergies.
“If I use skin products, hair products and toiletries, they don’t have to have allergy labels in the same way as foods do,” she said. “So in order not to have an allergic reaction to shampoo or moisturizer or lipstick or anything like that, anyone with a nut allergy needs to know the Latin words for all the things they are allergic to.
“Why is it that a chocolate bar that I eat should say whether it contains nuts, but a lip balm that I put on my mouth in exactly the same way and that I probably swallow while it is in and around my mouth, I would Are you supposed to know that almond is something ‘prunus’?” It shouldn’t say almond oil. That’s 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 suffered severe reactions when she was rushed to hospital after suffering a mini- Snickers in a box of Celebrations. Christmas party. She said she had had several allergic reactions.
Latin names are used to ensure that there are standard ways of describing ingredients in different countries and languages when products are exported. However, Gittins said the huge growth in the number of people with food allergies meant more progress needed to be made to make life easier for them.
She also said that many companies are now covering themselves with a blanket warning that their product “may contain nuts,” making it impossible for those affected to know when they are at real risk.
“There are many companies that simply state ‘may contain traces of tree nuts’ to cover themselves legally, but there is no scientific threshold as to whether or not they have to report that,” she said. “That makes it very difficult for people like me with nut allergies because I then have to try to make a calculated decision about my health and whether that company is being too cautious or too cautious. This is an area where allergy labeling has become 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 College London, which analyzed GP records of 7 million people, found that the number of new cases of food allergy rose 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 100,000 years. the age of five.
Gittins has now pledged to become a champion in Parliament for the growing number of people with food allergies in Britain.
She said flavored vapes should also have allergy information as clear as that for food, as she was aware of reports that vape smoke could contain traces of substances that can cause reactions.
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“Vapes are a really big topic in politics right now,” she said. “But what many people are not aware of is that there have been reports of allergic reactions due to passive smoking. We hear people talking about vaping and young people and asthma, but you don’t necessarily hear them talking about the possibility of allergic reactions and anaphylaxis and vaping, and that’s something I want to explore.”
Gittins is backing a call from the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, a British food allergy charity for which she recently became parliamentary ambassador, for an ‘allergy czar’ appointed by the government to raise awareness of the allergy epidemic and further research and encourage research. concept.
The foundation was founded by the parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died in 2016 at the age of 15 after 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 representatives to think about how allergy care and support can be improved. Officials have also been in discussions with the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, and ministers will carefully consider their views. The regulations state that all cosmetics must contain a full list of ingredients clearly stated on the product label or packaging. This list should be written using common or generally accepted ingredient names.”