Food hypersensitivity

Food hypersensitivity is a bad reaction to a food that is otherwise perfectly safe to eat. The most common forms of food hypersensitivity are food allergy, food intolerance, anaphylaxis and coeliac disease.

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A Food Allergy

It is where the body immune system reacts to certain foods which are harmless for many but causes a reaction for them. The immune system on initial contact mistakes the proteins found in food as harmful and produces immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody molecules. Which then cause’s some or all of the symptoms listed below.

Symptoms

Symptoms can affect any part of the body including different parts at the

same time.

• Common symptoms include:
• Feeling dizzy/lightheaded
• Itchy skin or a raised rash – “hives
• Swelling of the face, lips and eyes
• Coughing, wheezing, breathlessness, noisy breathing or a hoarse voice
• Sneezing or an itchy, runny or blocked nose
• Feeling sick or being sick
• Tummy pain
• Diarrhoea

Symptoms may occur straight after the food is eaten, sometimes hours later.

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A food intolerance

A reaction to foods or drink caused by an enzyme deficiency or reactions in the digestive tract, which causes an inability to digest foods efficiently. Although not life threatening it can cause mild intense reactions for the sufferer.

Symptoms 

• Nausea
• Bloating
• Abdominal pain
• Aching joints / fibromyalgia
• Diarrhoea
• Intense flushing of the skin
• Palpitations
• Headache
• Feeling faint

Symptoms normally occur hours or sometimes days after the food is eaten, the reactions can also last for days or weeks.

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Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is an extreme and severe allergic reaction and can affect the whole body in minutes (or sometimes hours). The person can be affected weeks after the reaction due to recovery dependent on the reaction, this includes anxiety and mental health issues.

It is the most severe reaction for someone with an allergy, it can be life threatening and it is important to take swift emergency action. Most health professionals agree the symptoms of anaphylaxis involves the lungs (respiratory system) or affects the rhythm of the heart and blood pressure.

Anaphylaxis is more likely in someone who has had a previous anaphylactic reaction, moderate/severe asthma or underlying cardiovascular disease. –However, it could be their 1st time and recognising the symptoms is important to ensure the safety of the customer Other factors that can influence the severity of a reaction and increase the risk of anaphylaxis includes exercise, heat and alcohol.

Symptoms

• Swelling of tissue in the mouth and throat
• Problems breathing
• Sense of impending doom
• Alterations in heart rate
• Collapse and unconsciousness

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Coeliac Disease

It is an autoimmune disease; where the gut reacts when gluten is consumed. The gut has villi hairs which absorbs nutrients, when these are damaged by ingesting gluten, they lay flat and do not absorb any goodness from foods causing the body to deteriorate thus preventing its absorption of essential nutrients causing some or all of the following symptoms.

Symptoms 

• Diarrhoea, excessive wind, and/or constipation
• Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting
• Deficiency in iron, vitamin B12 or folic acid
• Weight loss (but not in all cases)
• Mouth ulcers
• Hair loss (alopecia)
• Skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis (DH))
• Osteoporosis
• Joint and/or bone pain neurological (nerve) problems
• Long Term continuous consumption can lead to cancer.

Symptoms may occur straight after the food is eaten, sometimes hours or a day later – they can also last for a lot longer sometimes weeks. Symptoms may occur straight after the food is eaten, sometimes hours later

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An Allergen

An allergen is any normally harmless substance that causes an immediate allergic reaction in a susceptible person. Food allergens are almost always proteins although other food constituents, such as certain additives, are known to have allergenic (allergy-causing) properties.

When you visit one of our pubs please be sure to tell us at the time of booking if you have either a food allergy, intolerance or coeliac disease. This will help us prepare for your visit and ensure we are able to provide you with any relevant information. You can view our menu here and consult our allergen matrix here which will provide you with detailed information on our menus and will tell you if any food we provide contains any of the listed allergens as an ingredient.

Consumers may be allergic or have intolerance to other ingredients, but only the 14 allergens are required to be declared as allergens by food law.

The 14 allergens are: celery, cereals containing gluten (such as wheat, rye, barley, and oats), crustaceans (such as prawns, crabs and lobsters), eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs (such as mussels and oysters), mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites (if the sulphur dioxide and sulphites are at a concentration of more than ten parts per million) and tree nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts).

This also applies to additives, processing aids and any other substances which are present in the final product.

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If you have an intolerance you are welcome to request changes to a dish, the Duty Manager may just confirm with you that you are happy with your choice and are aware of any risks this may present If you have coeliac disease we won’t make changes to any of our dishes unless they are on our approved modifications list, a copy of which can be provided to you in house. You are still welcome to choose anything from our menu but we cannot take responsibility for changing a dish if we are aware that you have coeliac disease.

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