Despite the emergence of food allergies over the last three decades, we
continue to have dangerous and even fatal reactions that could have been
prevented with appropriate knowledge and actions. A lack of public
knowledge and appropriate actions was evident on a the recent British
Airways flight. Here a passenger informed staff of his nut allergy and
request for no nuts only to be offered nuts 3 times during the flight!
Education in the workplace, in particular for food and service industries
will ensure that measures are taken to prevent and protect food allergy
population from exposure and danger.
Man Served Nuts by Airline Three Times in One Week Despite Warning of Life-Threatening Allergy
19-year-old Brodie Chapman did his best to warn British Airways of his severe allergy to tree nuts. His travel agent informed the airline when booking his tickets and Chapman was diligent in notifying staff upon boarding.
That didn’t stop the cabin staff from carelessly serving him the very allergen that could have killed him mid-flight.
Before his flight from London to Vancouver, Chapman told the cabin staff about his allergy but was served a bag of cashews before takeoff and a walnut cake during his flight. Click to visit sponsor
On his return flight, he was forced to administer his epinephrine auto-injector in mid-air when he suffered a reaction to fruit served atop of a bed of nut-filled granola.
Said Chapman:
I was in tears because no one seemed to be taking my condition seriously.
It was terrifying. I kept telling staff I was allergic to nuts, yet they kept giving me them. If I’d eaten them, I would be dead.
British Airways said it had contacted Chapman to apologize and to discuss how to compensate him for the ordeal.Click to visit sponsor
Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, founder of the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, said Chapman’s experience was a “terrifying insight into the world of an allergy sufferer on a plane,” and added: “When you are trapped 36,000 feet up and having a serious allergic reaction, that plane is potentially your coffin.”
Ms Ednan-Laperouse is the mother of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse who perished from an anaphylactic reaction she suffered while on a British Airways flight to Nice. While onboard, she ate a sandwich purchased from a Pret A Manger shop at Heathrow that contained unlabeled sesame.
While it is certainly inconvenient, we at SnackSafely.com urge those coping with food allergies to consider bringing their own food aboard and avoiding food served during the flight. The cabin crew may not be well-versed in accommodating passengers at risk and there is no way to determine whether a dish came in contact with an allergen of concern during preparation.Click to visit sponsor
Needless to say, always take two epinephrine auto-injectors along on every flight and have them on hand in the cabin in case the unthinkable happens and you suffer a reaction in-flight.
Have you ever been served your allergen of concern on a flight after warning the airline and cabin crew of your food allergy? Sound off below.Source: Man, 19, with a severe nut allergy served them THREE times by BA crew in a week — Daily Mail
What We Hope to Learn from the Natasha Ednan-Laperouse Inquest
Natasha was always careful to check the food she bought for sesame but the allergen was not included in the ingredient list.SnackSafely.com
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