09/04/2014

Food allergy, an adverse immunological reaction to food, is a disease with a high impact on quality of life of those who are affected and their families, with significant costs to the National Health Service.  

Food allergy affects thousands of people.  Given its complexity and relevance the General Directory for Health and Food Safety and Nutrition has developed, in collaboration with a group of experts in various fields (clinical, chemical, etc..), a new guideline: "Allergie alimentari e sicurezza del consumatore: documento di indirizzo e lo stato dell'arte,".

These guidelines thoroughly inspect the problem of food allergy,  in order to follow the progress of scientific knowledge for the improvement of diagnosis-related aspects.

The document is addressed to: health care workers, doctors, manufacturers of foods and meals, restaurants and consumer associations.

 The text outlines the different clinical manifestations of food allergy, and lists the substances that can cause these reactions (allergens).

The document also speculates on the epidemiology, both national and international-wide, of the disease. The analytical methods is explained and standardized in order to provide a uniform guideline to be used nation-wide by all food business operators.