What kind of labelling changes could save lives?

I’VE had severe food allergies since birth which means every time I eat out I put my trust in those who serve me and rely on food being correctly labelled.

I am extra careful with everything I eat, asking to see restaurant food allergic. UK studies have backed this, including one in 2008 which found the prevalence of peanut allergy in Jewish children in the UK, where the advice had been to avoid peanuts, was 10 times higher than in Israel, where babies are given peanuts from an early age.

We eat too much junk food

Today’s diets, high in fat, sugar and processed foods, are reducing the diversity of bacteria in our gut. This appears to encourage the development of allergies.

Evidence suggests eating a variety of unprocessed foods, especially fruit and veg, may be protective.

allergen menus and if I’m unsure about anything I will not take a risk. One small mistake could prove fatal and that’s why I carry two EpiPens and antihistamine everywhere I go.

Thank God I do. In March this year it saved my life after a fast-food restaurant accidentally put egg into a Natasha’s family say changes to the law need to be made “swiftly” to ensure everyone can have confidence about “what allergens are in the food that they buy”. This would mean all foods are labelled – regardless of where they are made or whether they are pre-packaged.

Many advocates such as Allergy UK are calling for companies to set out in writing what allergens are in products by attaching clear labelling to everything.

They want the obligation to fall on businesses to declare allergens – not on customers to ask. This should help prevent what it calls “fatal incidents caused solely by a lack of communication on the allergen content of food”.

wrap despite a specific request not to. I had double checked the wrap before eating it but the egg was hidden and I began to go into anaphylactic shock.

I used my EpiPen for the first time and thanks to the paramedics and staff at St Thomas’ Hospital, Central London, I’m still here to tell the tale.