Slip-up that nearly cost my son his life
THERE have been high-profile, tragic news stories about the devastating impact of incorrect or substandard food labelling. Despite all of this publicity, this week my family encountered dangerous ignorance about the reality of food allergies. My husband took my 13-year-old son, Calum, to McDonald’s for breakfast, something they have done several times before. McDonald’s has been brilliant with our son’s severe allergy to eggs and usually handles food with separate utensils to ensure there is no cross-contamination — but not this time. Ordering a bacon, sausage and hash brown breakfast wrap without egg, my husband emphasised the severity of Calum’s allergy and asked the staff member to ensure it was egg and egg product-free. Never taking our son’s life for granted, when he paid, he asked the staff member to check the allergen list to ensure Calum would be safe. In fact, he pointed out to the staff our son’s allergy three times. Calum is hyper-vigilant about his allergy. He lives in fear of death — a painful part of his condition for all of us, but most of all for him. His vigilance may have saved his life. He opened the wrap to check it before eating it and spotted white and yellow traces. My husband tasted it and realised it was egg. Whoever had prepared the wrap had obviously realised at the last minute it should have been made without egg and had decided to remove it rather than make a new one. They could have faced living the rest of their life knowing they had ended my son’s life. We have trusted McDonald’s as one of the few restaurants and fast-food chains that can cater for Calum safely. This experience has proved that you can never be complacent when it comes to food allergies. There is so much more work to be done around allergy awareness and training, alongside food labelling. I have sent a complaint to McDonald’s, which has passed it on to the business manager of the branch — as it’s a franchise, the McDonald’s head office is limited in what it can do. I have been told staff are being re-trained, but the matter can’t be discussed further as the member of staff responsible could be subject to a disciplinary procedure. We’ve been offered a £20 voucher and advised that on future visits we should ask a shift manager to prepare Calum’s food. We live in terror that anaphylaxis will end Calum’s life. I wish people could put themselves in our shoes, but most of all in his. He’s a teenager embarking upon what should be an exciting journey into independence, but instead lives his life full of anxiety and fear. I had two stillborn babies before Calum and he is the most precious thing in the world to me. One moment of ignorance could have cost him his life. Anaphylaxis kills, but so does complacency and ignorance.
JAnE GoULd, Mansfield, notts.