Food allergy: practical approach on education and accidental exposure prevention.
Food allergies are a growing problem and currently the primary treatment of food allergy is avoidance of culprit foods. However, given the lack of information and education and also the ubiquitous nature of allergens, accidental exposures to food allergens are not uncommon. The fear of potential fatal reactions and the need of a proper avoidance leads in most of the cases to the limitation of leisure and social activities. This review aims to be a practical approach on education and accidental exposure prevention regarding activities like shopping, eating out, and travelling. The recommendations are focused especially on proper reading of food labels and the management of the disease, namely in restaurants and airplanes, concerning cross-contact and communication with other stakeholders. The implementation of effective tools is essential to manage food allergy outside home, avoid serious allergic reactions and minimize the disease's impact on individuals' quality of life.
['Pádua|I|I|', 'Moreira|A|A|', 'Moreira|P|P|', 'Barros|R|R|']
D000056:Accident Prevention D000485:Allergens D003257:Consumer Product Safety D003296:Cooking D003429:Cross Reactions D005512:Food Hypersensitivity D005515:Food Labeling D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice D006801:Humans D010353:Patient Education as Topic D012147:Restaurants D018570:Risk Assessment D012307:Risk Factors D014195:Travel
food allergy accidental exposure food labelling cross-contact allergen avoidance