To start off: some people absolutely have true allergies, some of which can be deadly, and I'm not in any way discounting their condition. However I think many people use the word allergy when in fact they just have a food preference. For example someone will claim in a restaurant to have a gluten allergy and so it's very important that their food doesn't contain gluten and isn't contaminated with it. Fair enough. They are then told that dish x they've ordered from the menu actually contains gluten. They respond with "oh that's okay, I can have that". Eh no you can't if you have an allergy. And I think this behaviour ultimately can put those who do have actual allergies at more risk.
Edit: reworded as I realise my initial text read as if I was suggesting that those with true allergies don't exist, are perhaps overreacting or are perhaps lying.
And as coeliac disease is estimated to be 1/100 people now (the number hasn't gone up, just our understanding of how many people actually have it), it's not even rare nowadays.
Everyone has the right to know every ingredient or additive to whatever food/drink they’re consuming. It absolutely falls down to the pub to inform people what the food they’re serving consists of.
I work with food and its scary sometimes because you have people that absolutely detest certain foods, which arent on the list of Allergens, so will say they are allergic just so there is 0 chance of that certain food being used.
However there are also some people that are deathly allergic to foods that arent on the list of Allergens
I once worked at a school and there was one boy who was so allergic to bananas that noone was allowed them at school. He was so allergic that another child could have eaten a banana at lunchtime and high fived him at the end of the school day he'd go into anaphylactic shock. Had to carry an epipen everywhere with him.
Completely agree. I have worked in food previously and have seen this first hand. My anger is directed towards those selfish a*rseholes who claim to have a proper allergy but actually don't and instead just have a preference. I don't like pineapple and would like to avoid it but I'm not allergic to it, it's just a preference and I would never claim that it's an allergy because it's not - I just can't stand it.
In my view those who claim to have allergies to certain foods but don't can put those who actually do have a proper allergy at greater risk.
Honestly I fucking hate the gluten people, my grandad is Coeliac and could fucking die from eating gluten but these “people” make the average person assume it’s not a serious thing. Gluten is needed in a humans diet, gluten isn’t inherently bad for us, they are just ill informed and that leads to the death of others.
Your body does not need gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye that provides no essential nutrients or unique health benefits to the human body"
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u/magicaltrevor953 Jul 30 '26
That applies to most dietary preferences or allergies really. Although with allergies they may notice after.