Allergy Action
If you are travelling with a food allergy, make some cards to take with you or save the files on your phone. There are useful phrases as well as a list of common foods.
Dr Hazel Gowland BA, PGCE, MREHIS, FIFST, FRSPH has had a severe allergy to nuts and peanuts since early childhood and has survived a number of life-threatening reactions. A leading patient and consumer advocate, she was involved in shaping the achievements of the Anaphylaxis Campaign (now Anaphylaxis UK) from its earliest days in 1994.
| Feature | Allergy Action |
|---|---|
| Languages | Croatian Czech Dutch French German Greek Hungarian Italian Lithuanian Polish Portuguese Serbian Slovak Spanish Turkish |
| Allergens | Almonds Bananas Beans Brazil Nuts Cashews Chestnuts Chocolate Coconut Egg Fish Hazelnuts Lentils Milk Mushrooms Nut Oils Nuts Oranges Peaches Peanuts Peas Pecan Nuts Pesto Sauce Pine Nuts Pulses Sesame Shellfish Soya Soja Strawberries Tree Nut Tomatoes Walnuts Wheat Yeast |
| Multiple Allergens Y/N | Template not provided |
| Reliable Language Translations | Fail: For Peanuts only “Cacahuetes” |
| Images Y/N | No |
| Number of Phrases | I am having a severe allergic reaction. Please call an ambulance. I am / my child is allergic to …. This is a very serious condition I / my child can die if he / she eats this food Is the food is cooked or prepared with oils which contain the food or if there has been any contact with the above food during preparation or serving Can you cater for * me / my child? URGENT NOTICE HELP!!! |
| Do It Yourself (Y/N) | Yes |
| Digital PDF Card Emailed (Y/N) | No |
| Physical Card Printed (Y/N) | No |
| Cost | Free |
- A provider passed the “Translation Test2” if there were statements that allergens may have different words in different countries and/or translated peanuts in Spanish as “Mani” and “Cacahuetes”
Approach
(Vendors are welcomed to submit corrections and/or data missing)
- Languages/Allergens/Images: When access was easily available, the options that cards were available are listed. In some case access was denied or found difficult to ascertain .
- Reliable translation: If in Spanish the several words for peanuts were available the status was pass.
- Do It Yourself/Digital PDF Card Emailed/Download/Physical Card Sold : If a card could be emailed or generated on line the status was Y
- Price per Card/Shipping: as of January 2025