[Margaret Pilkington]

Thank you Barrie.
I don't think food allergies are taken very seriously by those who haven't experienced them at first hand(either themselves, or a close family member having one of these conditions)

When we went out to Australia in 1980, my nephew was a baby six months old or so......being fed solely on breast milk, but his mother started to wean him while we were visiting. She had no idea that he had any food allergies...he had thrived on breast milk , slept well and was a bouncing baby who looked brimful of health.
In the few short weeks that we were there, he was rushed to hospital countless times...blue lights flashing. All because his mum had given him some baby rice made up with cows milk....and it was months before they tracked down what was the problem.
By the time we went home the bouncing baby had become a fractious bag of bones......who cried all the time and was poorly most of the time.
I thought that he wouldn't survive.
All because he was allergic to cows milk...and later it was discovered he was severely allergic to nuts, especially peanuts.