A new EU law on food allergens means that gluten-free food will be more easily identified and available to those with coeliac disease or any of the many other common allergies triggered by problem foods.
Since last December, Cantueso, along with other restaurants and food outlets, have been legally obliged to list and advise when dishes contain any one of 14 key allergens known to cause allergic reactions. They must display a notice advising customers that this information is available, and most restaurants will now have separate menus or lists available, and a member of staff trained to advise. Failure to do this can lead to fines up to 5,000€.
It is estimated that 1-2% of adults and 5-8% of children are affected by food allergies. This equates to millions of people throughout Europe with a food allergy, but does not include those with food intolerances. This means the actual number of affected people living with a food allergy and/or a food intolerance is considerably higher. (Interestingly when people in the UK were asked about allergies 20% claimed to suffer!)
An allergic reaction can be produced by a tiny amount of a food ingredient that a person is sensitive to (for example a teaspoon of milk powder, a fragment of peanut or just one or two sesame seeds). Symptoms of an allergic reaction can range from being mild such as itching around the mouth and rashes; and can progress to more severe symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, wheezing and on occasion anaphylaxis (shock). There have been many instances where people have ingested peanuts or just dust from them and become seriously ill and died. In a recent case in England the restaurant owner was charged with manslaughter because his curry contained ground peanuts instead of the stated (and more expensive) ground almonds, and a customer died as a result. There is no sure cure for a food allergy and the only way to manage the condition is to avoid food that makes you ill.
Each year in the UK there are over 5,000 admissions to hospital due to this problem and 10 deaths, so clearly not a trivial problem. In the past we have helped many families with children who come to stay in our cottages, or to eat at the restaurant, making sure we cook dishes for them that are safe to eat.
List of Allegens
The new laws for food businesses relating to the labelling and provision of allergen information centres around a list of the 14 most common triggers:
Cereals containing gluten namely wheat (such as spelt and Khorasan wheat), rye, barley, and oats.
Crustaceans and products thereof (for example prawns, lobster, crabs and crayfish).
Eggs
Fish and fish products
Peanuts
Soy beans
Milk and milk products (including lactose).
Nuts (namely almond, hazelnut, walnut, cashew, pecan nut, Brazil nut, pistachio nut and Macadamia nut (Queensland nut)
Celery
Mustard
Sesame seeds
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
Lupin seeds
Molluscs, for example: mussels, clams, oysters, scallops, snails and squid.
Gluten-Free and Coeliacs
It is becoming increasingly common to hear about coeliac disease which is triggered by gluten, and often thought to be an allergy, whereas it is actually an auto-immune disease. It is almost a trendy condition to have, when celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow buy gluten-free snacks for her kids or tennis star Novak Djokovic claims he is world number one due to his gluten-free lifestyle.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye and therefore contained in many common foods such as: bread, pasta, flour, cereals, cakes and biscuits. It acts like a glue in bread, cakes and the like, giving them that chewy elasticity. For coeliacs it is the gluten that causes an auto-immune reaction in the body which in turn damages the lining of the gut.
There are fortunately many foods naturally free from gluten such as: eggs, fruit, vegetables, beans, seeds, nuts and most dairy products. Fish and poultry will also be fine as long as they have not been breaded or battered during cooking.
In view of the serious consequences that can befall allergy sufferers, we at Cantueso are happy to cope with the considerable amount of work necessary to comply with the new law and will always try to adapt a dish to suit individual needs. However we will no doubt also have diners again who tell us they are lactose intolerant and carefully select their starter and main but when they see Carmen’s home-made deserts, they look thoughtful and say “well I suppose a little won’t hurt” :)!
¡Que aproveche!
