16 / in debate
Dining with death? Allergic reactions inflight cost airlines money and risk passengers' lives. Marc Warde debates the challenge with three experts in this field Natasha's Law means new EU rules around allergies onboard. CAN THE ONBOARD HOSPITALITY SECTOR BE TRUSTED TO DELIVER SAFE FOOD FOR THOSE WITH ALLERGIES? How do you find flying witH multiple allergies? Travelling with allergies is difficult, we don't want our allergies to define us but we need to eat safe food. It's not about choice, it can be life or death. One in 10 children have allergies – it's a growing percentage of passengers – and 2% of flight emergencies and 4% of diversions are allergy related. That costs between £10-£80,000 for each incident. With the right processes in place these costs are avoidable. I urge airlines to see the person behind the allergy. I do take responsibility for my own safety, I tell crew and fellow passengers about my allergies, I wipe areas I touch, and ask for a PA alert. Reactions vary but I refuse to accept serving nuts is a human right – as I have been told. There are alternatives, it's not like taking away water. We JP
trust airlines to fly us safely but trusting them to give us a safe meal is currently far harder. do airlines take food safety seriously enougH? Food safety sits under the umbrella of safety and security and at Virgin AH Atlantic, we aim for best practice – not just compliance. Our technical food requirements are based on best practice globally and we are commited to food audits through Medina Quality but there is no such thing as global regulation on this so we have to work closely with partners. For some new stations or regions it’s a real education process requiring serious training. It can be quite a jump to meet the high standards we expect. Airlines need collaboration with many stakeholders along the journey to prioritise food saftety and consistent
onboardhospitality.com
InDebate_MarcWarde_V10.indd 16
11/11/21 04:28 PM
