Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation (IFCF) has partnered with The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the UK’s food allergy charity, to create a groundbreaking awareness and mental health programme for young people living with food allergies.
The IFCF’s three-year partnership supports a game-changing programme to understand the emotional and social challenges experienced by young people living with food allergies and develop practical resources to address food allergy anxiety.
Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBEs, co-founders of Natasha’s Foundation, established the charity after their daughter Natasha died aged 15 from a severe allergic reaction to sesame.
Through campaigning, education and research, the charity’s mission is to make allergy history, in particular food allergy, and improve the lives of the millions of people in the UK living with food allergies.
This new pioneering programme with IFCF will shine a light on an often-overlooked mental health issue. Working alongside experts with experience supporting underserved communities and young people, the programme will bring vital, life-changing support to young people living with food allergies.
Food allergies can be complex, debilitating and unpredictable, for some they can be life-threatening, so the need for this support is urgent. Around 1 in 13 children now live with a food allergy, and hospital admissions for severe allergic reactions to food have more than tripled in the past two decades in the UK.
Recent research found food allergies place a heavy emotional and social burden on families. Findings show that 80% of parents of children with food allergies experience significant worry, and 42% experience the clinical cut-off for post-traumatic stress symptoms.
Additionally, 83% of people with food allergies reported food allergies had a significant impact on their mental health and wellbeing, while more than 65% reported their child had been discriminated against or excluded because of their food allergies.
Tarsem Dhaliwal, Trustee of the Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation and CEO of Iceland Foods said: “Allergy anxiety has a profound impact on many of our customers and the communities we serve. Through this partnership, we will deliver vital support to young people and families who are often left underserved by current mental health provision.
“This mental health and wellbeing programme in partnership with The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation will raise awareness of the seriousness of allergy anxiety while providing the understanding, support and resources needed to transform the lives of those affected.”
Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE, founder of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, said: “Food allergies can be a debilitating and unpredictable disease, with far reaching impacts. In addition to the physical symptoms, the disease can impact on school, work, relationships and mental health, not just of those diagnosed with a food allergy but their families too. Those affected often experience extreme allergy anxiety due to the daily challenges they face. As young people grow into adulthood and begin making independent food and lifestyle choices, that anxiety can increase significantly.
“That’s why The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation is creating a mental health programme for young people affected by food allergies in partnership with Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation to address this serious challenge and provide the vital support families need – particularly during key life transitions, when mental health concerns are often heightened.”
This kind of support is vital for families like that of Billie Hoque, 35, from Luton. Billie has three children with food allergies, including her son Jess, aged 8, who is allergic to cow’s milk and has faced several near-death allergic reactions.
Billie said: “Jess faced an uphill battle at school as a result of his food allergies. The school struggled to comprehend the severity of his allergies and he was often excluded from activities or put in dangerous situations where his allergen was present.
“This led him to experience severe anxiety when he was just 4-years-old. He would wake in the night and tell me he hated school and that he felt lonely due to feeling different.
“He started to worry about what would happen to him if teachers didn’t call an ambulance on time in the event of an allergic reaction. It was a struggle to get him to school each day, from the minute he woke in the morning he would be fighting back the tears and when we eventually reached the classroom, he would cling to me, cry and tell me that he was too nervous.
“I believe Jess’s experience is similar to thousands of others and is a consequence of the stark lack of awareness and education schools have in dealing with allergic children.”
