New research into those with allergies and intolerances has found that 26% say gluten is the hardest allergy or intolerance to live with.
The respondents to the survey by Udi’s Gluten Free cited that most problems occur in restaurants and friends who still give them foods they can’t eat.
The research revealed that dairy (23%) and nut (18%) were close contenders in the most hard to live with allergies and intolerances, whilst being a vegetarian (5%) and having an allergy to shellfish (3%), in comparison, were easier to deal with.
Even in light of the recent introduction of the EU’s Food Information Regulation rules for restaurants, a third (32%), claim that there’s still a struggle when choosing what to eat with gluten-free options remaining limited. In addition, according to the Royal Society for Public Health which conducted a mystery dining investigation, many restaurants aren’t complying to the new regs.
“Despite supermarkets shelves piled high with gluten-free options, there still remains an underlying problem with restaurants and friends who don’t understand or know how to cater for those leading a gluten-free life,” explains Holly Wales, product development director, at Udi’s Gluten Free.
“With allergies and intolerances on the rise, the fact that people are fearing going to a restaurant, to a friend’s house or debating whether to go abroad or not is extremely worrying and more needs to be done. We know that there is still a lack of understanding regarding coeliac disease and gluten intolerance.”
