I'd like to add about our OCD for cleanliness!
We are so reliant of cleaning chemicals that kill "99.9%" of germs that we no longer build up a natural immunity , not just to allergens, but to bacteria.
I also think that people term themselves "allergic" when actually they have an intolerance or sensitivity to an allergen, and one of the problems is that its not challenged, merely accepted.
We've become supersensitive to being caught out with allergen labelling, and to be honest, it truly amazes me how a manufacturer can "forget" to mention an allergen on packaging! If you look at the statistics for recalls across the globe due to allergen mislabelling, I think it would be fair to say that the UK / USA lead the way! Not a week goes by where something isn't being recalled in the UK due to an allergen. When you compare the recall figures to those is the Oceania countries I does make you question whether our lack of a scheme such as Vital has a part to play. The lack of limits for allergens in the UK is also worrying, especially for manufacturers who handle more than one allergen at their plant.
Some of the wealthier countries are also more reliant on ready or processed meals. And also meals that are not indigenous to their natural diet. I recently watched a programme regarding the best diet in the world. The presenters travelled the globe, and with the help of nutritionists established that the best diet was an Icelandic diet. But the diet of some of the African tribes also scored highly. The fast food diets of the western world didn't fare very highly, surprise, surprise! Also If you look at the incidents of Diabetes in the UK, the highest percentage of (likely) suffers is not the obese (although the number of sufferers may be greater) but are those of Asian / African origin because the western diet isn't indigenous to them!
It is (pardon the pun) food for thought, and it is interesting to see the figures from other countries regarding allergen incidents. Do many people in China have a Soya/ fish/ shellfish allergy as I would have though that these three ingredients would make up a substantial part of their diet?
Caz x
Edited by cazyncymru, 10 September 2014 - 03:08 PM.