Not nuts for the 99% because of the 1%

A 28-year-old woman claims she could have died during a flight she took. She says she has a severe nut allergy and that the mere smell of nuts could make her go into shock and die. She claimed that she was misled by the airline about nuts not being on the flight menu but shortly after take-off she learnt that pecan pie was being served. She also claims that when she saw it on the menu, it made her feel sick to her stomach. Of course she survived despite not only ‘smelling’ the nut on the plane but also survived when others were eating it in her vicinity.

This leads to the question of whether or not a nut allergy is exaggerated by the parents of the child and then the individual who says they could have died from it. Most people might argue, as I do, that if a nut allergy is this severe, there is no way a person can survive in the universe.

How does this individual go about living a normal life such as shopping in a supermarket, or any shop where there are around 50 different varieties of nuts, not only pre-packed but also often loose, being sold? The bakery section alone has nut breads and other nut-based pastries being baked fresh and reheated for customers.

How does this work for someone who claims to have such a severe nut allergy that the mere smell of it, or being in its vicinity, could have killed her? Does she not shop or does she order in? What about going into a coffee shop where nuts are often the main ingredient in pastries? Or even a shopping mall for that matter? Coffee shops are often on every corner serving nut-based food on the menu. Has she never been in one? Very unlikely.

There is the power of suggestion. Experts suggest that everyone can be allergy free with a simple act carried by parents when they have a new baby. If a child is slowly introduced to all foods, including nuts, he will eventually develop a tolerance towards it and be allergy free. Unfortunately parents often avoid giving a child nuts, even though he’s shown no allergic symptoms, for fear that he might be allergic. The child is repeatedly told, no nuts because something will happen. So he goes through life avoiding nuts just in case he might die. Now I’m not saying that some people are allergic but I wonder how severe most people’s allergies actually are for it to warrant an entire planeload of passengers to be deprived of a particular food.

Therefore, does this now mean that 99% of any population have to go without something for the sake of 1%? It could be a dairy allergy, eggs, gluten or shellfish. Does that mean that planes, hotels, restaurants and coffee shops should stop serving prawns, cakes, pastries, coffee with milk and all nuts? That doesn’t seem fair because it rules out most enjoyable food groups and puts coffee shops out of business forever. It seems highly unfair to me.

Shouldn’t people who say they have an allergy to normal, everyday foods try to avoid going to certain places? If they are affected just by the smell, then shouldn't they avoid shopping malls, coffee shops, restaurants, supermarkets that they know sell loose nuts and, most importantly, avoid a mode of travel where hundreds of people are confined to a transport device like an aircraft?

Another scenario is them being on a train and happen to be standing, or sitting, beside a fellow passenger who happens to be carrying something they are allergic to. They are likely to come across someone carrying something they are allergic to everywhere they go. In my opinion, they need to find alternate modes of transport. Or give up travelling altogether. If I’m on a 7-hour flight to London and learn that certain foods that I enjoy eating are not being served because of just one potential allergy sufferer, I would be very annoyed.