Focus on food allergies and food allergens

October 1^st 2021 was a landmark day for people living with a food allergy. New government legislation, referred to as ‘Natasha’s Law’, requires all foods which are prepared and packed on the same premises from which they are sold to have full ingredients listed on the label, with the 14 major allergens emphasised for easy identification. (known as PPDS – Prepared and Packed for Direct Sale).

This legislation comes after the tragic death of teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died from an allergic reaction caused by an ingredient in a baguette bought at a food outlet at Heathrow Airport in 2016. At the inquest into Natasha’s death the Coroner stated that the current legislation was not adequate and requested a review.

In the UK, 40% of children have been diagnosed with an allergy. The four most common allergies in children are food allergy, eczema, asthma, and hay fever. Allergy symptoms can affect all aspects of a child’s day to day life, including their health and wellbeing, education, and social activities.  

Please refer to this page from the Food Standards Agency Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) allergen labelling changes for schools, colleges and nurseries | Food Standards Agency

Do you know the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance?

What is a food allergy?

An allergy is the response of the body’s immune system to normally harmless substances, such as pollens, foods, and house dust mite. Whilst in most people these substances (allergens) pose no problem, in allergic individuals their immune system identifies them as a ‘threat’ and produces an inappropriate response. This can be relatively minor, such as localised itching, but in more severe cases it causes anaphylaxis, a condition which can lead to upper respiratory obstruction and collapse and can be fatal.

The most common causes of allergic reactions are:

• Pollen from trees and grasses
• Proteins secreted from house dust mites
• Moulds
• Foods such as peanuts, tree nuts, milk and eggs
• Pets such as cats and dogs, and other furry or hairy animals such as horses, rabbits and guinea pigs
• Insects such as wasps and bees
• Medicines (these may cause reactions by binding to proteins in the blood, which then trigger the reaction).

What are the symptoms of food allergy in babies and children?

Mild to moderate symptoms typically affect the skin, the respiratory system and the gut.

• A flushed face, hives, a red and itchy rash around the mouth, tongue or eyes. This can spread across the entire body
• Mild swelling, particularly of the lips, eyes and face
• A runny or blocked nose, sneezing and watering eyes
• Nausea and vomiting, tummy cramps and diarrhoea
• A scratchy or itchy mouth and throat.

Severe symptoms (anaphylaxis). These require urgent medical attention.

• Wheezing or chest tightness, similar to a severe asthma attack
• Swelling of the tongue and throat, restricting the airways. This can cause noisy breathing (especially on breathing in), a cough or a change in voice
• A sudden drop in blood pressure (called hypotension) leading to shock
• Dizziness, confusion, collapse, loss of consciousness and sometimes coma.

Anaphylaxis is a life threatening severe allergic reaction. It is a medical emergency, and requires immediate treatment. A severe allergic reaction can cause an anaphylactic shock and must be treated with an Auto-Adrenaline Injector (Epipen). You must have received training to use this on a child (training is now normally part of paediatric first aid)

Treatment for Anaphylaxis

• Call 999/112 for emergency help
• Lay the casualty down
• The child may carry an auto-adrenaline injector (Epi-Pen)
• The injector can save a life if given promptly

What is food intolerance?

Some people experience adverse reactions caused by food. Finding out which foods are causing symptoms can be straightforward for some people and incredibly tricky for others – dependent on what their symptoms are, how quickly the symptoms appear after eating the food and which food (or foods) is causing a problem.

Food intolerances can take some time to diagnose. Although not life threatening, food intolerance can and often does, make the sufferer feel extremely unwell.

Food Safety

The Food Standards Agency have issued some useful resources in the form of two posters which can be displayed in your childcare setting where food is prepared and served to children, as a helpful reminder of how to minimise the risk of choking.

• Early Years choking hazards poster (foundationyears.org.uk)
• Early Years choking hazards table (foundationyears.org.uk)

• Also see further information for food safety on the Help for Early Years Providers Website which contains key messages and links to useful resources for keeping children safe whilst eating.

Online Cyber Awareness course - Helping to keep children safe online

An extra date has been added for a brilliant opportunity for a free training session delivered by West Yorkshire Police.

This West Yorkshire Police training was last delivered to childcare providers over 5 years ago so it’s really important that you attend as a refresher or if you haven’t completed this training before.

By the end of the course you will start to understand the vast complex nature of the virtual world, your safeguarding responsibilities, and be aware of the dangers of some of the social media platforms that children access and the real meaning of words that children may use.

This course will be delivered by PCSO 127 Danny Mynott,  Bradford District Cyber Team:

• Thursday 4th November 10am - 11.30 book here

Information on Ofsted registers

We have recently been asked if out of school childcare settings can  take 4 year olds under the two hour rule. We therefore thought it would be useful include to the following information:

This is the page on the Ofsted website which explains the different registers - the-ofsted-registers. If you look at the section – “which register to join” it explains the age ranges and which registers you need to be on. The Childcare Register has 2 parts:

Compulsory – for providers caring for children from 1 September after the child’s fifth birthday up until their eighth birthday.

Voluntary – join this if you are looking after children aged 8 and over, or if you are choosing to register voluntarily (for example, if you’re a nanny or tuition club)

Once you have joined the Childcare Register with Ofsted, you must meet all of the register requirements.

Registration exemptions - registration-exemptions

Most childcare providers looking after children under the age of 8 must register with Ofsted. This chapter explains when you cannot register, and when you do not have to. However, there are a number of exceptions to this.

There are some situations when you do not have to register with Ofsted, and some when you cannot register (for example, if you are related to all the children you want to look after).

These exemptions are not available to providers who are already registered with Ofsted. If you are applying an exemption and therefore do not have to register, the exemption must cover your whole provision. You cannot rely on multiple exemptions.

Reporting coronavirus notifications to Ofsted

Early years and childcare providers must notify Ofsted of any serious illness or accident to a child in their care. This includes a confirmed case of coronavirus in the setting. You can view the data which is published fortnightly here

Paying registration fees

A reminder to pay your annual Ofsted registration fees as we appear to have a number of settings recently who haven’t paid and have therefore received a Notice of Intention (NOI) from Ofsted. This is then followed up by a Notice of Decision (NOD) if fees are still not paid which can lead to your registration being cancelled.

Safer Bradford contact details

The Children’s Services Contact centre is the first point of contact for all new enquiries, by telephone or by email, from members of the public and other professionals

Childcare providers can refer to this page from the Safer Bradford website for contact information, this is useful should you choose to print and display key information.