A TEENAGER has joined a call to change the laws on food allergen labelling which emerged after the death of a 15-year-old.

Aimee Skipp, who suffers from an anaphylactic dairy allergy, was invited to speak at the Home Office by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on Thursday last week.

The opportunity came to the 19-year-old’s attention after she noticed the offer to speak on the Food Standards Agency’s Facebook page.

While at the Home Office, Aimee, a health care assistant at Basingstoke hospitals A&E department, was able to address the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs Michael Gove.

“It was a really interesting experience to be among other people who have anaphylactic allergies and tell them what impact improper food labelling can have,” said the Sherfield-on-Loddon resident.

“Because what I suffer with is quite rare I think some people hadn’t realised how difficult it can be and that contaminated food can be life-threatening.

“After we addressed Michael Gove, we sat with representatives from DEFRA who outlined some options that could be put forward in helping to change the law.”

The calls for a change in the law came after 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died in 2016 after having an allergic reaction to a sandwich she purchased from Pret A Manger.

Aimee said clearer labelling on all products and better training for staff in the catering industry would make a huge difference on her life.

She added: “Going to the shops is always a big deal, I can never just nip to the shop. I have to stand there read every label, sometimes twice, just to make sure they are OK.

“There are a lot of products which are labelled as ‘may contain’ and it is that thought of ‘do you take a risk and potentially suffer a life-changing reaction’?.

“Even going to restaurants can be a hassle as all the food I eat has to be prepared in a certain way. This change in the law would make this so much better and give people a better understanding.”

If Aimee was to accidentally eat or consume anything that has diary in it, she said it makes her mouth and throat have a burning sensation and her throat can start to swell up.

She explained there are times that she needs to have a shot of adrenaline just to “restart” her body.

She added: “Because I don’t even want to take the risk with some foods, I will avoid anything which is not properly labelled. This can make it really difficult to find things to eat, especially if something is prepared in store and just packaged up.

“One of the things I said at the Home Office is that everything needs to be clearly labelled and that staff need the training to understand why this is so important.”