Report allergic food reactions via new website

Twelves councils across the region, including Hartlepool Borough Council, have joined forces to run the single-point-of-contact initiative.

The website makes it easier for people to report allergic reactions after eating in a food business and enables councils to investigate the reason for a reaction and take appropriate action where necessary.

It can be accessed at www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk/allergic-reactions

Councillor Brenda Harrison, Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council and Chair of the Hartlepool Health and Wellbeing Board, said: “All food businesses should have controls in place within their kitchens to ensure that they cater for people with allergies.

“But when things go wrong it is important that people can report quickly and easily allergic reactions to food they have eaten so that the cause can be thoroughly investigated.

“I would encourage any Hartlepool resident who experiences an allergic reaction after eating out to report this via the website immediately.”

The most severe form of allergic reaction is anaphylaxis which is estimated to cause around 20 deaths each year in the UK. Symptoms include difficulty swallowing or breathing, poor circulation and loss of consciousness.

More information about food allergies is available at www.nhs.uk/conditions/food-allergy