food allergies

Are any of you moms to kids with food allergies living in the UK? 

My 4.5 year old has a severe milk protein allergy.  I know what American brands to look for, I keep up with recall lists, and I know which restaurants are "safe" for him to eat at. 

I am little nervous about dealing with all this with the move later this year.  We are having him tested in April to see if he has outgrown the allergy, but I want to be prepared just in case. 

He will also start school in the fall, and I am worried about that, too.  (As things are now, he can't even come in contact with milk.  He hasn't had a reaction to contact in 2 years, but we have to treat him as if he might still have a reaction by touching something with milk residue or breathing in milk dust (cheesy crackers/chips, milk powder).

Any advice?

No advice. But it might be worth a look on mumsnet while you wait for someone who can give you more info on this board.

I know my niece gets milk as a mid-morning snack at school every day.  Not everyone gets it, you have to pay, but it is drunk in the classroom.

So you might want to check that out.

My son has a peanut allergy and we find that living in the UK with a food allergy is way easier than the US. My son is only 11 but when he was in kindergarten in the US, they didn't even have a food allergy policy at his school (another mom & I complained about this, her son's allergy was so extreme that he had to carry the epi-pen on him at all times)!

I don't have any experience with milk allergies but I know that the labels here are very well marked for allergies and that there are even entire sections of allergy-safe foods at some grocery stores.

As for school accommodations, they were very helpful at my son's school. I'm sure your son's new school will be as equally helpful.

Good luck!
sb

As momof2 mentioned main grocery stores generally have a "free from" section which will clearly state what common allergy foods it will be free of (ie. wheat, egg, milk / lactose etc.  Like Tesco's Free From Range.)  There are also a good range of milk alternatives available like soy, rice and oat milks in a variety of flavours.

You may want to checkout Netmums Food Allergies and Intollerances.  It's written to be aimed slightly more at nut allergy sufferers (as they're more common / easier to understand), but gives good information and pictures of food labels, pubs info and links to further information on a national level.

As regards to your LO's contact allergies at school, that is something you'd have to discuss and arrange directly with them.

Ooohh great post   
I'm an adult with severe food allergies...main culprits dairy (lactose and protein), eggs, plus some others. This will be my first time back to the UK since being diagnosed nearly a year ago after suffering from gastric issues and migraines for 23+ years. Gastric issues cleared up in 36 hours and now I just get migraines occasionally coz of good old stress!! I stick to my allergy diet though I mourn for eggs Benedict 

Thank you for the website I'll check it out, my diet has been a big concern about coming over.

Hi there.  I work for a charity that supports families with severe food allergies. Do be aware that the advice on Mumsnet is not always accurate as it is not moderate by a healthcare professional and we tend to see a lot of really scary advice given!

Take a look and give us a call if we can help: www.anaphylaxis.org.uk