Allergy alert
Dear owners and staff of any food services in the Bega Valley, I would like to ask that you take a moment to review your food service policies in regards to allergies.
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Last Saturday night we attended a local restaurant. I do not want to name and shame so I will not mention the name of the restaurant.
Accidents happen, mistakes are made. We are all human but we should learn from mistakes and minimise the risks for it happening again. While we were angry, anger won’t help but awareness will.
On arrival we told the waitress of the food allergy of a child in our party. We told them the child could not eat nuts.
We ordered serves of garlic and herb bread as written on the menu. As soon as the bread was eaten an allergic reaction began.
We inquired as to what herbs were on the bread thinking a new allergy may have a appeared. We really didn’t think that after informing the staff of the allergy that any form of nuts would have been served.
Unfortunately the garlic and herb bread was in fact garlic and pesto bread with cashews.
Once given the information my husband said to the waitress in disbelief "we did tell you". The waitress said she didn’t think about the garlic bread and didn’t this the child would be eating it.
No help was offered, nothing. We immediately took her the the hospital where we spent the next five hours with a frightened child who thankfully made a full recovery.
The rest of our party remained at the restaurant on our insistence and the entrees and wine were taken off the bill. We have since had further contact with the restaurant and they expressed their sincere regret and have offered to refund our meal.
More importantly they are making several changes to their procedures and menu.
We thank them for their prompt actions in ensuring this won’t happen again.
Please, don't presume someone won’t eat something especially if it is served to share. Label your menu carefully. If a customer informs you of an allergy it could be life threatening so treat it as such. And don’t be afraid to offer medical assistance. Your customers put a great a deal of trust in you, please respect that.
Name withheld by request
To fluoridate or not
Recently, I attended an information session arranged by Merimbula dentist Maria Claudianos.
As an ex-dental nurse, I was dubious that her concerns about the proposal to add fluoride to the water supplies of townships in the Bega Valley Shire were misguided.
But, as I'm interested in public health and council's decision making process, I went along.
The speakers confirmed that fluoride is indeed good for teeth – but is most effective when applied topically directly to the teeth and much less effective when ingested.
They also pointed out that when it's added to the drinking water supply it is impossible to monitor or regulate the dosages that people are ingesting.
It seems that there are few studies of the long-term effects of ingested fluoride. And what evidence there is of the benefits and risks is contradictory.
What is clear is that fluoride can and does cause fluorosis – a cosmetic discolouration of permanent teeth – in some individuals.
I have to admit I am now uncertain about the role of fluoride in drinking water. I can't be certain that it's completely safe for all who drink it. This contentious decision – to fluoridate or not – is not one I want any government making on my behalf. Even the risk of cosmetic damage is a decision I couldn't make on anyone else's behalf and don't want it made on mine.
If we are truly concerned about the state of children's teeth surely we should be investing in educating parents and children about nutrition and oral hygiene, and providing affordable dental care.