From Ms M. S. Perkins
SIR,—Nestlé, the multinational food company, has recently launched a highly allergenic snack, Sesame Sticks, as part of its junior range for children from 12 months. Sesame seeds are extremely potent allergens capable of producing severe allergic reactions in susceptible individuals. Moreover, there is now considerable evidence that exposure of young children to sesame products is associated with an increase in the prevalence of sesame allergy.1–5
Highly allergenic baby foods are neither sought after nor desired. Parents of children who have developed sesame allergy are already concerned and frustrated about the increasing use of sesame in everyday foods, especially bread. Many foods in supermarkets are now being labelled "may contain traces of sesame seeds". There is no control of sesame seeds in in-store bakeries. Bread products are either smothered with seeds or contaminating non-sesame products, making bread which is part of our staple diet unsuitable for sesame allergy sufferers. By introducing Sesame Sticks, which are bread sticks dusted with sesame flour, Nestlé is now exacerbating the problem.
Nestlé stresses that Sesame Sticks are clearly labelled. But what help is that to parents who are unaware of the potential hazard presented by exposing infants to sesame allergens? Attention focuses on peanuts, therefore, any attempt to introduce Peanut Sticks would be seriously questioned. Sesame Sticks cannot be deemed acceptable simply because they are labelled. Clearly, this product should carry a health warning: "May cause allergies in children."
Maggie Spirito Perkins
Radlett, Hertfordshire
Ms JOHANNA HIGNETT (nutrition manager, Nestlé UK Ltd) replies: Nestlé has always taken all issues relating to food allergy extremely seriously. Over the past five years we have worked extremely closely with the Anaphylaxis Campaign to raise awareness of the issue of food allergies. The major causes of food allergies in the UK are milk, egg, wheat, soya and peanuts. Nestlé Sesame Sticks is part of the new Junior range that is targeted at toddlers from one year of age. The product is distinctively labelled as containing sesame seeds in large red letters on all four sides of the pack and sesame is included in the ingredients list on the pack, too. There is no mistaking that this product contains sesame seeds.
Scientific research suggests that infants are more likely to suffer food allergies if they have a family history of allergies such as asthma, eczema, hay fever and troublesome food allergies. The majority of parents do not have to worry about the foods given to their toddlers. However, those parents from these "atopic" ("allergic") families are advised to take care with the foods used to wean an infant and in the first few years of life. They are advised to take care in selecting suitable foods for their child's diet, especially during the first nine months of life, when children are known to be more sensitive. One key point is the age at which infants are sensitised to a particular allergen. This process of sensitisation to allergens appears to occur very early, before birth or in the first few months of life.
Nestlé UK takes all issues relating to food allergies extremely seriously and will continue to work to assist sufferers of food allergies through appropriate labelling and to raise awareness of allergies among health professionals.