Food allergies in children are on
the increase but schools remain unprepared to tackle the
phenomenon and canteens appear unable to cater for a wealth of
growing special needs.
Italy is also lacking specific protocols guiding teachers
on how to intervene in case of allergic reactions to food and
the issue of whether to allow schools to give medication to
children remains controversial.
According to a study published in August by Europrevall in
conjunction with Rome's Bambino Gesù hospital, food allergies
affect 2-3% of children under the age of 3, between 1 and 3% of
children of school and pre-school age and 1% of teen-agers.
The problem is particularly troubling in nurseries and
pre-schools but it also affects large numbers of schools: in a
city such as Rome, it is estimated that there are at least
20,000 children with food allergies and about 50,000 allergic
children in the whole Lazio region.
Alessandro Fiocchi, allergy expert at the Bambino Gesù
pediatric hospital, said that the school diet for allergic
children should be construed according to a specific certificate
granted by a specialist, however often these certificates are
not handed out following the appropriate screening tests.
Eight per cent of children in Italian schools produce these
certificates but the number of documents does not add up with
the estimated number of allergic children.
Italy also lacks specific provisions authorizing teachers
to give life-saving medication to children who suffer
anaphylactic shocks.
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