One in seven travellers affected by severe food allergies when travelling

In April 2024, Safer Tourism’s consumer research showed one in eight travellers (12%) reported having experienced a food-related allergic reaction while on holiday (either themselves or a travel companion). Just six months on and the charity’s latest travel behaviour survey shows the proportion has risen to one in seven (15% of travellers), representing an increase of 25%. Safer Tourism Foundation’s incident data also shows that near misses relating to life-threatening food allergies are a critical area of concern for the industry.

Travelling with a life-threatening food allergy

According to Safer Tourism Foundation’s latest consumer research, one in seven of us knows someone with a potentially life-threatening food allergy.

Food allergies don’t just affect the person with the allergy – they are a serious concern for anyone travelling with that person.

When asked about the way their or their family member’s allergy affects their travel experience, the impact is clear:

• One in two respondents confessed they feel more nervous about travelling than they would if they/their family member did not have an allergy (50%)
• Two in three (64%) report taking extra precautions when they take a trip
• One in three (33%) are more likely to prioritise health and safety policies over cost when choosing holiday providers.

Despite food allergies growing in prevalence, just one in four travellers (26%) has been on a commercial flight where an announcement was made requesting that passengers refrain from consuming a food containing an allergen. However, whether they’ve experienced a passenger-wide flight announcement before or not, nine out of 10 say they would refrain from eating any food containing nuts if asked to by the airline.

Recent media reports attest to the lack of consistency when it comes to airline policies regarding passengers with food allergies – some airlines make announcements for any passenger with a life-threatening food allergy as a matter of course, while others sometimes do and sometimes don’t. In some cases, airlines may even refuse to let a passenger board if there is concern around potential allergies.

Several airlines and rail operators have started offering clarity in their menus around food allergens, and some carry adrenaline auto-injectors. However, as of today, there is no globally recognised standard when it comes to managing life-threatening allergies on commercial flights, Safer Tourism Foundation said.  

Dr Paul Turner, Professor of Anaphylaxis Research at Imperial College London, has conducted research for the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority to assess the measures airlines could and should take to minimise the risks for travellers with severe food allergies.

“Food-allergic reactions are uncommon on modern aircraft, but this is almost certainly because of measures people with food allergies take to keep themselves safe,” he said. “While it is rare for people to get allergic reactions due to ‘airborne allergens’ while flying, there are very real risks from touching seat surfaces or entertainment screens which may have been contaminated with food.”

Ges Lonsdale, Head of Partnerships for Cover-More Europe, recently spoke to the ITIJ team about how customer behaviour is changing with a heightened focus on safer and more protected travel.