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AUG. SEP. 2019 VII AT PAGE 20 IN DEPTH Celiac disease, food allergies and intolerances - The world is changing With the growing volume of gluten-free, allergy and intolerant food requires a new standard for adequate regulation and training on the administration of the food and drinks By Alessandro Vergallo In 2017, the Ministry of Health registered 1,800,000 food allergy sufferers to milk and gluten, 1,000,000 lactose intolerants and 3,000,000 gluten intolerants. Over 5.000.000 instead allergic to Nickel, the metal content in many foods. In just 40 years the allergies have tripled. The REF, Research on Istat data logs the trends: in the ’80s, the population affected by allergies and intolerances was 2,9%, and today it’s almost 11%. The North censuses the largest number of cases, with Lombardy at the top with 12.7% and Valle d’Aosta with 12.4%; the South, on the other hand, counts 9.7%, Campania with 8.1%, Molise with 8.2% and Sicily with 9.4%. The causes for the growth of the cases of intolerance and allergies are different. Two are linked to very topical issues which are the subject of debate and research all over the world: climate change and air pollution, which have a significant impact on the weakening of our immune system. In recent years, there has been greater sensitivity and attention to nutrition and the various allergies and intolerances that result from it. Traditional mass media and social media deal with it frequently but... not always correctly. They often omit or misrepresent essential details. Some associations currently offer an excellent educational and informative contribution on how to live in the world of allergies and intolerances. Two, the most important, the Italian Celiac Association (AIC) and The World of Intolerances , the latter, founded in 2012 by Tiziana Colombo, aka Nonna Paperina (already mentioned in the previous article), and president of the association. Their purpose is to give clear answers and inform in a simple and precise manner all those that, directly or indirectly, are involved in this sector. The Association and the Academy The World of Intolerances , inaugurated last October, are now two important bodies of food intolerance, both for professionalism and for commitment and dedication used to complete the projects that both constantly organise. Doctors, nutritionists and chefs work side by side there, as do specialists in workshops, show cooking and practical courses for amateur and professional cooks that fill the calendar. Another positive fact is the interest of young Italians in the professions related to the administration of food and drink. This trend is confirmed by the enrolments of new recruits in the hotel and cooking schools that for some time now have included in their teaching programs, from the very first year, the subjects in which allergies and intolerances are studied. “Among the Millennials - says Elio Sironi, chef of the Ceresio 7 Restaurant in Milan - is a growing sensitivity in the choice of what to bring to the table and the issues of allergies and intolerances are certainly (and finally!) very topical in schools. The interns that come into my kitchen are always the most educated on the subject.” The increase in cases of coeliac disease and intolerances is putting a strain on the Italian legislation that regulates the catering industry and the people who are part of it. In our country there are still few regions that have a comprehensive set of rules governing those who administer food and drink: Lombardy, followed by Veneto, Tuscany, Sardinia, Liguria and Emilia. “In Emilia Romagna, a region I know well,” says Giovanni Priolo, chef specialising in food intolerances and owner of the Osteria Latenasca in Lainate, “training on celiac disease, on food intolerances and gluten-free is ahead of other Italian regions... certainly because the area is very receptive, there are many hotels and restaurants but if the truth be said, it must be admitted that even in this part of Italy, there is still a long way to go.” The list of Italian restaurants exhibiting the Blue Label for allergies gets fuller every year. These are places where coeliacs, allergy sufferers and food intolerants are pampered by chefs and waiters. Small catering companies that guarantee safety for the approximately 5 million Italians who, if guests at their place, can eat any dish on the menu without any risk. The Blue Allergy Seal was created two years ago, when the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart started the first courses coordinated by Domenico Schiavino (head of the Allergology Service of the Policlinico Gemelli in Rome), and organised by the Italian Society of Allergology, Asthma and Clinical Immunology (SIAAIC). Today the same courses are