Allergen 過敏原

水果也可能是過敏原！

蘋果、桃子、奇異果都上榜

醫師提醒，蘋果、桃子、奇異果和草莓等水果，都可能引發過敏。

水果的過敏通常發生在吃完水果後的幾分鐘內，症狀為嘴巴、嘴唇和喉嚨產生搔癢和腫脹，伴有皮膚起疹、哮喘和鼻炎症狀。若對蘋果、奇異果、桃子等水果過敏者應盡量避免食用，冬季時注意天氣變化，做好保暖和預防霧霾，有助減少冬季過敏症發作的風險。

冷熱變化大 + 空氣污染，冬季誘發過敏機率高

過敏族群在冬天更需注意天氣的冷熱變化和空氣中污染物質！

冬天常有冷氣團，形成寒流及氣溫驟降，有時也會造成降雨潮濕的天氣。而空氣過冷易使呼吸道收縮，降雨的高濕度環境易造成塵蟎增生，都可能誘發鼻過敏或氣喘，出現季節性咳嗽、鼻分泌物增加、鼻塞和支氣管收縮喘鳴的表現。

對異位性皮膚炎患者來說，因皮膚的屏障功能受損，使得溫度過低或過高都會刺激皮膚，因此病症也易在秋冬時有惡化的情形。冬季更是病毒活躍的季節，氣喘患者因急性上呼吸道感染（感冒）而誘發氣喘發作頻率，比平常來得更高

過敏原還有空氣污染物！冬末春季時，可能會出現空氣不良的情況，對異位性皮膚炎患者來說，暴露在夾帶多種有害物質、細菌、黴菌、懸浮微粒PM10和細懸浮微粒PM2.5等之下，容易讓過敏病患出現皮膚過敏惡化、過敏性結膜炎，以及嚴重鼻塞、鼻子癢、打噴嚏、睡眠障礙等症狀，呼吸道過敏病人甚至會有咳嗽、胸悶、喘鳴、呼吸困難等症狀。

秋冬天氣濕冷時，需額外注意以下保健重點，以降低過敏症發作的風險。

遠離致敏性水果：避免食用會引起過敏的食物，例如蘋果、桃子、奇異果，有助改善過敏症的臨床表現（如異位性皮膚炎）。而櫻桃、柑橘類、梨、柿子及草莓，也被報導可能引起過敏反應。

保暖與防螨：過敏族應注意保暖及避免接觸塵螨等過敏原，久未使用的棉被在使用前應先加以清理。異位性皮膚炎患者，除了使用中性PH的皮膚清潔劑，於冬季保暖時應避免穿著密不通風的衣物，穿著以棉製衣物較為適當。

隔絕髒空氣：在空氣不良的情況期間，盡量避免出門，緊閉門窗，居家可使用具高效能粒子空氣過濾（HEPA）系統的空氣清淨機。外出則應戴口罩隔離髒空氣，回家後儘速清潔衣物與身體。

Allergen

Allergen labelling saves lives.

Some foods and food ingredients or their components can cause severe allergic reactions including anaphylaxis, which is why declaring allergens is important.

These are the most common foods that can cause allergic reactions in Australia and New Zealand:

· peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, sesame seeds, fish, shellfish, soy, lupin, wheat.

The Food Standards Code requires suppliers to declare these foods on labels whenever they are present as:

· ingredients

· components of food additives

· components of processing aids

If the food isn’t in packaging or doesn’t need to have a label, the information must be displayed with the food or can be requested from the supplier.

For example, by asking about allergens in food prepared and sold from a takeaway shop.

Sulphites

Sulphites can cause severe health reactions in some people with asthma. Suppliers must declare sulphites when they have been added in amounts of 10 or more milligrams per kilogram of food.

Gluten-containing cereals

Suppliers need to declare gluten-containing cereals so people with Coeliac Disease can identify these products. Gluten-containing cereals include:

· wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, hybrid strains of these cereals such as triticale.

The Food Standards Code also includes requirements for making 'gluten free' and 'low gluten' claims.

Royal jelly

Royal jelly is a bee product that can cause severe allergic reactions. In rare cases it can cause death, especially in asthma and allergy sufferers. Food containing royal jelly must have a warning statement.

Product exemptions

The Food Standards Code includes exemptions from allergen labelling for some foods and ingredients derived from allergenic sources.

These foods and ingredients have been assessed as safe.

This is because they are manufactured in a way to make them suitable for people allergic to wheat, soy, fish or dairy. You can read more about product exemptions from allergen labelling.

Aged bottled wine

Before 2002 wine producers were not required to declare allergens on their product label. However, food allergens such as egg, fish, milk, and tree nuts as well as sulphites may have been used in the production of these wines.

Therefore bottled wine, including sparkling wine and fortified wine, labelled with a vintage date before 2003 may not have these substances declared on the label.

May contain statements

Some food labels use 'may contain' or 'may be present' statements about certain allergens, such as 'may contain nuts'. These are voluntary statements made by food suppliers and the Food Standards Code does not regulate them.

Guidance for the food industry about the use of these statements and the management of allergen cross-contamination can be found on the Australian Food and Grocery Council website.

Proposed allergen labelling changes

FSANZ is currently considering changes to how food allergens are declared to make allergen labelling clearer. See Proposal P1044 Plain English allergen labelling.