National Allergy Strategy
Food Service Project launch - 30 July 2019
New National Allergy Strategy e-training courses, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, are now available for cooks and chefs to help improve food allergen management in food service, including camps.
All about Allergens: The next step for cooks and chefs has been developed with cooks and chefs with experience in commercial kitchens. It focuses on food preparation, handling and storage and highlights the importance of effective communication between the kitchen and other staff and consumers with food allergy.
Two courses – one for general food service and another for camp providers – have been developed to provide information relevant to the specific settings. The first All about Allergens course should be completed before undertaking the new course for cooks and chefs.
To access the All about Allergens courses including the new courses and supporting resources visit foodallergytraining.org.au
Food Allergy Aware
The National Allergy Strategy has also launched a food allergy awareness campaign aimed at communicating the shared responsibility when it comes to food allergen management in food service. Consumers, food service providers, legislators and those who conduct inspections and audits of premises, all have a role to play in food allergen management.
A new Food Allergy Awareness website has been developed as part of the awareness campaign. This website is a resource hub for consumers, food service providers, environmental health officers/authorised officers and health care providers. Visit the website: www.foodallergyaware.org.au
Nip Allergies in the Bub launch - 24 June 2019
The National Allergy Strategy launched the Nip Allergies in the Bub food allergy prevention project on 24 June 2019, which is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health.
The Nip Allergies in the Bub website www.preventallergies.org.au and other resources have been piloted over the past year in Western Australia. Feedback about the resources has been collected and improvements made, before the national launch. As well as online resources, face to face education of general practitioners, child maternal health nurses and pharmacists has been provided to inform and support health professionals, in preparation for the national launch.
The Nip Allergies in the Bub project aims to implement the ASCIA guidelines for infant feeding and allergy prevention, which can be found here: www.allergy.org.au/hp/papers/infant-feeding-allergy-prevention
National Allergy Strategy funding announcement - 5 April 2019
The Australian Government has provided funding to implement National Allergy Strategy projects, which is greatly appreciated. This includes funding that was announced by the Health Minister on Friday 5 April 2019 during the National Allergy Strategy Shared Care Model Roundtable. This funding will allow continued implementation of important projects.
Nip allergies in the bub launch in WA - 27 August 2018
On 27 August 2018 the Nip allergies in the bub website www.preventallergies.org.au was launched in WA, as part of the Food Allergy Prevention Project pilot phase. The website aims to provide practical information to parents about when and how to introduce the common allergy causing foods as well as how to optimise eczema management for allergy prevention. This project has received funding from the Australian Government Department of Health.
Food allergen management in hospitals project
Several resources have been developed to help improve food allergen management for food service providers in hospitals and other institutions. They are designed to be used together to provide a complete resource kit for food allergen management. For more information go to foodallergytraining.org.au
A Food Allergy and Intolerance Menu Assessment Tool for dietitians has also been developed in partnership with the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA). This resource is available to DAA and ASCIA member dietitians from the member sections of both the DAA and ASCIA websites.
National Allergy Strategy event at Parliament House - 16 August 2018
The National Allergy Strategy held an event at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday 16 August 2018 to celebrate the National Allergy Strategy achievements to date and to call for ongoing funding.
Speakers at the event included Minister Greg Hunt, Minister Ken Wyatt, Senator Richard Di Natale, Shadow Health Minister Catherine King, as well as consumers who shared their experiences, Mr Barry Hickey and Ms Jaclyn Jauhiainen. In his speech, Minister Hunt announced 5 years of funding for the National Allergy Strategy. We are very appreciative of this funding support and will continue to keep you informed of initiatives that we will be progressing with this funding.
The event was well attended by supporters of the National Allergy Strategy, including politicians, stakeholder organisations, health professionals and individuals. For more information go to https://nationalallergystrategy.org.au/news
All about Allergens free online training for food service launch - July 2017
In response to engagement with key stakeholders in the food service industry, a free online training course that includes videos and interactive activities has been developed as part of the National Allergy Strategy and was launched in July 2017.
The course provides training that is fast, easy and freely available at www.foodallergytraining.org.au
A community education website www.foodallergyeducation.org.au has also been developed for people with food allergy and their carers.
250K website - a hub for teens and young adults with severe allergies launch - June 2017
Launched in June 2017, The 250K website is a hub for the 250,000 young Australians living with severe allergies. It developed as part of the National Allergy Strategy in response to a national online survey and focus groups sessions with teens and young adults.To access the website go to www.250K.org.au
A 250K slide set that schools can access to help increase awareness about severe allergies is available at www.allergy.org.au/schools-childcare#slides
National Allergy Strategy launch - August 2015
ASCIA and Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia (A&AA), as the leading medical and patient organisations for allergy in Australia, developed the first National Allergy Strategy for Australia, in collaboration with key stakeholder organisations. For more information go to www.nationalallergystrategy.org.au
From left in central panel: Dr Melanie Wong (past ASCIA President), A/Prof Richard Loh (Chair, National Allergy Strategy Steering Committee and past ASCIA President), Ms Maria Said (Deputy Chair, National Allergy Strategy Steering Committee and A&AA CEO).
Content updated October 2019
