Owen Carey was just 18 when he suffered a fatal anaphylactic reaction after eating a chicken burger, which was stated on the menu as being plain grilled, at a restaurant in London.
His family have since campaigned for a change in the law to prevent other families suffering their agony. They’ve created ‘Owens Law’ which calls for legal change to put more appropriate and accurate information about the allergens in their food on menus, changes in the regulations around proactive discussions with customers about allergies as well as changes in guidance and industry practice for the restaurant sector. The campaign also wants to see greater research into the causes of allergies and proper recording of, and a national register for, anaphylaxis deaths.
Owen’s sister, Emma Kocher, lives in Teg Down – Winchester and met local MP, Steve Brine, ahead of a key debate this week in the House of Commons.
Almost 13,000 people signed a petition on the Parliament website to secure the debate - the second highest constituency in the country to sign it was Winchester – which will be held on Monday 15 May in Westminster.
Emma says; “I lost my brother six years ago, just two weeks after his 18th birthday, due to a lack of training, understanding and care on the severity of food allergies. Owen’s Law would require food outlets to declare which of the 14 major allergens are contained in a dish on the face of the menu, at the point of ordering, and make it compulsory for serving staff to have a conversation with customers about their dietary needs. Having this clarity can only make it safer for allergy sufferers to eat out, thus preventing future allergic reactions, and, ultimately, any more unnecessary deaths.
“We’ve been in talks with the Food Standards Agency for the past two years, however, progress is slow and allergy deaths and many near misses are still happening too often. We’re delighted to have the support of Steve Brine MP and hopeful that as Chair of the Health Select Committee, he can help push this legislation through within the next year.”
Steve Brine, who will speak in the debate, added; “As soon as I heard about the families’ campaign I just knew I had to help and I will try my utmost to do that. You can never completely eliminate risk for those who have serious food intolerances but there’s an awful lot more we can do to minimise that risk. The proposals put forward in the Owen’s Law campaign are, in my view, practical and things we can realise at pace.
“Some campaigns are for a moment like this. We need to make the case and convince Ministers to seize the moment.”
