new Smartphone App, Allergenius, Aims to Simplify Food Allergy Management
A new, free digital tool called Allergenius is now available for smartphones, designed to help individuals with food allergies quickly identify potential allergens in packaged foods. The app scans product barcodes to reveal if any of the 14 major allergens regulated by European law are present.
Food allergies are a notable and growing global health concern, ranking as the fourth most common chronic disease worldwide, following cancer, AIDS, and cardiovascular disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 2-3% of adults and 5-8% of children in Europe and North America suffer from food allergies – figures that are representative of France as well.European regulations require food manufacturers to clearly label the presence of these 14 key allergens: peanuts, crustaceans, gluten, mustard, soy, eggs, fish, celery, lupine, tree nuts, milk, sulfites, sesame, and molluscs. However,locating this facts on packaging can be challenging for those managing allergies and intolerances.”The Allergenius application has been designed to facilitate these constraints,” explains Antoine barberin, a student at ISAE-Supaero engineering school in Toulouse and one of the app’s founders.
