Question 1

What is the difference between a food allergy and an intolerance?

Accepted Answer

An **allergy** involves the **immune system**. An **intolerance** does not. That distinction determines severity, mechanism, testing and management, and confusing the two is both common and occasionally dangerous.

**Food allergy.** The immune system misidentifies a food protein as a threat and mounts a response, typically involving **IgE antibodies**. Reactions are:

**Fast** — usually within minutes to two hours.

**Dose-independent in principle** — trace amounts can trigger a severe reaction, which is why "may contain" warnings exist.

**Potentially life-threatening.** **Anaphylaxis** involves breathing difficulty, swelling of the throat and tongue, a drop in blood pressure and collapse. It is a medical emergency requiring **adrenaline (epinephrine)** and an ambulance.

**Other symptoms:** hives, swelling, vomiting, wheezing.

**Common allergens:** peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat, sesame.

**Food intolerance.** A non-immune reaction, usually digestive, typically caused by an enzyme deficiency or a chemical sensitivity.

**Slower** — often hours later.

**Dose-dependent.** Many people with lactose intolerance tolerate small amounts without difficulty, which is never true of an allergy.

**Unpleasant but not life-threatening** — bloating, cramps, diarrhoea, headaches.

**Common examples:** **lactose intolerance**, from reduced lactase enzyme; **histamine intolerance**; sensitivity to sulphites or caffeine; and **FODMAP** sensitivity, central to IBS.

**Coeliac disease is neither** — it is an **autoimmune** condition in which gluten triggers the immune system to damage the small intestine lining. It is not an allergy and not an intolerance, it causes long-term harm rather than immediate symptoms, and it requires strict lifelong avoidance. Testing must be done **while still eating gluten**, which is why self-diagnosis by elimination causes problems.

**On testing:** allergy is diagnosed by clinical history plus skin prick or specific IgE blood tests. **IgG food intolerance tests sold commercially are not supported** by professional allergy bodies.

Question 2

How do restaurants handle allergies?

Accepted Answer

Through legal obligations, documented ingredient information and physical separation — and the quality of handling varies enormously, which is why how you ask matters as much as what you ask. The

Question 3

Is MSG actually bad for you?

Accepted Answer

The scientific consensus is that MSG is safe for the general population at normal dietary levels, and the reputation it acquired has not held up under testing. What it is. Monosodium glutamate is the

Question 4

What actually causes food poisoning, and which pathogens matter?

Accepted Answer

A small number of organisms account for most cases, and they behave differently enough that the same precaution does not work for all of them — which is why general advice to "cook things properly"

Question 5

How common is food fraud, and which foods are affected?

Accepted Answer

Food fraud is the deliberate substitution, dilution, mislabelling or misrepresentation of food for economic gain. It is more widespread than most consumers assume, and it concentrates in predictable

Question 6

What is the difference between "best before" and "use by"?

Accepted Answer

Use by is about safety. Best before is about quality. Confusing them causes both unnecessary waste and genuine risk, in opposite directions. Use by appears on foods that become unsafe as they age,

Question 7

What do E numbers and food additives actually do?

Accepted Answer

An E number is simply a code indicating that an additive has been assessed and approved for use in the EU and UK. It is a mark of regulatory evaluation, not a warning — which is the opposite of how

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