UCC developing app for allergy sufferers

UCC is to develop an app to collect real-time information from people who have allergies.

UCC is to develop an app to collect real-time information to help people who have food allergies.

The college is taking part in the world's largest ever study of food allergies.

Dr Mairead Kiely, a senior lecturer in Human Nutrition at UCC, said that the study will also try to validate the lowest dose of food to which allergic people react, to try and bring more clarity to "may contain" labels.

"The whole idea is to basically support sufferers of food allergies and families, but also in some way to support the industry as well and to help the regulators to improve things like labelling," she said.

"At the moment, it's very, very difficult, because these 'may contain' labels will discourage allergy sufferers from consuming foods that are probably completely safe."