Allergies Ban You From UK Army

How seriously is Britain taking the rise in food allergies? In Britain, as James Kirkup and Lucy Pawle reported on The Telegraph website, the Ministry of Defence has let slip the news that:

anyone with allergies to nuts, wheat, eggs and other foods is at too great a risk of coming to harm and is therefore "automatically graded as unfit for service".

Bob Ainsworth, a defence minister, said that because of the possibility of a medical emergency, it would be "highly irresponsible" of the Army to employ someone with a food allergy.

He said: "All Army personnel, regardless of their chosen trade, must be fit to serve anywhere in the world, in all environments and in all locations, where medical care may be limited or remote and medical re-supply uncertain or impossible."

He added:

"Any recruit with a past history of food allergy is automatically graded as unfit for service unless there is irrefutable evidence that they are no longer sensitive."