Have your say - do you think food allergies should be banned from the Army?

Thursday, July 17. 2008

Have your say - do you think food allergies should be banned from the Army?

Personally I think that it’s entirely correct to ban people with food allergies from joining up.

In many areas of deployment there simply aren’t the medical facilities available, or even appropriate foods for people with potentially life threatening food allergies.

Army catering can’t be expected to have foods specifically created that are allergen free. Can you imagine the problems if only pasta arrived to feed hungry troops, and one of them had a wheat allergy? Or peanuts in the ration packs for someone with a peanut allergy?

There is no time in war to cope with anaphylactic shock when people are being killed, and it could potentially put their comrades in arms in danger because they can't do their job if they are having a food reaction.

So although it’s a tough rule, and there are many many people with food allergies who would love to serve their country and would do it well, it’s about the bigger picture.

Posted by Helen Fletton in wheat blog at 10:45 | Comments (12) | Trackbacks (0)

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I absolutely agree, I'm sure some will yell that it's unfair but it's absolutely practical. To be honest I'm surprised that food allergy sufferers would want to put themselves at such risk.

#1 Clare on 2008-08-29 01:02 (Reply)

I disagree. Not every role in the military is a direct combat role on the front lines, where the problem in question could arise. Why should one be excluded from the Navy or Air Force, where time would be spent largely on ship or base, where there is a variety of food? Also, would they rather accept a less qualified candidate than one who is more qualified, but has an allergy? I think that they will have to address this as more and more people get allergies.

#2 Billy C on 2008-12-04 22:29 (Reply)

I have a wheat allergy, i am serving developed while in service. All i do is have different food no big deal rations pack is just different like a vegetarians or hallal, what is ther real difference?

#3 jason on 2008-12-10 11:41 (Reply)

No one should be banned from anything just because of allergies. That is just ridiculous and not exactly democratic. I think that those who have allergies need to be responsible enough to make the right choices and ensure that they will have appropriate food and/or an epipen if necessary. If the army doesn't have the resources available to ensure one's safety, then maybe it's not the best choice.

#4 Carolina on 2009-04-06 11:22 (Reply)

The Military is NOT a democratic institution.

It has banned gays, blacks and women.

Surely it can ban people with medical conditions which reduce rediness.

#4.1 Paul on 2011-03-19 10:58 (Reply)

I disagree completely. You have to understand the fact that the human race's immune system is evolving in a negative way. Soon there will only be a few people without allergies in general. Would you have our armies use only those few people? You should also realize that some of those few people would not want to join the military. Would you force them? No. Not letting people with food allergies join the Army is not a very beneficial choice. I would assume that the countries our armies would be fighting against would not ban people with allergies. Not letting these types of people join our army would be setting us all up for failure.

#5 Alyssa on 2010-01-09 11:38 (Reply)

I hate to break this to you all, but the US Navy and the Coast Guard ban all latex allergy sufferers from their ranks already. I'm sure that they also have restrictions based on food allergies.

#6 Aachren on 2010-02-07 12:56 (Reply)

You have developed a steriotypical attitude that makes you think all allergy sufferers have life threatening symptoms - and your wrong. Many people can quite simply have "allergy sensitivitys" that have probably only ever experineced symptoms to a low degree, once or twice in their lifetime. If the army is able to make food exceptions for thoose of religious groups, then allergy sufferes shuld also demand their right to "equality". An automatic allergy ban in the army is wrong. Conclusions should be made by how serve the allergy or infact sensitivity is. Who are you to say that someone with an allergy are less able than someone else? No one is perfect therefore an allergy does not prevent an individual from the right to equality in society.

#7 Becky on 2010-07-14 04:21 (Reply)

I'm ex UK serviceman. Joined up with declared allergy to Bee stings and Penicillin. My medical records had alerts on them and I never had any problems. If I got shot the medics would have given me penicillin as infection was harderd to treat than the reaction to the drugs.

Howabout all those guys suffering from the drug cocktails we got given to go to Gulf war 1, did they get kicked out once they started to suffer reactions.

The issue here is not the allergy but how severe the reaction is and could it cause a debilitating effect on the sufferer whilst on active service.

#8 Garrie on 2010-07-19 00:17 (Reply)

I agree because in Army people them-self must be very very fit and perticular in their health and in their work aswell so due to prone to allergies may effect on both the things.So.

#9 Lisa on 2011-02-23 00:04 (Reply)

I never thought about it, but I am troubled by the issue of troops with food allergies. I have three sons, and come from a military family. Before my sons, no one in my family has ever suffered from life-threatening allergies, but my eldest has celiac and is enrolled in a secondary school military academy with the intent to follow his uncle into the US Navy. My youngest son has a peanut allergy and is obsessed with the Army, where my father, all of his brothers, and grandfather served with honor, with at least one employed in every war the US has been involved in the last 75 years. I think it is probable that at least one of my boys, if not all three, will want to serve when they reach the age of 18.
Their allergy issues are of concern no matter where they reside or what path they choose to take, and I have done my best to raise them with the ability to make responsible choices in diet when they are not at home. I will not try to stop them from following our family tradition of military service, and suspect that we will find out in the very near future what the official policy is on this issue.
Thank you for raising this concern.

#10 Cat on 2011-03-25 08:28 (Reply)

Food allergies should not prohibit a person from being able to fight, love, and help their country. Let people with the right qualifications, work ethic, and mindset. The thought of allergy as a concern should be not even a secondary consideration, but a minimal one. The allergies are become more and more common in our "sterile" like world, and should not prohibit one from joining the military.

#11 Ledz on 2012-01-06 15:25 (Reply)

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