Wrong meal sends three-year-old into anaphylactic shock at daycare

A three-year-old child with a severe milk allergy suffered a life-threatening reaction at a daycare in Paimio after being served food containing milk, Yle reported. The incident has left the child’s father worried that the mistake could happen again.

The child was given mashed potatoes containing milk, even though the family had reported her special diet. She had been provided with a separately labelled meal, but a mistake by the food service company meant that it contained the wrong food.

The child suffered an anaphylactic reaction and spent a day in hospital. Her father, Tuukka Heikkinen, said the daycare staff acted exemplary, but that he still did not understand how such a serious error had occurred.

Heikkinen said he wanted to share the family’s experience so that parents of children with severe allergies would be aware of the risks. Yle said it had seen the child’s medical records and an email sent to Heikkinen by the food service provider.

Food allergy incidents occur every year

The incident was not unique. The Finnish Food Authority receives several reports each year of anaphylactic reactions caused by meals. This year, it has received seven reports, four of which involved catering or large-scale kitchens.

According to HUS’s nationwide anaphylaxis register, about 12 percent of anaphylactic reactions in children occur at schools or daycares. The data is based on voluntary reports, and register administrator Terhi Savinko estimates that fewer than half of all cases are reported.

Compass Group, a food service company operating nationwide, became the City of Paimio’s food service provider in July. The child was in daycare for the third day after the summer holiday when the mistake occurred.

Compass Group business director Maarit Virkkala described the incident as very rare in an email to Yle. She said the company prepared more than seven million school and daycare meals last year and that a few allergy-related incidents occur annually.

Virkkala said the mistake in Paimio was caused by inadequate labelling on the meal and an error during serving. The label was not clear enough, which led to a meal containing milk being served to a child with a milk allergy.

The company has reviewed the special-diet preparation process in Paimio step by step and checked that staff understand the self-monitoring procedures, including the serving and labelling of special-diet meals. Virkkala said the company considered even one such incident too many and was doing everything possible to prevent a recurrence.

Severe allergic reactions among young children increasing

Severe allergic reactions among young children have increased significantly in Finland in recent years. A doctoral study published last year by paediatrician Lasse Saarimäki found that anaphylactic reactions among children under four doubled between 2012 and 2020.

HUS’s register also shows that anaphylactic reactions caused by nuts, particularly cashew nuts, have increased in recent years. Other common foods causing anaphylaxis in children include milk and eggs.

Anaphylaxis is a sudden and severe general allergic reaction that requires immediate treatment. Symptoms can include hives, coughing, vomiting, abdominal pain, breathing difficulties and loss of consciousness. In most cases, the first symptoms appear within minutes of exposure and can worsen quickly.

Saarimäki said the increased use of nuts in Finland was one factor behind the rise in anaphylaxis among children. He also pointed to changing nutritional recommendations in child health clinics and a revised allergy programme that emphasises exposure to allergens rather than avoidance.