Misconceptions about food allergy safety in the skies

The Podcast by KevinMD

Physical therapist and food allergy advocate Lianne Mandelbaum discusses her article, "Flying with food allergies: Combating misconceptions and advocating for safety." Sharing harrowing personal experiences with dismissive airline staff that ignited her advocacy work with No Nut Traveler, she highlights the pervasive fear and inadequate safety measures faced by food-allergic passengers globally. Lianne discusses concerning findings, such as a study showing 31 percent of passengers sometimes don't disclose allergies fearing penalties, over a third experiencing unprofessional staff behavior, 70 percent not receiving promised accommodations, and over 12 percent being removed or denied boarding. The conversation critiques misleading media coverage, the dismissal of non-fatal reactions, the alarming lack of required easy-to-use epinephrine (like auto-injectors or nasal sprays) in many airline medical kits as of 2025, and insufficient allergen labeling on U.S. flights. Lianne urges passengers to report incidents and calls upon airlines for better policies and training, and the medical community to counsel patients proactively and advocate strongly for systemic changes, including mandatory epinephrine stocking.

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