Allergies and intolerances are disorders of the immune system. When the body comes into contact with a substance it can not tolerate, it can cause an exaggerated response. If you have a reaction to a particular food or substance in the environment (allergen) you are said to be allergic to, or intolerant of it. In this way, allergies are the body's way of eliminating something it considers unsuitable, and can be responsible for many complaints.

A survey of 5200 people in the UK carried out in January 2007 by Allergy UK (a medical charity founded in 1991) showed 59% reported themselves as having food intolerance and 41% having classic food allergy symptoms.

The full report can be seen at www.allergyuk.org under the "Stolen Lives 3" report. A startling statistic was that 67% stated that their GP did not understand their food problems.