Allergies in Luxembourg

We’re thrilled to announce that Luxembourg Allergy Network (LAN) is now a proud member of the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations (EFA)! This exciting milestone strengthens our commitment to supporting individuals affected by food allergies. Nicky, founder and treasurer of LAN, and Tamara, president of LAN, had the privilege of representing the organisation at the recent AGM and Community Meeting held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 24-26 March 2025. It was an unforgettable experience that provided a unique opportunity to connect with numerous passionate European patient organisations who share our mission. The sense of unity and determination was truly empowering, and we left with a renewed sense of purpose. EFA’s vision is to improve the lives of individuals living with allergies and airways diseases by promoting better patient care, greater awareness and stronger advocacy across Europe. Through its activities, EFA strives to provide a pla...

On 14th November 2024 LAN (Luxembourg Allergy Network) and  ALIG (Association Luxembourgeoise des Intolérants au Gluten) jointly organised a  conference on PAL (Precautionary Allergen Labelling) that took place at the CHL . Key speaker Angèle van den Heuvel, from the   Dutch Allergen Consultancy in the Netherlands, presented a new policy concerning PAL which they are actively involved with and that will come into force in the Netherlands on 1 January 2026. This policy has set out and adjusted the reference doses, status and wording of the PAL, which unfortunately is often used too extensively by the food industry and therefore considerably limits the choice of products for allergic or intolerant consumers. The starting point in establishing the new policy was that PAL should not be used too often, but only if there is real risk to the allergic consumer. Studies in the Netherlands have shown that the majority of food allergic consumers ignore PAL statements. Due to the ove...

  LIFE-THREATENING ALLERGIES YOUR RACE, THEIR LIVES Go to fundraiser  Luxembourg Allergy Network asbl (LAN) is running the ING team marathon this Saturday to raise awareness about life-threatening allergies and to raise money for LAN. Contributions will help LAN to continue working on its important activities to strive for a better, safer and more inclusive environment for those living with life-threatening allergies in Luxembourg. Just some of its activities include organising family events, support group meetings and awareness stands, allergy awareness lessons at primary schools and creating awareness and educational material. All its work is achieved by a dedicated team of volunteers. Food allergies are often confused with intolerances or seen as a trend or someone just being a fussy eater. No, for many people with a severe food allergy, coming into contact with their allergen, by touching, inhaling or ingestion, it can have life-threatening and sometimes eve...

  I'm Tamara, mum of twin boys, Oliver and Aiden (9 years), who both have allergies to nuts. We have been on the immunotherapy road for 3 years now and would like to share our story with you. I ntroduction Oliver was diagnosed with food allergies when he was about 3 months old. Very bad exczema over his whole body and spitting out breastmilk were the early signs that something wasn't right. We were lucky that our pediatrician worked with an allergist, so we got a quick diagnosis and found out that he was allergic to eggs and some nuts (only 3 got tested). We continued our lives but still did not really know much about food allergies and how dangerous they can be. Avoiding eggs and nuts in his diet and mine signficantly improved his skin. At the age of two, I very naively let him have a bite of a cashew nut cake as he hadn't been tested for cashews. Immediately after the bite, his eyes started swelling up, his nose started running and he cried. I had no medication bag and no...

Hello. My name is Filipa and I am a proud mum of three beautiful little girls.  Carmo is the eldest and is now 8 years old. Carmo has a life threatening allergy to cashew nuts and pistachio.  We discovered Carmo’s allergy when she was two years old. Carmo was a happy baby although she was often with watery eyes, constipated and suffered from eczema on her face for a long period (only went away with cortisone). When she was bitten by mosquitos she had always very big skin reactions and once we ended up staying at home with her for several days and the pediatrician checking her every day. Carmo was our first baby, so we took all these little things as “normal” baby things. It was January and Carmo had just had her second birthday and we went visiting a friend for lunch. He had a bottle of a cashew drink on the kitchen table and I asked him to try. Carmo was seated on my lap and demonstrated signs that she wanted as well to try and trying to grab my small cup. So I had some to ch...

Margot, 20, has suffered from life-threatening allergies to peanuts and lupins since she was two years old. She is now studying International Media and Entertainment Business at the University in Mechelen in Belgium. We met up with Margot to find out more what life was like as a teenager with food allergies. Transitioning from primary to secondary school Starting secondary school at the Athenée de Luxembourg was a different experience compared to her primary school years, where everyone knew about her allergies, the teachers were aware and trained. The environment around her no longer felt as safe as it had been. Her mum tried to talk to all the teachers and together with a nurse helped with the allergy training. Her emergency medication was stored at the nurse’s office, together with the medication from other pupils. A nurse from the Médicine Scolaire made sure that all emergency kits were clearly labeled, with a photo of each child and a description of the illness. Of course, Margot ...