An Adelaide café has become the first in Australia to install a potentially life-saving EpiPen station for diners with allergies.
The EpiPen station has been installed at Little Fig Café on Winston Ave at Melrose Park. In the event that a diner suffers an anaphylaxis attack, an injection of potentially lifesaving adrenaline will be immediately available.
Little Fig Café is believed to be the first Australian café to be fitted with such equipment, with the support of Global Anaphylaxis Awareness and Inclusivity (globalaai).
Little Fig Café owner Hayley Ryan said she was motivated to install the globalaai EpiPen station after her sister-in-law was diagnosed with a severe sesame allergy. “Having a diner suffer from an anaphylaxis attack is every café and restaurant owner’s worst nightmare,” Ms Ryan said.
“There are so many food items that people can become allergic to and many of these are not obvious, for example capsicum and onion allergies.
“I’m committed to providing the safest possible environment for my customers and having a globalaai EpiPen station helps me to achieve this.
“It’s a small investment for a significant benefit. It gives me peace of mind that if someone suffers a severe allergic reaction in my café, I will be able to help and potentially save a life.”
Up to 20% of the population is known to suffer allergies. These include foods such as nuts, fish, crustaceans, eggs, milk and grains, while other common allergies include pollen, pet hair, dust mites, latex and insect bites. globalaai was founded by South Australian Dr Pooja Newman who almost died after suffering an anaphylaxis reaction to latex at an Adele concert in Adelaide earlier this year.
“Dining out is a stressful experience for people with allergies. For some, all it takes is one bite to suffer a life-threatening reaction,” she said.
“In this situation the availability of a publicly-accessible EpiPen station can quite literally save a life.
“It is globalaai’s vision to see EpiPen stations installed in food outlets, event venues, shopping centres, schools, childcare centres, accommodation and healthcare facilities across Australia.
“We commend Little Fig Café on its leadership position to create a safer dining experience and encourage all food outlets to follow its lead and potentially save lives.”
The Little Fig
90b Winston Avenue
Melrose Park, SA
(08) 8277 1188
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