I found a great “design concept” (read — brainstorming idea) of a Food Allergen Detector (via Laughing Squid). The concept here is a little device you carry with you to restaurants. Red: bad. Green: good. Couldn’t be simpler, right?
Personally, I can’t wait for such an idea to develop, but I’m not convinced it ever will. I worry that any company that would consider building such a detector couldn’t cover the risk of being sued in case the detector failed, even once.
Consider that: if your tool makes one mistake, it could be all over. That’s the risk with allergies and sensitivities. And would people ever fully trust such a tool? I suppose a glucose-monitor is a similar analogy. As more people get more information and learn about how to cook for allergies, we all win.And until the day that a silver-bullet allergen detector can be made (if at all?), we all need to continue to be vigilant.