Former Love Island star Jack Fowler has criticised the “ignorance” of people who don’t understand the severity of allergies after his near-fatal reaction to cashew nuts on a flight to Dubai.
The reality TV star, who appeared on the ITV2 show in 2018, appeared on Wednesday’s Good Morning Britain and called for nuts to be excluded from in-flight menus after he claimed he could have died when they featured in a meal he was served.
Fowler said he had to use his epi pen and required five tanks of oxygen as he had a severe allergic reaction on a flight to Dubai after a chicken curry he was served had nuts in it.
The TV star said he flagged his severe nut allergy twice and was reassured the meal did not contain nuts.
Reflecting on the ordeal, he told GMB hosts Ed Balls and Susanna Reid that people need to show more compassion to passengers with allergies, insisting that there’s “ a lot of ignorance from some”.
Fowler said: “The rate of allergies in young people is on the up. I just feel like it's a sign of the times where people need to be looked after on these flights.
“Now things are changing and what is it going to take? I think people need to really understand the severity of allergies, and I think there's a lot of ignorance from some people.”
Reid then added: “The annoying thing is if you've been served a packet of cashew nuts, you could have said, ‘no, I won't have them. Thanks very much.’
“You could not tell what was in this meal. I think that all passengers should be able - like we can, in shops and supermarkets - to look at the ingredients.
“And then you would be reassured, wouldn't you, about what was actually in the food.”
After reflecting on the “extremely scary” experience, Fowler insisted that airlines need to make it more clear to staff if someone onboard has a nut allergy.
He said: “I also think airlines - and it's such a simple thing. I said, ‘why don't we have a red cover that goes over your seat?’
“So even if the flight attendant doesn't know, maybe first hand, they can visually see that person has got something in the back of the seat.”
He added: “I could tell after the first bite. I was just so confused because I had just double checked… How many times can I check to make sure there's no nuts? I was thinking, 'Is my mind playing tricks on me here?'
“But I knew my throat was closing up. There was complete negligence here. I've had a few anaphylaxis reactions before and this is my second time on an airline unfortunately. To happen once is scary enough.”
Fowler then questioned: “I just think: what is it going to take? What is it going to take until nuts are taken off flights completely?
“The amount of people in my comments on Instagram, direct messaging, saying they are completely relating to what happened, whether or not it’s them firsthand, it’s their friends, it might be the parents of a young child who’s also got an anaphylaxis to food.
“It’s incredible that nuts are still served on flights. The rate of allergies in younger people is on the up. And I just feel like it’s a sign of the times where people need to be looked after on these flights.
“Back in the day, you had some drink and some peanuts, but now things are changing and what is it gonna take?
“I think people need to really understand the severity of allergies and I think there’s a lot of ignorance in some people.”
Fowler previously shared a video of himself injecting himself with his epi pen in the thigh during the flight, writing: “I told the flight supervisor ‘If you don’t land this plane soon, I will die on this plane’. This then lead to the pilot speeding up the journey.”
He said he was taken to the airport hospital upon landing and continued treatment.
Representatives for Emirates have been contacted for comment and the airline’s website says: “We can’t guarantee our meals are nut free. We serve nuts on all our flights, either as a meal ingredient or as an accompaniment to drinks.
“Other passengers may also bring food on board that contains nuts, and traces of nut residue could be passed on to other surfaces of the aircraft as well as through the air conditioning system.”
