Could feeding an allergen be a criminal offence?
Ask an allergy parent what they think when they hear "a little won't hurt", "it was only a bit", "s/he shouldn't miss out" and they find someone has given their child their allergen and they will tell you they feel dread. If they are anything like me they will also feel anger and want to punch the offending person squarely in the face and put laxatives in their food. At the very least the child will suffer delayed reactions and can be poorly for a week or more. In severe cases the child can go into anaphylactic shock and require an Epi-pen and immediate hospital treatment. Some reactions can be fatal.
Feeding a child an allergen can, and does, cause serious consequences. So, if someone KNOWS your child has an allergy and deliberately feeds them the offending food, could they be committing a criminal offence? There's several offences to choose from; from grievous bodily harm (GBH or malicious intent), to manslaughter. Perhaps if this was the case and 'friends/family/do-gooders/know-it-alls' realised that there could be consequences for them, as well as for the allergic child, they might think twice, and take things seriously. Next time someone feeds one of my children their known allergen, I'm going to try it. Who's with me?