Allergikerfreundlichkeit in Bad Hindelang

Bad Hindelang receives quality seal for allergy-friendliness

19/05/2011

The community Bad Hindelang has become as „allergy friendly community“ certified by the European Center for Allergy Research Foundation (ECARF). The resort in the Bavarian Allgäu offers allergy sufferers particularly favorable conditions for a symptom-free stay.

Since 2001 Bad Hindelang is already a climatic health resort and Kneipp spa. On Tuesday, the municipality was also handed over the ECARF quality seal for a particularly allergy-friendly community as part of a public ceremony. „Allergy sufferers find in Bad Hindelang excellent conditions for a pleasant stay“, emphasized the head of the non-profit European Foundation for Allergy Research (ECARF), Prof. Dr. med. med. Torsten Zuberbier.

Good air and allergy friendly services
The air in the municipality Bad Hindelang is due to the altitude „extremely low pollen and mildew spores and free from dust mites“ said ECARF head Zuberbier. On top of that, through „the networked offer of allergy friendly services“ The quality of life of allergy sufferers is significantly increased during a stay in Bad Hindelang, emphasized Zuberbier. With the ECARF quality seal for allergy friendliness, the municipality of Bad Hindelang has now certified these benefits. As part of the model project funded by the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection „Development of guidelines and certification of allergy-friendly communities“ The administration and 70 companies of the municipality of Bad Hindelang have pulled together to make their municipality even more pleasant for allergy sufferers. Hotels, guest houses, restaurants, supermarkets, cafes, bakeries and butchers were informed by the experts of the European Foundation for Allergy Research about possible measures for the protection of allergy sufferers and put the proposals of the ECARF into action.

Measures to protect the allergic person
The protection of allergy sufferers often required only relatively simple measures that could be implemented without great financial expense and yet make a significant contribution to create an allergy-friendly offer. For example, hotels and guest houses offer allergy-free accommodation, including smoke and pet-free rooms with allergy-friendly flooring and mite-resistant mattress and bedding covers. In gastronomy, especially the preparation of food without the most common allergenic foods such as nuts, eggs or celery is of particular importance. Also, the operators should be able to enumerate the ingredients used in detail.

Two allergy-friendly communities in Germany
All the requirements for the protection of allergy sufferers have been successfully implemented in the participating companies and so Bad Hindelang can now boast of being the second community in Germany with the ECARF quality seal for allergy friendliness. The town of Baabe on the Baltic Sea island of Rügen was already certified in 2008 as the first municipality worldwide with the ECARF seal. According to the European Center for Allergy Research, these all-natural oases are all the more necessary because in Europe allergies are the most common chronic diseases and on average almost every second European family has an allergic person. According to the ECARF head, however, 90 percent of those affected are not treated appropriately or not treated at all. (Fp)

Image: DaniS from de.wikipedia.org