AllergyMate

Abstract

"Food allergies pose a significant challenge for individuals who live their daily life with the potential risk of severe allergic reactions, particularly when dining outside the home. This project goes deeply into the various challenges faced by individuals with food allergies, emphasizing the high incidence of anaphylactic reactions in public dining settings and the consequent social and psychological impacts. It further explores the general lack of awareness and understanding of food allergies among the public and food service employees, which contributes to the danger due to insufficient allergen labelling and poor communication practices prevalent in the food industry, increasing the risks for those with dietary restrictions. The goal is to improve the quality of life for people with food allergies, ensuring they can eat out safely and without fear of health issues. This approach not only meets the immediate needs of those with food allergies but also pushes for changes to enhance public health and safety. This project addresses the challenges faced by individuals with food allergies, particularly the difficulty of identifying safe dining options when eating out. In Sri Lanka, where allergies are often overlooked, there currently exists no application designed to filter out specific ingredients and allergens for those seeking restaurant dishes tailored to their dietary restrictions. To address this gap, the proposed solution, ""AllergyMate,"" aims to simplify the process of finding dishes at restaurants that accommodate specific dietary needs due to allergies. The app provides users with the ability to filter restaurant dishes based on allergens and budget, to improve the dining experience and ensuring safety. Additionally, it offers access to allergy-related blogs, providing valuable tips and information to help users better manage their allergies. The implemented solution has received positive feedback from both experts and end users, who praised its effectiveness in assisting people with food allergies. They provided valuable feedback on the application and offered suggestions on how it could be further improved. These recommendations will be considered for future enhancements to better meet the needs of its users."