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Anosmia Awareness Day 2024
Anosmia Awareness Day
Anosmia Awareness Day happens on February 27th and holds a significant place in the FlavorActiV calendar, having been observed for many years. Initiated in 2012 by Daniel Schein, who himself has congenital anosmia, this day serves as a platform to raise awareness about anosmia. Commonly referred to as “nose blindness”, anosmia is the term for the inability to smell, a condition that affect millions of individuals around the world. However, it’s an important day to recognise all those experiencing different kinds of smell and taste dysfunction, whatever the cause.
The Significance of Anosmia Awareness Day
Anosmia Awareness Day is a crucial reminder to shed light on this often-overlooked aspect of sensory perception and its profound impact on people’s physical and mental health, diet and nutrition and enjoyment of pleasures such as food and wine and serve as a platform to educate and advocate for individuals affected by anosmia.
Once more, we are collaborating with our charity partner Fifth Sense to raise awareness and offer support to those affected by smell and taste disorders. Duncan Boak, CEO and founder of Fifth Sense explained: “Anosmia Awareness Day is helping us increase recognition of the impact that these sensory impairments have on the physical and mental health and wellbeing of those affected, and the need for better services, support and research”.
Fifth Sense x FlavorActiV
Fifth Sense is the UK charity for people affected by smell and taste disorders. Founded in 2012, Fifth Sense provides a range of extremely valuable resources, support services and advocacy efforts aimed at raising awareness about smell disorders, improving access to diagnosis and treatment, and fostering a supportive community for those impacted by these conditions. With funding and support from the National Lottery Community Fund and Cadent, the UK’s largest Gas Distribution Network, Fifth Sense continues to grow rapidly as it continues to fulfil its mission.
For FlavorActiV, we first became acquainted with the name Fifth Sense in early 2014. We were immensely impressed by their commitment to raising awareness and promoting understanding of smell and taste disorders. And so, in late 2014, we agreed to become official supporters.
Since then, our work with Fifth Sense has increased our understanding of the impact of anosmia outside of a technical sensory environment. As a company dedicated to sensory training in the food and beverage industry, we are acutely aware of the challenges of improving tasting ability. Our training of global sensory panels means that we have acquired a great deal of experience in tasting knowledge and techniques that can hopefully be adapted for those affected by smell and taste disorders. Dale Smith, Technical Director at FlavorActiV explained that: “Our collaboration with Fifth Sense has been extremely useful in developing our joint understanding that some form of sensory training can improve the remaining capability of those with smell and taste loss”.
Duncan, CEO and founder of Fifth Sense, noted: “The partnership between FlavorActiV and Fifth Sense has been vital in helping increase awareness of anosmia and other smell and taste disorders across the global food and beverage industries”.
Richard Boughton, CEO of FlavorActiV added: “Many companies operate corporate social responsibility policies to help worthy charities, and this normally involves raising funds by carrying out various activities such as sponsored runs/walks. The major difference in our relationship with Fifth Sense is that from day one, we were seeking to technically support anosmia sufferers. Since 2014, this is exactly the path we have followed by working alongside Fifth Sense to support them and their beneficiaries in a number of ways, including exploring how we can help people to better understand their own sensory abilities. With the advent of the pandemic the levels of anosmia have risen sharply, so life is getting busier than ever!”.
Supporting Anosmia Awareness Day
Spreading awareness for Anosmia Awareness Day can be both informative and engaging. There are several ways and fun challenges to show support and solidarity with individuals affected by anosmia. Here are some ideas:
- Blindfolded Taste Test Challenge: Host a blindfolded taste test challenge where participants try to identify different foods and flavours solely based on taste, without relying on smell. This can highlight the importance of taste in the absence of smell and raise awareness about the challenges faced by individuals with anosmia.
- Scent-Free Cooking Challenge: Encourage participants to prepare a meal using only visual cues and taste, without relying on smell. Share their creative recipes and experiences on social media, along with facts about anosmia and its impact on cooking and eating habits.
- Social Media Awareness Campaign: Start a social media campaign where participants share facts, personal stories, and photos related to anosmia using a specific hashtag. Encourage them to tag friends and family to spread awareness and encourage further discussion about smell disorders.
- Smell Identification Challenge: Create a challenge where participants try to identify different scents or common household items without seeing them. Provide a variety of scents, both pleasant and unpleasant, and encourage participants to guess what they are. This can help highlight the importance of smell in everyday life and raise awareness about the impact of anosmia.
Getting involved doesn’t have to be just limited to Anosmia Awareness Day. If your organisation is interested in supporting Fifth Sense, or running an engagement activity with them, then they would absolutely love to hear from you. Please email the Fifth Sense team at info@fifthsense.org.uk.
By shining a spotlight on anosmia and engaging in some fun challenges, participants can not only spread awareness about anosmia, but also gain a deeper understanding of the importance of smell in our lives and the challenges faced by individuals living with smell and taste disorders.
Keep an eye on our social media channels for more information about Anosmia Awareness Day and to find out how our global team of sensory specialists get on with some fun challenges!
Additional Resources & Links
If you would like to find out more about the amazing work that Fifth Sense do, then you can visit the Support and Resources section of their website at: www.fifthsense.org.uk/support-resources/
To find out more about Anosmia Awareness Day, head over to: www.anosmiaawareness.org
If you would like to find out a bit more about Daniel Schein, who started Anosmia Awareness Day back in 2012, then you can read more about him in an interview with Fifth Sense: https://www.fifthsense.org.uk/interview_daniel_schein/
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