Have you been made to feel shamed about your diabetes while dining out?

A recent dining experience unveiled some surprising and shocking insights into what many people living with diabetes experience too often.

Many people living with diabetes can be exposed to certain stigmas about their condition – often unintentionally – by people who do not understand.

Diners were recently offered a glimpse of what that can look like, with surprising results, at an evening designed to raise awareness about diabetes stigma.

The fine dining experience was organised in the fictional setting Le Biastro in Shoreditch, London to highlight “bias” faced by many people living with diabetes.

Some of the invited guests knew that the waiters/waitresses were actors and had been primed to make stigmatising comments, others were completely unaware.

A statement from Abbott, who organised the event, said: “Seven in 10 people with diabetes believe there is a stigma attached to the condition, and a place this is often seen is while socialising around food and drink – with 61% of British people with diabetes claiming to feel judged around the table.

“To bring this to life, Abbott came together with members of the diabetes community to create an immersive theatre pop-up restaurant, 'Le Biastro'.

“With the help of actors, scripts, and hidden cameras, we captured genuine reactions to evoke empathy and highlight the stigma faced by so many people with diabetes in Britain.”

Watch: Le Biastro: one restaurant, a sprinkle of hidden cameras, and add a dollop of bias