Maybe Not So Food Allergy Friendly After All

Not too long ago, I came across a press release for what I thought was a "food allergy friendly toy" and wrote about it here.  It seemed great that a toy was created with food allergic children in mind.  I even posted about it elsewhere, like peanutallergy.com. On the one hand, I am disturbed that I helped propagate the impression that the toy is food allergy friendly when it may not be. On the other hand, I am glad I posted about it because it instigated a useful discussion. Peanut Free Mama pointed out that there was some conflicting and concerning information on the package which raised questions about cross-contamination!

A question about cross-contamination was disturbing, especially considering the press release presented the toy as suitable for those with nut allergies and celiac disease. I telephoned and emailed the manufacturer. The information I received was less than crystal clear. It certainly was not the reassurance parents of food allergic children desire or need. Based on the manufacturer's statements, it seems there are no nuts in the factory or the mixes. If one assumes that "nuts" in this context means peanuts and tree nuts, the mixes possibly may be safe for peanut and nut allergic individuals. The information on cross-contamination is even less clear with regard to gluten content. It appears that gluten and wheat are not ingredients but that the mixes are manufactured on equipment that handles gluten and/or wheat. The one thing that is certain is that Jakks' allergen information is not as clear as it should be. It should not take multiple emails and group discussion to decipher a product's allergen information.

Do any of you have the Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker? What have you discovered regarding food allergens in the Girl Gourmet mixes? What's your take on it?

UPDATE: See Read the Labels for Toys Too

Free Shipping from It's Nut Free (United Kingdom)

For those of you in the U.K., here is an enticing offer from It's Nut Free: free delivery in the U.K. on all orders of £60.00 or over until Boxing Day 2008. Visit the online store at www.itsnutfree.com.

Win a Bristol Harbor Homemade Mix

Bristol Harbor Homemade has graciously offered to give away four mixes to Food Allergy Buzz readers: Dark ‘n Stormy Ginger Cookie Mix (it’s also dairy free), one Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix, one Cranberry White Chocolate Scone Mix, and one Whole Wheat Beer Bread Mix. Each winner will receive one delicious mix. To enter the giveaway, send an email to jennifer@foodallergybuzz.com before midnight eastern time on December 3. The first 4 entries which contain the name of the founder's husband will win. You'll need to take a look at the Bristol Harbor Homemade website to find it. Winners will be notified via email on December 4.

Bristol Harbor Homemade may be purchased online anytime at New England Cupboard. They also were recently featured in the Buzz Around New England here on Food Allergy Buzz.

Thanksgiving Wishes 2008

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you celebrating today, 
November 27, 2008

Food Allergy Books Holiday Special

Please take a look at the email below from author and food allergy advocate, Linda Coss, and Food Allergy Books.

Dear Jennifer,

When it comes to raising a child with life-threatening food allergies, it really does "take a village" - there are many people who need to be on the food allergy management team. This holiday season I'm encouraging people to consider giving food allergy books to relatives, friends, caregivers and anyone else who would benefit from having helpful food allergy resources on hand.

I would appreciate it if you would let your readers know that I'm running a holiday special: Order by December 31, 2008 and get FREE Priority Mail shipping. There's no minimum order or coupons required, but you can also save up to 26% when you order the books in sets. 

Just go to www.FoodAllergyBooks.com to place your order. 

As always, those who would like their books personally autographed just need to ask.

Thank you in advance for helping me spread the word.

  

Best wishes,

 

Linda Coss

Plumtree Press

949-699-2749

Books to Help Your Family Live with Food Allergies

www.FoodAllergyBooks.com

Cherrybrook Kitchen Sale for Online Orders

Did you receive the latest Cherrybrook Kitchen newsletter? The online prices of Cherrybrook Kitchen's cake mix, frosting, and frosting spreads have been reduced by $1.00 till the end of the year.  The reduced price applies to online orders.

Food Allergy Ball 2008

Republished with permission

Food Allergy Ball 2008

Monday, December 8, 2008

The Eleventh Annual Food Allergy Ball, presented by the Food Allergy Initiative takes place on Monday, December 8, 2008 at The Waldorf=Astoria.  The evening’s proceeds will benefit the Food Allergy Initiative’s research activities and educational programs aimed at effectively treating and raising awareness of life-threatening food allergies.  

This year’s event will honor Richard Saltzman, President of Colony Capital, LLC, and his wife, Bette, a longtime advocate for food-allergic families.  David and Denise Bunning will receive the FAI Legacy Award for their commitment to bettering the lives of those afflicted with food allergies.  FAI’s 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Marcus Samuelsson, chef and co-owner of Restaurant Aquavit.

David H. Koch is the Corporate Dinner Chair, Sharyn T. Mann and Todd J. Slotkin are the Gala Dinner Chairs, and Patricia and James Cayne, Mary Richardson Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Julia Koch are the Benefit Dinner Chairs.    The festivities for this black-tie Gala start at 7:00 PM.  Kelli O’Hara and David Pittsinger of Broadway’s South Pacific will give a special performance.  Ticket prices are as follows: Tables are available for $50,000, $25,000 and $15,000, and individual tickets are available for $5,000 and $2,500.  

The Food Allergy Initiative is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for life-threatening food allergies.  FAI supports public policy initiatives to create safer environments for the estimated 11 million Americans affected by food allergies. Founded in 1998, the organization also raises awareness by developing educational programs for schools, health and child care workers, and members of the food service and hospitality industries. Please visit www.faiusa.org for additional information.

For press information, contact Mitchell Manning Associates, LTD. at (212) 980-1711 or fax to (212) 980-1615.

For Gala information contact the Food Allergy Initiative Benefit Headquarters at (212) 627-1000.

Gluten-Free (and more!) Gingerbread Houses and People

Good news! I sent emails to a number of gluten free bakeries trying to find a gluten-free gingerbread house kit and...success is ours! I just received the following comment:

 The Sensitive Baker said...

Hi! We make gluten-free gingerbread house kits (small, $25 + shipping), gluten-free, casein-free, soy-free, corn-free, and nut-free, but they're not vegan. It's a shame, since the cookie itself is vegan (also egg-free), but the frosting "glue" that holds it together NEEDS egg.

We do gingerbread PEOPLE that are vegan, and also offer a sugar-free version!

One of the best things about gingerbread is that it doesn't require air-shipping in those big styrofoam boxes, so it can travel regular mail. Please order by December 12th to ensure delivery by x-mas.

Call (310)815-1800 to order or visit The SensitiveBaker.com

Thanks Food Allergy Buzz for the opportunity to tell everyone!

November 24, 2008

Sarasota Springs Food Allergy Friendly Restaurant Tip

Being a New Englander, I must have clams every summer. Ideally, I like to hit the big three: clam cakes, clam chowder, and fried clams. For some strange reason, I have never become a fan of lobster, but clams, well...I just gotta have 'em. So when I received a tip about KDs Fish Fry, I was immediately interested. I haven't been there yet, but it sounds appealing.

KD's Fish Fry is located at 418 Geyser Road in Saratoga Springs, New York. KD's opened in January 2007 and offers an allergen-free and gluten-free menu. Inspired by customer requests as well as her personal health challenges, the owner/chef has developed various allergy friendly recipes for those who need to avoid wheat, gluten, soy, egg and dairy. She even has a patent pending for a butter alternative! Pretty good, eh?

KD's is certainly in a good location--Saratoga's a popular vacation destination. There are a number of attractions there including horse racing (of course!), a nearby Six Flags amusement park , and Saratoga National Historic Park, to name a few. There's also skiing and other winter sports in the winter. When you are making vacation plans, you may want to check KD's out and give 'em a try. The telephone number is 518.583.9677. If any of you have already been there, please send us a comment and give us your opinion!

Gluten-Free Gingerbread House--Anyone?

UPDATE 11/25/08: We've found one source for gluten-free gingerbread house kits. To learn more, read Gluten-Free (and more!) Gingerbread Houses and People.  If anyone knows of others, send us a comment!

We've recently discovered the treasure of peanut-free, nut-free, dairy-free and egg-free gingerbread houses and peanut-free, nut-free, dairy-free and egg-free gingerbread house kits. Now, we need a gluten-free gingerbread house. Then, we really will have accomplished something!  Is there a bakery or food manufacturer making gluten-free--and I mean truly gluten-free--gingerbread houses or gingerbread house kits? If you know of one, please send us a comment. Give us as much info as you can, the name of the company, the phone number or web site, let's try to brighten some gluten-free holiday celebrations!

Thanksgiving Discount on Vermont Nut Free Chocolate

Dave, of Peanut free!!, has the scoop on nut free chocolate in his most recent post. Vermont Nut Free Chocolate is offering a 10% discount with the word "turkey" through November 27, 2008. If you love or need Vermont Nut Free Chocolate as we do, bookmark Dave's blog, http://daveg227.wordpress.com/. He seems to be the only one who blogs about Vermont Nut Free discounts, and I figure he's probably a good person to know. Thanks again, Dave!

Food Allergy Labeling Standards Wake-up Call

Yesterday's article in the Chicago-Tribune reminded me that lack of standards for labeling foods as "gluten-free" or "allergen-free" is one of my pet peeves. Back in mid-August, I wrote a post about it, which I am republishing below. The problem goes beyond recalls that we never hear about, it's also that we have no standards for labeling a product as gluten-free or dairy-free or peanut-free. "Allergen-free" can mean different things to different people, and companies profit off of the lack of definitions and allergic consumers eager to find "free from" products. As food allergic consumers, we should be jumping up and down, demanding that some standard definitions be set, so that not every Tom, Dick, and Harry can claim to have a gluten-free product. The Chicago-Tribune article should serve as a wake-up call to us. 

Is It Time for Standardized Definitions for Allergen-Free Food Claims?

With all the hullaballoo about the expected growth of the specialty food industry for food allergies and intolerances, how many companies are jumping on the bandwagon, proclaiming that their product is “gluten-free” or “nut-free”? Some of the products never contained gluten in the first place!  And does the fact that a product does not contain peanuts as an ingredient qualify it as “peanut-free”? Does the entire manufacturing facility need to be dedicated “peanut-free”? Is a dedicated line good enough to be declared “dairy-free”? Can a manufacturer switch to making "nut-free" or "gluten-free" products and use the same equipment as before? Is a sanitization protocol adequate to claim a “free-from” product? What about sanitization combined with allergen testing of the food products? And what about the suppliers of the ingredients? Do they need to be “dairy-free” or “soy-free” in order for the finished product to be declared as such? 

What does it mean when a product label bears an allergen-free claim? Do you telephone or email manufacturers for clarification? Does the fact that a food is labeled as allergen-free influence your shopping decisions?  

Maybe it is time for the FDA to set standards defining “gluten-free”, “peanut-free” and other allergen-free claims on product packaging and labels. What do you think?

Celebrating Food

We had a visit to a new allergist today, one of the "go to" guys for peanut allergy.  Following a recent blood test and today's skin test, we received some wonderful news--pistachios are back! My five year old may eat pistachios if they are packaged unshelled (in their shells) and are from a facility that does not process or handle peanuts. We were very excited about this news and stopped at the grocery store on the way home to purchase a package of unshelled pistachios. I called the manufacturer to verify that they do not process peanuts and learned they only process almonds and pistachios, so we happily, peacefully, munched on a small handful of pistachios this afternoon.

Pistachios are something of a luxury food, aren't they? They're expensive and they're not part of our everyday diet. What jubilation and celebration must follow news of an outgrown milk allergy or wheat allergy. I can't imagine! With the holiday celebrations drawing nearer, it would be fun to hear how other food allergic families and individuals celebrate growing out of a food allergy and having more food options. What did you do to celebrate?

Soy allergic beware--double check that olive oil

I just came across a very alarming article about olive oil in the Hartford Courant: Impure olive oil? Say it ain't soy.  If you have a friends or family with a soy allergy, please read this article.  

Apparently some imported "olive oil" isn't olive oil at all; it's soybean oil and it's being sold much cheaper than other, real olive oils. Not surprising, the "olive oil" does not bear the required allergen statement indicating that it contains soy--that's frightening. It seems reading your labels is not enough; if you see something that seems exceptionally cheaper at the supermarket, you may be well advised to make calls, send emails, and ask questions regardless of what the label says.

The problems with impure olive oil have spurred the olive oil industry in the U.S. to work on setting standards for olive oil purity, with Connecticut leading the way.

"Free, online, nationwide restaurant rating and review site" for food allergies

I just received an email from Caroline of BROFFA.org (Brookline Families with Food Allergies) about an exciting new website, myigea.com. With Caroline's permission, I am pasting the email here for you to read. Check it out!

Dear all,

I hope this message finds you doing well. I am writing to you because of a new website we are launching to help people with food allergies. In a nutshell, we are creating a free, online, nationwide restaurant rating and review site. The site is very similar to Zagat's in concept, and you can think about it as Zagat's for food allergies. The alpha version of the website is at http://www.myigea.com

I am writing to ask for your help very early in the life of our company.  In order to make this a success, we need people to build this rating system from the ground up around the country. We are reaching out to food allergy groups all around the country, and in fact this is the first of those emails, going out to groups in Massachusetts, California and Washington DC.

As we improve our site with your help, we will continue our roll-out plan to the rest of the country.

What are are asking for:

€    Helping spread the word to your fellow food-allergy friends

€   Joining and posting as many reviews as possible (both good and bad) and getting your friends and colleagues to do the same

We ask for your patience as we build this site.  There will be times when the site does not work and when links are broken. We are involving you at the earliest stages of our company and many improvements will be made with your input over the coming weeks and months.  I strongly believe we can make this a success and in the process organize and rate the restaurant world for people with food allergies.  You have the knowledge to help each other.  This site becomes powerful when a lot of reviews have been posted. When you or your friends travel, this site will help you find good dining options in whatever city you find yourself in.  As this site grows stronger, I believe restaurants will respond to the growing demands of the food allergy population and become more food allergy friendly.   

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.  We are looking forward to working with you and appreciate your help!

Cheers,
Jay Chyung

CEO and co-founder
my IGEA, LLC
www.myigea.com

Corn--It's Everywhere!

Here is an interesting perspective on the use of corn and corn allergy in the U.S. It's an article by Clara McConnell of the University Daily Kansan: How corn infiltrated the entire food chain. Those of us fortunate enough not to suffer from an allergy to corn rarely give thought to or can even imagine how many items--even non-food items--contain corn. It's mind boggling.  

What's with the Markup on Cherrybrook Kitchen Mixes?

OK. Is it me? Am I crazy? What is with the markup on specialty foods targeted to those with food allergies?! I just got back from the supermarket--Shaw's Supermarket, to be precise--and they have those big yellow SALE tags under the Cherrybrook Kitchen mixes.  The price? $6.29. Are they kidding? That's the discounted price with my handy-dandy Shaw's card? Gee, what a deal!  It's a whopping 50 cents less than the regular $6.79.  That, my friends, is what we call highway robbery. It's outrageous!  

So what do we do?  I really am not keen on getting membership in another online service for allergy coupons, even if it's free. I get LOTS o' email already. Plus, I already get them straight from the manufacturers. I suppose we can skip buying the mix and then make cake from scratch. Then, Shaw's will stop carrying it eventually...and who knows what will happen. We really need products like CBK's cake mixes and cookie mixes. Did you read Jenny's post yesterday on the Nut Free Mom Blog?  Maybe we need to let CBK know that they need to encourage the stores carrying their products to lower the prices a smidge. Here's a link to the CBK comment page: http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com/talktous/customercomments.php.  Maybe we should be complaining to the supermarkets.  Does anyone else see super high prices on CBK at their local supermarket?  If so, which supermarket and whereabouts (not necessary to be too specific on location)?

Does CBK even know that it's marked up by at least 3 dollars? With today's economic climate, that's a good way to lose customers. C'mon guys, throw us food allergy families a bone, will ya? We may have to go without or bake from scratch. (Thank goodness I got some on the cheap at Ocean State Job Lot, eh?)

What do you think?

Uno Chicago Grill Offers Gluten-Free Pizza

Here is a bit of news that will make your mouth water! Uno Chicago Grill--weren't they formerly known as Pizzeria Uno?--is "the nation's first casual dining chain to offer a gluten-free pizza, currently testing the new menu item in its Northeastern region." For more info, take a peek at the November 18, 2008 press release. The menu and nutritional info may be viewed online at www.unos.com. I love hearing about new options for those with food allergies, intolerances and other restricted diets. It's that whole "Yes, we can!" thing.  It makes everything look a little better, doesn't it?

Cherrybrook Kitchen Mixes on Sale

Here's a shopping tip for those of you living in New England, or at least Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island--Ocean State Job Lot has Cherrybrook Kitchen mixes (egg-free, dairy-free, peanut-free and tree nut-free) on sale for about $3.50. That is about $3 less than the going rate at Shaws Supermarket. Hurry though because there weren't many mixes left when we went this weekend. We found both chocolate and yellow cake mixes.

Auto Injector Training for Restaurant Staff

One of the current topics under discussion on Digest This is auto injector training for restaurant staff. What do you think? In many locations around the U.S., school teachers, administrative staff and bus drivers are all trained to administer an epi-pen in an emergency situation. Are there other professions where contact with the public warrants training in administering an auto injector? Is this going too far?

CBS Article Helping Build Awareness

CBS.com recently ran an article entitled Baking and Cooking with Food Allergies. The article discusses wheat, milk and egg allergies, foods to avoid, label reading and lists of food substitutes. It's a good quick guide to those three allergies and provides basic information to the non-allergic reader. 

Since my family doesn't have these allergies, I don't feel I am in a good position to judge how good the lists are. It seems like a potentially good article to have handy for educating friends and family. What do you think?

County Blog Asks If Restaurant Staff Should Receive Epi-Pen Training

Here is an interesting article from the Cotswald Journal about a blog started by the Gloucestershire County Council as a forum for discussions on food issues. "Digest This" is located at www.visionfoodhall.wordpress.com. One of the questions currently under discussion is whether or not restaurant staff should be trained in administering life-saving epinephrine.  Food labeling and many other food related issues also will be discussed in future posts. Residents are encouraged to participate and there also will be commentaries by medical and food professionals.  It sounds intriguing. It would be interesting to see what comes as a result of the discussions.

Did you say an egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free and peanut-free gingerbread house?

You heard right. After receiving multiple requests from customers for gingerbread houses that are egg-free and dairy-free in addition to being peanut-free and nut-free, A & J Bakery  is now offering gingerbread houses and gingerbread house kits free of all four of those allergens.

This has been quite a week here on Food Allergy Buzz. It's been one piece of good news after another. Who would think that there are so many foods and activities to enjoy allergen-free?

New Medical Emergency Charms

Photo courtesy of WELLAlarm

In early October, I received an email from Stephanie Cion, founder of WELLAlarm, a new medical emergency service. You may recognize the name WELLAlarm from other food allergy blogs and medical websites. Stephanie's inspiration for WELLAlarm grew out of her own personal experience with a life threatening condition. More information about her story can be found on her website. Her awareness of the need to communicate critical medical information in a crisis led her to develop WELLCharms, attractive charms for bracelets and necklaces which are available for purchase on her web site. The charms provide a way to identify an individual's medical condition immediately. What distinguishes WELLAlarm from other medical emergency services is that it also offers online access to personal medical information from anywhere. It's a new and interesting concept.

Stephanie has graciously contributed a WELLAlarm shellfish allergy charm and necklace and a year of platinum WELLAlarm service to a randomly selected Food Allergy Buzz reader. To enter the giveaway, make a visit to http://wellalarm.com and send an email to jennifer@foodallergybuzz.com listing the other allergy WELLAlarm charms currently displayed on the WELLAlarm website. Giveaway entries must be submitted by midnight Eastern time on Tuesday, November 18. The winner will be notified via email on Wednesday, November 19.  Good luck!

Allergen-Free Cooking Classes for Kids in the U.K.

Crafty Chefs, owned by Morag Price and Nicola Mundy, two mothers from Surrey (United Kingdom), offers cooking courses and parties for children, with a special focus on food allergic children. Morag has experience working in multiple school settings, having worked as a classroom assistant and as a nursery school cook, where her interest in cooking really blossomed. Nicola has over 13 years of experience working in the field of public health with children and teenagers. In addition, one of Nicola's children is allergic to milk, eggs, nuts and sesame seeds. Their shared interests in cooking with children inspired them to open Crafty Chefs in September 2007.

I came across Crafty Chefs during my seemingly never-ending search for nut-free and peanut-free gingerbread houses and gingerbread house kits, which up until a day or two ago were unavailable in the U.S. Crafty Chefs' website was particularly appealing because they sell allergen free cooking kits. I also like how they believe that cooking and eating food should be fun, and that food allergies should not prevent a child from enjoying food. There are many items available for sale on their website, including:

• dairy free pizza
  
• egg and dairy free biscuits and cakes
  
• egg and dairy free banana bread
  
• dairy and egg free gingermen
  
• dairy, egg and nut free gingerbread chalet
  

Children can attend one of Crafty Chefs' workshops and make their gingerbread house on-site in Haslemere on December 20, 2008. It sounds like a lot of fun for everyone! Those unable to attend can purchase a kit and make the gingerbread house at home.  Everything is prepared in Nicola's nut-free, milk-free, egg-free and sesame-free home. No ingredients bearing the warning "may contains" or "may contain traces of" are ever used. No nuts are ever used. When a food allergic child attends a Crafty Chefs class, allergen free ingredients are used for the entire class.

For more information, please visit the Crafty Chefs website at http://shop.buddingbakers.co.uk/. For those of you in the U.K., the telephone number is 01428 648663/653251.  

Wouldn't it be nice to find allergen-free cooking classes for children in the U.S. and Canada too?  If you know of some, please send us a comment!

Peanut-Free and Nut-Free Gingerbread Houses

*UPDATE: A & J Bakery are now offering egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free and peanut-free gingerbread houses and gingerbread house kits, as well as the regular nut-free and peanut-free ones.

Peanut free and nut free bakery pioneers Amy and Joe Hitzemann of A & J Bakery in Rhode Island made my day. I have been looking on and off for more than a year for a peanut free and nut free gingerbread house or gingerbread house kit. I preferred the kit but would have taken an assembled house, if that's what I found. I could not find one.  I found some in Canada and even found some NAFTA Foods gingerbread kits being delivered to Supervalu in Virginia, but could not find a way to get ahold of even one of those kits. Late last week, I received news that A & J Bakery would be selling gingerbread houses. Finally, peanut free and nut free gingerbread houses made and sold in the U.S.--how exciting!

Today I received additional information about the gingerbread houses and learned that they are also selling gingerbread house kits. The assembled gingerbread house is available for pick-up only and costs $38. The kits are available for shipping in the U.S. and Canada and are $24 plus shipping. The kits include pre-baked gingerbread house pieces, white icing, two kinds of nut free candy, and non-edible decorations too. A 2 day lead time is needed for the kit and 4 days for the assembled house. The gingerbread houses and kits are available for purchase now.

A and J Bakery is located at 1458 Park Avenue in Cranston, RI.  The telephone number is 866.426.9075 and email address is info@aandjbakery.net.

*NOTE: Karen of the Avoiding Milk Protein blog and website has some interesting information on Gingerbread Men and Kits available in Canada.*

A & J Bakery Coupons

Peanut and nut free A & J Bakery of Cranston, RI, has coupons for November and December. I've put the coupons in a Google Doc you may access online at the following link http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=df4vn7tm_6d2qx8pgs. (For some reason, I can't get the formatting quite right when I open it on my Mac, but it's pretty close.) 

Last time A & J offered coupons, they accepted them toward the cost of the purchase (not the shipping) for mail orders too, so take advantage of one or both coupons for the holidays. It's a great bakery, immaculate and completely peanut and nut free. You'd be hard-pressed to find more dedicated bakery owners. They also make dairy free and egg free cakes, cupcakes and cookies upon request. The website is www.aandjbakery.net and the telephone number is 866.426.9075.

Should Food Allergic Students be Segregated?

Here is an article from Illinois about another approach to managing food allergies as school. A local school fights food allergies in the classroom discusses the efforts of one elementary school in Illinois where 10 out of the 100 kindergarteners have severe food allergies. According to the WIFR.com article,

"(the) principal says, "The students are grouped into one classroom for two reasons, to do the most accommodations we can in that classroom, the second one is to make it a safer overall by making sure we monitor what comes in and out of that classroom and what they come in contact with daily."

Part of the monitoring process, students bags and lunches are checked several times a day for harmful products, just one of many safety measures."

I can see both positives and negatives to this approach. It's almost a little controversial because of the separation or segregation of the students. What do you think?

Is FDA's List of Top Food Allergens Complete?

A fellow member of Food Allergy Support suggested that I write a post about including sesame in the list of the Food and Drug Administration's top food allergens.  FDA's current list of 8 includes "milk, eggs, fish (e.g. bass, flounder, cod), crustacean shellfish (e.g. crab, lobster, shrimp), tree nuts (e.g. walnuts, almonds, pecans), peanuts, wheat and soybeans."

Sesame allergy is growing in the U.S.--Allergic Child mentions that it is considered by some to be the 9th most common allergen in the U.S. A 2005 article on CTV.com entitled Sesame allergy becoming more common: study noted that "sesame seed allergy seems to be following in the footsteps of peanut allergy." Some speculate sesame allergy is on the rise in the U.S. due to the increased "internationalization" of the American diet. I do not have to look too far to see evidence of the popularity of sesame--my school age son takes pita and hummus--which contains tahini (sesame paste)--to school for lunch about once a week.  I had never even heard of hummus thirty years ago, and the only place I was aware of sesame seeds was on hamburger buns. That is certainly not the case today. It often is a "hidden ingredient" used in many processed and packaged foods. It is present in many Asian foods and is also in a number of non-food items such as cosmetics. Sesame is in so many foods, is not clearly labeled, and is not recognized by many food manufacturers. What to do?

A quick look at other similar countries' allergen labeling standards reveals that sesame is included in their lists of common allergens.

• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency lists 9 top allergens including "peanuts, tree nuts, sesame seeds, milk, eggs, seafood (fish, crustaceans and shellfish), soy, wheat, and sulphites (a food additive)." (emphasis added)  
• The Foods Standards Agency in the United Kingdom lists "gluten, crustaceans, molluscs, eggs, fish, peanuts, nuts, soybeans, milk, celery, mustard, sesame, lupin and sulphur dioxide at levels above 10mg/kg, or 10 mg/litre, expressed as SO₂." (emphasis added) 
• Food Standards Australia New Zealand's list includes peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, finned fish, milk, eggs, sesame, soybean, and wheat. (emphasis added)
• The European Commission guidelines require that the following allergens be labeled: "Cereals containing gluten and products thereof, Crustaceans and products thereof, Eggs and products thereof, Fish and products thereof, Peanuts and products thereof, Soybeans and products thereof, Milk and dairy products (including lactose), Nuts and nut products, Celery and products thereof, Mustard and products thereof, Sesame seeds and products thereof, and Sulphur dioxide and sulphites at concentrations of more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/l expressed as SO2." (emphasis added)

If you are unfamiliar with sesame allergy, some basic facts and frequently asked questions are available on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's page on Sesame Allergy. There is also an excellent brochure from the Government of Canada about sesame allergy, possible sources of sesame seeds, non-food sources of sesame seeds, and other names for sesame seeds.

The FDA will continue to accept comments on advisory labeling statements until January 15, 2009. This is an opportunity to voice your opinion about requiring clear labeling for sesame and expanding the list of common allergens to include sesame. If you haven't already done so, please consider sending in your comments to the FDA. Submit comments electronically at http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocumentDetail&o=09000064806b7555. Just click on the little yellow bubble that says "add a comment".  It may be helpful if you refer to Docket No. FDA-2008-N-0429.

One individual in particular motivated me to write this post. She's a member of two wonderful discussion groups/forums I frequent: Food Allergy Support and Kids with Food Allergies. She also provided a number of links to articles and websites about sesame allergy, most of which I've now read, and some of which I link to in this post. Without all of her efforts, it would have taken me far longer to get up to speed on sesame allergy. I've barely scratched the surface in this post, but hopefully I've persuaded a few of you to support requiring labeling for sesame along with the other common food allergens as defined by FDA. Whether or not you agree that sesame should be included in FDA's list of common allergens, one thing is certain: this opportunity to submit comments to the FDA regarding labeling is not to be missed by those of us in the food allergy community! This is your chance--make yourself heard!  

Feel free to comment here too! Do you agree sesame labeling should be required along with the other 8 common allergens? Do you think there are others that should be? What do you think?

Auto Injector Carrier from Australia

Recently, I was contacted by Activeaide of Australia regarding their Auto Injector Pouch. While I know there are a variety of auto injector carriers on the market, I hadn't tried one previously. I have been carrying my son's Epi-pens in a now beaten-up looking Hefty OneZip bag where I also store a couple of Benadryl Perfect Measures, hydrocortisone, and Desonide Ointment (see below).  I just did not want to spend the money on a carrier or a pouch!  When I deem the bag is "too old", I simply replace it with a new one.

I decided to test out the pouch sent by Activeaide. It's very attractive and looks well-made. It also looks very durable and would clearly outlast multiple Ziplocs or Hefty OneZips in my purse. It's insulated and padded, two very practical features that my OneZip lacks.  In the summers, I had been resorting to just using one of our insulated lunch bags for long car rides, but I must admit an insulated epi-pen size carrier makes much more sense. There's even a panel just inside the cover with lines to write your (or your child's) name and telephone number--that would be great for school, camp, or daycare. Now that I think of it, our school nurse keeps tens of disposable plastic bags containing epi-pens with the allergic kids' names on the outside. I can foresee a circumstance where one child's epipen might get put into another child's ziploc, but if it were in an epi-pen sized carrier like the one by Activeaide, with the name and phone filled out, that could be less likely to happen.  

The carrier has strong elastic loops on the back for wearing on your belt and also has a key ring. I wore the Activeaide carrier on my belt on an easy 1 and 1/2 mile hike at a Massachusetts Audubon Society sanctuary. One thing I noticed during our hike is that it is extremely lightweight. When we returned to our car, I just popped it off the belt and plopped it back in my handbag.  It's a nice product and I think it is well worth the money.  

You can order an Activeaide Pouch online on the Activeaide website, www.activeaide.com.  Just select your geographic region on their website and then place your order.  If you are in the U.S., the individual pouch sells for $20.80 and the twin pouch--made to accommodate two auto injectors--is $28.05.  The single size pouches come in navy blue and yellow, while the twin comes in a teal/turquoise color.  Activeaide also sells a waist band and ID tag as well, which you can view on their website.  Shipping is set at $10.50 (a flat rate), which is a great deal for purchases of more than one pouch.  Perhaps support groups could place one order for a number of members, so each individual would pay very little for shipping.  (I myself am going to see if another parent of a food allergic child around here is interested, so I can order a twin pouch.) 

Buzz Around New England: Bristol Harbor Homemade

Months ago, I stumbled upon an article on kidoinfo.com about baking mixes from Rhode Island based Bristol Harbor Homemade that were about to begin production at a nut-free facility in Maine. Interesting!

I recently had the opportunity to try a few of the mixes. They were all delicious and simple to make, but my absolute favorites were the white chocolate cranberry scones. What a treat! These mixes come in a gorgeous blue package which is perhaps the most attractive packaging I've seen for baking mixes. The Bristol Harbor Homemade website refers to the mixes as "artisan", and that is an apt description. These gourmet mixes are a nice change from mixes typically produced in nut-free facilities and come in several varieties including White Chocolate Cranberry Scones, Blueberry scones, Dark n' Stormy Ginger Cookies,  Chocolate Chip Bakery Cookies, Afternoon Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Chocolate Orange Cranberry Biscotti. They are a great treat for yourself and would certainly make excellent gifts.

The origins of Bristol Harbor Homemade are interesting too. Cindy Elder, the founder of Bristol Harbor Homemade, began preparing dry mixes for her own family to make meals away from home--away in the mountains or out in the sailboat--a little easier. She began to give her mixes as gifts to family and friends, and eventually began to receive requests for the mixes from "friends of friends", and customers--and Bristol Harbor Homemade was born. As the mixes began to gain popularity locally, Cindy began to receive increasing numbers of inquiries asking if the mixes were "safe for nut allergies". So when the time came to move to a larger manufacturing facility, production of the baking mixes shifted to a nut-free facility in Maine, The New England Cupboard.  

Bristol Harbor Homemade mixes are available in specialty stores around the Northeast and are also available for purchase online on The New England Cupboard website, www.newenglandcupboard.com.  Prices range from $5.49 for a bread mix to $8.49 for a cookie or scone mix. For additional information, you can also contact Cindy Elder and Bristol Harbor Homemade at shop@bristolharborhomemade.com.

Clothing to help young food allergic children advocate for themselves

Photo courtesy ALERT Clothing Co.

Fellow blogger, Jenny, over at The Nut-free Mom Blog, recently had a post about the ALERT Clothing Company. I agree with Jenny--these shirts (and tote bags) are a great idea, helping make adults aware of food allergies for children who are still to young to advocate for themselves. The email from the founder of ALERT Clothing Company provides a wonderful description of the clothing and the purpose behind them.  Take a look:

Dear Jennifer,

     Hello- My name is Rebecca Nelson and my concern is food Allergies in children. Two of my three children suffer from food allergies so I understand the concerns of a parent with this issue. According to (FAAN) The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network the numbers are 1 in 17  estimated to be about 3 million children. A parent cannot be present constantly (pre-school, camps...) and a two, three or four year old cannot be depended upon to relay their food allergy message to all. I watched my child in a pre-school classroom- they are very busy! I had to think of a way to keep him safe in school. So, I designed ALERT Clothing Company with the child in mind. Bright, cheerful, colorful graphics and the message of food allergies included on each t-shirt, sweatshirt and tote bag. The company logo is also on the back of every item for easy identification as well. In a busy classroom teachers, volunteers and caregivers are thankful because food is an issue daily. My goal is to raise awareness, help the teachers with the identification of food allergies and have the child feel special too! ALERT Clothing Company supports FAAN. Please visit our website to learn more www.alertclothingcompany.com. I appreciate your time -enjoy today!

My Best,

Rebecca Nelson

Kudos to Rebecca--"mom-preneur" and founder of an food allergy conscious company--for a great idea! The shirts, sweatshirts, and tote bags may be purchased directly from the Alert Clothing Company at www.alertclothingcompany.com. They are also available at The Allergy Free Shop online or at their Miami location.  Current prices are $18.99 for a short sleeve shirt, $22.50 for long sleeve, $26.00 for a sweatshirt and $19.50 for a tote bag. The ALERT Clothing Company is headquartered in Georgia.

Halloween With or Without Food Allergies

We enjoyed a safe and fun Halloween yesterday. Hope you had a safe and enjoyable Halloween too! This year, I accompanied Buzz Lightyear and Darth Vader (known as "Dark" Vader to those still unable to pronounce the word "Darth"). We had a successful trick-or-treating outing followed by some exciting rounds of flashlight tag at a neighborhood Halloween party. One house we visited had a separate bowl of treats for trick-or-treaters with food allergies! Very cool!! While we did receive a number of small plain M & M packages and other candies which we deem unsafe due to peanut traces, we received very few peanut containing candies. Just a few Butterfingers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and M&M's with peanuts which we've already thrown out. We avoided touching the wrapped candies by sporting gloves which matched the costumes.  I presented the gloves, light saber and flashlight as costume accessories and the kids loved that idea. We saw lots of impressive Halloween decorations on our way and at the party too--floating eyeballs, skeletons in chains, strobe lights, and pumpkins galore.

I wouldn't think of skipping trick-or-treating because of the peanut allergy! The kids love running amok at night, in the dark, and in costume with their friends and family. While the candy is exciting too, and there are safe candies, Halloween can be so much more than candy. This year was especially fun since Halloween fell on a Friday night, and we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was an opportunity for the kids to simply enjoy being kids, do things they don't ordinarily do, and stay up late with friends and family on a clear and starry autumn night--all the makings of fond childhood memories.