Eat Nut-Free

The AllergyEats Blog

Allergy Eats is a database site that takes your experiences in eating out and makes it available to the world. Well, to the USA. I tried searching in Canada and was unable to. Hopefully he will expand .

Paul wrote the following, I follow that by his press release.

AllergyEats was 20 months in the making and lists over 600,000 restaurants that can be searched geographically and are sorted based on the restaurant’s level of  “allergy friendliness.”  This rating is derived from fellow food allergy and intolerant diners who choose to rate the restaurants by answering 3 simple questions.  Diners also have the opportunity to add comments to their quantitative ratings as well.

As a standalone restaurant database, AllergyEats is a useful tool for locating places to dine. In addition, however, I have included features such as allergen information, gluten-free menus, industry certifications, and other relevant information where available. The site will grow in value for those with food allergies or intolerances as more restaurants are rated and comments posted.

New Website Takes the Guesswork Out of Restaurant Dining for People with Food Allergies and Intolerances

BOSTON (February 24, 2010) – If you or a loved one is prone to food allergies, you know the challenges of finding a restaurant where everyone will feel comfortable.

That search has just gotten easier.

A new website, www.allergyeats.com, combines the best of Internet technology with peer-to-peer information to help people know in advance how well (or poorly) a restaurant responds to people with food allergies and other food intolerances, such as Celiac Disease.

The website lists over 600,000 restaurants in the United States and is searchable by geographic location, provides maps and driving directions, lists phone numbers and includes menus, industry certifications and other information of interest to food allergy sufferers when available.

Users are encouraged to help the rest of the food allergy community by answering three simple questions (takes less than a minute) about their dining experience. The answers are compiled into an objective “allergy-friendliness rating” that gives users instantaneous at-a-glance information about the “allergy friendliness” of specific restaurants.

There is also a place on the site for written comments, which will be monitored to ensure they contain only food-allergy related opinions.

“This site is an outgrowth of the difficulty I have in finding a place where my two foodallergic children can eat,” said Paul Antico, who spent 20 months researching and designing the site. There are about 12 million people with food allergies in the United States. Over 2 million people have Celiac Disease as well.

AllergyEats is endorsed by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) of Washington, the AAFA New England Chapter of Boston and the Gluten Intolerance Group of Auburn, WA, amongst others.

“In addition to helping people with food allergies, AllergyEats is a good tool for the restaurant industry,” Antico said. “Restaurateurs can see how their individual locations are faring, and can learn from comments about other restaurants what works and doesn’t work for people with food allergies.”

While there are other online sites for people with food allergies, none combines the comprehensiveness of the AllergyEats listings with objective ratings and comments area.

“AllergyEats is really a living, breathing organism that will grow and become increasingly useful as people share information on the site. I am happy to offer this to the food allergy community, and I can’t wait to see how it develops,” Antico said.

via The AllergyEats Blog.

Reverse Allergy Alert Quaker Crispy Minis are Nut-Safe again

This is great news. We love rice snacks and the Quaker brand was always the best. When they started producing them on a line that also processed peanuts we were shocked and promptly dropped them from our grocery list.

We were pleased to receive this notice today telling us they are reducing  the allergens by changing the production of some of their treats.

NOTE: this is from the notice below.

The changes will reduce the number of potential allergens in most flavours of rice chips products only. Allergen labeling on other Crispy Minis products, including Crispy Minis Bite Size rice chips, Crispy Minis Delights cookies and Crispy Minis rice cakes, remains the same.

NOTICE FROM: PepsiCo Canada

March 2010

IMPORTANT NOTICE: QUAKER BRAND TO REDUCE ALLERGENS

IN SEVERAL CRISPY MINIS® RICE CHIPS

As part of its ongoing mission to deliver healthy and convenient options that fit into a healthy lifestyle, PepsiCo Canada’s Quaker brand is making changes to its manufacturing and allergen control procedures for its Crispy Minis rice chips.

The changes will reduce the number of potential allergens in most flavours of rice chips products only. Allergen labeling on other Crispy Minis products, including Crispy Minis Bite Size rice chips, Crispy Minis Delights cookies and Crispy Minis rice cakes, remains the same.

The reduced allergen Crispy Minis rice chips are now on store shelves in major Canadian retail outlets. Accordingly, ingredients listings will be changing, and precautionary labeling will be adjusted only on affected products, as follows:

The Quaker brand reminds consumers of these important tips regarding the importance of carefully reading food ingredient labels:

Food-allergic individuals and those buying for them are encouraged to read food ingredient labels at least three times: once when purchasing the item; a second time when putting the item away; and a third time just prior to serving the item.

Take steps to improve your understanding of labeling regulations and their limitations. It should never be assumed that all sizes and flavours have identical allergen profiles, so check the label every time.

Products with a “may contain” warning could be problematic for individuals with life-threatening food allergies. If there is a precautionary warning, it is possible that the product contains traces of the allergen.

Website for Restaurant and Travel Destination Reviews

We tried something like this in our forums that just ended up being a haven for spam so I am happy to see someone that is devoting their site to it.

www.lonelyplate.org is  all about getting the word out on places to go and safely enjoy your time out without worry.

I went to Disney World a couple years ago and they were FANTASTIC! We’ll be going back sometime very soon to reproduce the trip, pretty much exactly. Land and sea cruise/park package. Stay at Animal Kingdom and just soak it all in.

Ok, I’m leaving.

Wait, Here’s the info in this press release. Check it out and participate! Make this the Go To place for this info!!

PRESS RELEASE: New Food Allergy/Celiac Restaurant and Travel Review Website

WASHINGTON – A new website catering to the food allergy and Celiac community, www.LonelyPlate.org, was launched in February by Sharona Schwartz, who up until a year and a half ago was News Coverage Manager at CNN’s Washington Bureau. While at CNN, Schwartz produced award-winning television reports with chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on food allergies.   She is also the mother of a daughter diagnosed with multiple food allergies, including wheat, peanuts, fish and more.

At LonelyPlate.org, individuals dealing with food allergies and Celiac can write reviews about restaurants, hotels, airlines and theme parks they visit.

“There are fantastic online resources reviewing restaurants and hotels, but because I couldn’t find any that consolidated our unique experiences in an easy, interactive, international platform, I decided to create an interactive database where we can review restaurants, hotels, airlines, and kid-friendly venues,” says Schwartz.

“Wouldn’t it be great to give a shout out to a place that did a great job helping you have a safe meal, or warn others of a place to stay away from at all cost?” Schwartz says.

Recognizing dining out for those with food limitations is an experience fraught with worry for many, Schwartz says the website will disseminate reports, both positive and negative, to families facing similar medical challenges. “This kind of information-sharing is crucial not only to keep each other safe but also can be a message to restaurants that we are a consumer community worth catering to,” she says.

The Examiner.com writes of the new site: “…what a great accomplishment for those of us on a restricted diet.  With so many people being diagnosed with a food intolerance, this type of website will help us feel more normal and stay safe when we are traveling and when we are at home.”

The web address is www.lonelyplate.org.

Contact information: info@lonelyplate.org

Link to The Examiner article:

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-15981-Gwinnett-GlutenFree-Food-Examiner~y2010m2d16-Lonelyplateorg-offers-national-consumer-reviews-for-those-with-food-allergies

Link to godairyfree review:

http://www.godairyfree.org/201002284124/News/Nutrition-Headlines/Lonely-Plate-Launches-as-Food-Allergy-and-Celiac-Restaurant-and-Travel-Review-Website.html

How strange an allergy are these?

Ever stop to think of those people who are alergic to water, or vibrations?

What about those poor individuals who can’t be around deodorant or underwear?

These are real allergies and our friend at Online Nurse Practitioner Schools outlines 20 of the strangest allergies I’ve ever heard of.

Here’s #12 for example:

12. Pressure

One of the most common classifications of urticaria, dermatographism comes from a negative reaction to varying degrees of pressure. Depending on the severity of the case, anything from a slight touch upwards can trigger an allergic episode. It can either affect the entire body or localized areas. Many individuals stuck with the condition have quite a bit of fun with it, using their bodies as outlets for creative expression by scratching messages and designs into their skin. While a permanent cure has yet to be found, antihistamines usually work well as a treatment option. More serious instances may require some shifts in lifestyle to minimize potentially painful contact.

Hop on over to their site to see the whole list!

Peanut residue/oil cleanup

We recently received an email asking a question that I am sure is on many people’s minds, especial those who are new to nut/peanut allergies.

I.P. asked:

I have been searching and searching to try to determine how long nut/peanut residues last on surfaces.  I cannot seem to find an answer to this question.  My son suffers from peanut and nut allergies and I was wondering how long an allergen stays on door knobs or other surfaces before they “die” or does it just sit there until someone cleans it up.

My reply was this:

You will be glad to hear that it is actually quite easy to get rid of peanut and nut residue.

This article outlines a study from a few years ago on how most cleansers will remove it from surfaces. Take note that dish soap does not work very well. You need to use a cleanser like Fantastic or Lysol wipes.

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/news/20040510/peanut-allergy-cleaners

Also it is important to realize that nut proteins are not living things and they do not die. They will last (practically) forever on a surface if left alone.

Allerglobal

There’s a new site in town.

Allerglobal is offering a service to allergic travelers where they can print out an allergy awareness card in the language of your choice.

Example card, downloadable as PDF.

Qabiria introduces Allerglobal: A new website dedicated to travellers with food allergies

Qabiria Studio is proud to introduce Allerglobal (www.allerglobal.com). This new website is dedicated to people suffering from food allergies who travel abroad and need to explain their condition in a foreign language.

Allerglobal is a free on-line service that conveniently translates food allergies in almost all Central and Eastern European languages. It automatically creates a customized, accurate passport-sized card with the user’s allergy information in the chosen language. Users just need to print it, slip it in their wallet, and show it at restaurants, hotels, or wherever needed. This service is intended to contribute to a safer, more comfortable travel for people with food allergies and intolerances.

Built upon a database of almost 2000 terms, Allerglobal is the first food allergy translation tool that offers such a wide choice of languages: 7 source languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Catalan) and 27 target languages (English, Albanian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, German, Estonian, Finnish, French, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Ukrainian). Moreover, Qabiria Studio is planning to double the number of available languages in the future.

Qabiria Studio is a language service provider based in Barcelona, Spain. Besides offering translation, training and consulting for the translation industry, Qabiria strives to make a creative use of language and technology to find smart new solutions for everyone.

via Allerglobal.

CTV Toronto – Article ‘cherry picks’ food allergy research: angry groups

Sarah and Sabrina Shannon (2003). Picture courtesy of CTV.

As a followup to the terrible article that they printed in their December issue “It’s Just Nuts”, Chatelaine plans to let the readers speak out with a January article from the many retorts they received.

Sara Shannon (Mother of Sabrina and allergy activist) chimes in this time  after writing to the editor of Chatelaine and others involved in the printing of “the article”.

Sabrina Shannon had such an interest in journalism that by the time she was 10, she produced a radio documentary. She hoped to educate people about kids who suffer from life-threatening allergies. Sabrina herself was allergic to peanuts, milk and soy and had to manage it every day by asking everyone what was in the food she ate.

But Sabrina didn't grow up to be a journalist. She died from an allergic reaction to french fries contaminated with dairy at her school in Pembroke, Ont. six years ago.

As Sabrina was on life support at an Ottawa hospital, her mother, Sara Shannon, promised her that she would become an activist for those suffering from anaphylaxis. Sabrina died a day later at age 13.

That is why Shannon, other parents, doctors and medical groups are livid at a magazine article which suggests parents are overreacting to the condition.

The article, called “It's just nuts,” appears in the December issue of Chatelaine. It mainly focuses on peanuts and suggests parents are overreacting to food allergies, anaphylactic reactions aren't as common as people think, and that death rates are low. The headline on the cover refers to a peanut allergy “myth.”

The groups who take issue with the article say it mocks parents who have to work hard to protect kids who can die from even invisible amounts of foods to which they are allergic. And they're unhappy with a photo on the article's front page that shows a boy opening his mouth with a piece of peanut butter sandwich on his tongue.

The article closes saying it isn't clear how big a threat peanuts pose, but with more research and debate, the writer's son might one day be able to eat peanuts at his school where they are banned.

In an email to CTV.ca, a spokesperson for the magazine thanked CTV for the opportunity to respond to the accusations but declined an interview.

“If we feel it is appropriate to respond, we will do so in the pages of our magazine,” wrote Suneel Khanna.

Chatelaine posted a note Monday on the online version of the article, saying the magazine plans to publish reader reaction in the January issue after receiving an unprecedented number of responses from readers.

Read much more via CTV Toronto – Article ‘cherry picks’ food allergy research: angry groups – CTV News, Shows and Sports — Canadian Television.

CBC News – Canada – What’s nuts, Chatelaine, is not to be concerned

Sorry for the late post on this but CBC touches on the backlash caused by the Allergy-bashing article from Chatelaine (I won’t even bother to link to it. If you want to read it you’ll have to find it yourself  ). Originally the magazine was not going to print a followup article but now it is stating that it will be printing in the January issue, a reactions article from all the letters it has received. From what I understand, they are numerous.

Gwen Smith of Allergic Living gives her take on the article. This is a good read!

When the top women's magazine in the country takes a snide, cynical run at a serious health issue that affects children, these are truly different times in the publishing industry.

The magazine is Chatelaine, and the hit-and-run article in its December issue is called “It's Just Nuts.”

Gwen Smith is the editor of Allergic Living magazine and was the editor-in-chief of Elm Street magazine, when it ended its seven-year run in 2004.

This story by writer Patricia Pearson begins with the image of parents and schools across the land “cowering in fear of the tiny peanut,” followed by a conclusion disguised as a question: “Are we overreacting to food allergies?”

In the telling, the writer skewers the hard-won accommodations in schools to protect food-allergic children, confuses facts and statistics, and never pauses to speak to a principal or a parent of a child who has experienced anaphylaxis, the most serious form of allergic reaction.

Had she spoken to a teacher, she would likely have heard why restrictions on certain foods are easier to manage in the classroom setting than having to watch, hawk-like, over those who can eat peanut butter and those who can get seriously ill from exposure to even traces of a substance that sticks on toys, doors and shared equipment.

Read more via CBC News – Canada – What’s nuts, Chatelaine, is not to be concerned.

Longtime Pizzaria Pizza Nova Caters to the Allergic

This came in from Crazy Nut Lady

“Just to let you know, Pizza Nova is also considered nut free. Check out thier website. As well, each and every time I call I reaffirm. The last time, I was told that it has been noted in my “file” so that each time I call to order, the person receiving the call sees a reminder about the peanut allergy. While I wouldn’t count on anyone there to tell me if something has changed (it’s why I always ask, even though the answer has been the same the last twenty times we’ve ordered (we order a lot of pizza) it’s comforting to know they take food allergies seriously and have certain policies in place.”

As you can see on their website Http://pizzanova.com, the allergen chart outlines all the allergens and how they can be found in the menu.

Pizza Nova can be found in the greater Toronto area and surrounding towns.

Canadian Policy Options for Precautionary Labelling of Priority Allergens on Pre-Packaged Foods

Health Canada has issued this news release regarding labelling laws. Sorry for the late posting of this. it’s very important for us to get involved in this.

Health Canada Consulting on Policy Options for Precautionary Labelling of Priority Allergens on Pre-Packaged Foods

OTTAWA, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Oct. 29, 2009) – In 2007, Health Canada initiated a policy review on the use of precautionary labelling of priority allergens on pre-packaged foods. The department has now completed its review and is preparing to consult with stakeholders and the Canadian public on the various policy options.
The public consultations will be carried out in two phases: a web consultation which, once online, will be open to the public for a period of 90 days; and regional workshops with key stakeholders that will be held in November and December 2009. For more information on the consultations, please visit Health Canada’s website (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/consultation/_allergen2009/index-eng.php).
Health Canada’s main policy proposals to improve the use of precautionary labelling of priority allergens on pre-packaged foods are as follows:
- Limit the use of precautionary statements on food labels to a small number of acceptable statements;
- Support the development of consensus guidelines for Good Manufacturing Practices on allergen handling;
- Support the development of guidelines for a standardized approach to risk assessments of potential cross-contamination of allergens;
- Support the development of guidelines for documentation and on-site storage of findings of allergen risk assessments; and
- Implement voluntary education program for consumers.
The department is committed to consulting with food allergy consumer groups, the food industry, and the Canadian public with the aim of publishing a revised policy and guideline for the use of food allergen precautionary statements on pre-packaged foods.
The current policy on precautionary labelling of prepackaged foods was set in 1994 and allows for precautionary statements to be made by food manufacturers and importers on a voluntary basis. There is no required wording for these voluntary precautionary statements, only that they be truthful, clear and non-ambiguous, and that they not be a substitute for Good Manufacturing Practices.
It is estimated that as many as 2 million Canadians, or six per cent of the population, are affected by food allergies and sensitivities. This includes those with food allergies, those with intolerance to gluten known as Celiac disease, and those with sulphite sensitivities.
Health Canada will continue to update Canadians on the progress of this issue once the consultation period has concluded. Please visit the Health Canada Web site for information on the Use Of Food Allergen Precautionary Statements On Prepackaged Foods (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/label-etiquet/allergen/precaution_label-etiquette-eng.php).

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Health-Canada-1067949.html

Hallowe’en approaches again. Be safe, be Scarey!

Don’t be scared, be scarey!

Halloween is a fun time and can be for all kids.

Last year I posted my 6 Steps to a safer Halloween. They still apply, so apply them to your Halloween this year.

Remember, point number 1; Don’t put the Epipen inside the costume! It may seem obvious, but some kids/parents may think the costume dosen’t look as good with a Epi-belt around the waist.

Find a way to make it look good. If the costume is a pirate, put the Epipen on the pirate’s belt in a black sack. Make a belt the same color as the costume so it blends in. There are ways to make it work.

If you are going to include the Epipen into the costume, how are you doing it? Leave us a comment.

Playgrounds, field trips and washing up.

image by Adam E. Moreira

Well with school starting again, I am sure we all have our stories. Even before it started we had a few incidents that make you want to make sure that your child knows what to do.

Playgrounds.

My son was playing outside with his daycare-mates when a school-age boy came around to offer the kids a straw of candy. One of those sugar-filled straws. I believe they are called Pixie Stick. When my son said he could not have that, because he was allergic, the boy insisted it was safe causing my wife to intervene and tell the boy that because we didn’t know what was in it, he could not have it. Even then the boy insisted and now got my son telling my wife “he says it’s safe, mom!”.

Instances like this require us, as parents, to stress how important, no matter how sure you may be, it is to refuse food if you don’t know the ingredients and to not allow a child to challenge your views on the subject. That other child also should be educated but that isn’t always possible.

Field Trips and Washing Up.

A bus full of 50+ kids and a public indoor fun park. Allergy haven I think. The kids enjoyed themselves and there were no instances of any kind. Good trip all-in-all.

After playing in the fun park and before having a picnic lunch one of the teachers started distributing dollops of hand sanitizer gel to each of the kids. While she did this she was telling the kids it was to clean their hands and to make sure there were no allergens left on their hands. My wife heard this and was appalled that the teacher was telling this to the kids.

After the trip, my wife called the school to inform them that a teacher had been doing this and that they should all know that the gel does not remove allergens and that to properly remove allergens you need to give your hands a good washing under running water or use an anti-septic cloth where the allergens are removed to the cloth. The problem with the gel is that all it does is move the allergens around. Unlike a germ, that can be killed by the gel, a nut protein can not.

Domino’s Pizza Canada

Yesterday we wanted to try something new. Order in pizza!

Most of you know that ordering in pizza with a nut/peanut allergic person in the house is usually taboo. What made us think of the possibility was a recent trip to New Jersey where we found out, through the Dominos.com site (US company), that they were nut free (http://www.dominos.com/home/menu/allergen_info.jsp).

I picked up the phone and called the local establishment.  In a rushed voice the gentleman on the phone stated that it was Domino’s and what I would like for my order. I informed him that I have someone with food allergies and that I would like to speak to someone with some knowledge of this with respect to their food preparation. He then asked what the allergen was. I told him peanuts and tree nuts to which he replied that there was nobody there to help me.

I bid him good day and hung up.

I was not very convinced, nor was I very happy at how that transpired. I picked up my quill and parchment to draft a letter to Dominos Canada. OK, I emailed them.

The gist of the email was asking what their policy was, if they were nut/peanut free, and if their employees were educated of the process if there was one.

I received an email this morning stating that they were in fact nut and peanut free and that their website was going through the process of adding this information. To get more information I picked up the phone and called the author of the email. She informed me that the employees are supposed to be educated and trained how to handle these allergens and to ensure the public, when told of the allergy, that all precautionary procedures will be followed. It is up to US to make sure they know of our allergies. This will prompt the kitchen to take extra care.

This information came to me from the Executive Assistant of the President of Dominos Canada. I think I trust her.  So we can add one more pizza place to the list!

That makes 2 so far.

Boston Pizza

Domino’s

If you know of more please let us know!

Allergic reactions can develop at any age, any time

Just a little somthing to keep in mind. We are not al born with it.

Allergic reactions can develop at any age, any time

While the number of children with allergies increased over the past few decades, adults awareness of their own sensitivities is growing

Adults are discovering in ever greater numbers that they have serious food allergies, possibly due to exposure to new foods and an increased awareness of food allergy symptoms.

So says Dr. Vincent Oswunda, an Edmonton allergist and immunologist, who adds although most people develop allergies in childhood, adults can still develop an allergy and suffer as much as any child.

“You can start having allergic reactions at any age and at any time,”Oswunda says.

An allergy to sulphites — the chemical additives used to stop food from browning or spoiling — is most often diagnosed in adults, especially in those who already have asthma. Sulphites were recently added to Health Canadas list of the most common food allergens, along with more familiar foods like peanuts and dairy.

via Allergic reactions can develop at any age, any time.

Lobster!

Last week, our son had his allergies retested. He is on a two-year schedule, so this was the third time he had a skin-prick test. His allergist informed us he is no longer allergic to shellfish and, despite never having eaten shellfish, he was very excited.

When we asked him what shellfish he would like to try, he definitively answered, “Lobster!” “Couldn’t he have chosen a less expensive shellfish?” I grumbled to my husband. I opted for a three-dollar tin of lobster pâté.

I spread it thinly on some Wheat Thins. I sampled some of the pâté, and found the flavour really strong. It contained not just meat, but tomalley and roe as well. I was expecting that my son wouldn’t like it.

But, he said that he did, and he asked for four more “crackers with lobster.”

I tried to act pretty blasé about his eating food he was previously considered allergic to. I didn’t want him to be fearful. All went well: there was no reaction; and both my son and I were glad he had experienced a new food. It was an especially big event for me, despite my calm exterior. I had never had a nightmare about my son’s allergies, but the night after the lobster experiment, I dreamt he was covered in hives and his eyes were swollen shut. I woke up to the sound of him softly crying, thankfully not from an allergic reaction, but from sleeping on his ear the wrong way.

Next time I’ll buy him a whole lobster.