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.

Want to advertise with us? marc @ eatnutfree.com

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

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.

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!

Army fined over teen’s peanut allergy death | Scotch College cadets camp

This is a sad story. Even some government depsartments are failing to understand the severity of this allergy.

The Australian Army has been fined more than $200,000 over the death of a teenager from a peanut allergy at a cadets’ school camp in May 2007.

Nathan Francis, 13, was a year nine student at Scotch College in Victoria.

Regardless of his mother writing to the camp organisers that Nathan suffered from a severe peanut allergy he was given a lunch of beef satay on the first day of the camp and died shortly after.

In the Federal Court this morning, Justice Tony North ordered that the Commonwealth should pay $210,100 to the public purse.

The case came about when Comcare, a government workplace safety agency, sued the Commonwealth for a breach of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The Commonwealth, through the Chief of Army, was responsible for running the camp.

Justice North urged that the Victorian Coroner hold an inquest into Nathan’s death to examine the role of Scotch College and its staff who manned the camp.

The school has promised to take steps to prevent the recurrence of another incident on the same camp in which six boys were lost in the forest for hours without radio contact.

Justice North adjourned that undertaking for one year.

The court heard WorkSafe Victoria had decided not to prosecute the school.

Justice North described the case as “every parent’s worst nightmare” and commended Nathan’s parents, Brian and Jessica, for their bravery during the proceedings.

via Army fined over teen’s peanut allergy death | Scotch College cadets camp.

Tips to plan a safe birthday party when inviting children with food alleriges.

We all go through this at one point or another in our life. This is from the other side form what we usually do, which is sending our kids out to parties.

Worried about inviting a friend with food allergies to your child’s birthday party? Which foods are safe? Which are not? What if the child has a reaction? Food allergies are on the rise among children. This can present a challenge when planning your child’s birthday party. A few helpful tips in the party preparation can ensure a safe fun memorable birthday celebration for all.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Gluten Free Insider: We’ve Finally Gotten Rid Of All The Nuts!

Kinnikinnick foods, the gluten free company, is now going nut free too!

We’ve Finally Gotten Rid Of All The Nuts!

For a while our staff was quite worried when we said all the nuts would have to go…

We are pleased to announce that as of June 15, 2009, we are going entirely nut free in both of our facilities. This is one of the biggest product policy changes since we made most of our products dairy free. We’ve been peanut free for several years now but this move will eliminate all tree nuts from our product line as well. On the down side, this will force the discontinuation of our lemon cranberry almond and double chocolate almond cookies but will open up our complete product line to thousands (millions?) of people with nut allergies. We will also be announcing a couple of new cookie varieties to replace the 2 we are discontinuing. More on that in a future post.

For those of you with severe nut allergies please keep in mind that there will still be products in the market that were produced prior to us going nut free. Look for products with the following Best Before dates or later:

* Soft Baked Goods (breads, buns, bagels, donuts, etc) – 12/15/2009

* Cookies, Mixes and Ingredients – 06/15/2010

via The Gluten Free Insider: We’ve Finally Gotten Rid Of All The Nuts!.

The Nut-Free Mom Blog: The Nut-Free Lowdown on Hersheys Chocolates

We all love Hersheys Chocolates but throwing nut allergies into the mix makes it hard to love. Jenny at Nut Free Mom found someone that has provided a good list of safe candies for us to enjoy!

I get a lot of questions about the safety of various candies so I thought I would share this updated Hershey candy info with you. One of the members from my local food allergy support group spent a long time on the phone with a Hersheys rep and e-mailed everyone a list of safe candies.

via The Nut-Free Mom Blog: The Nut-Free Lowdown on Hersheys Chocolates.

Health Canada Delays Allergy Labelling

As we reported on in July 2008, Health Canada has proposed new labelling laws. We expected them to be in place by now; but it seems that because they want to make the regulations perfect, it has been delayed until 2010. As reported by Allergic Living, Health Canada received over 140 comments on the new regulation.
The hard part is over; now they just need to put the rules in place. Come Spring 2010, companies will have 12 months to update packaging to adhere to the new regulations.

We’re almost there. It’s been a long time coming.

Health Canada review

Allergic to Other Foods? Quaker Has Warnings for You Too.

Today, I contacted PepsiCo Canada, and they kindly faxed me the notice regarding the introduction of new allergens in their Rice Cakes and Crispy Minis products (see our previous article ”News of Quaker Rice Cakes New Allergen Warnings Slow to Spread”). In addition to peanut, which may now be present in all Quaker Rice Cakes and Crispy Minis, several other allergens have been added (in addition to the allergens that previously were present):

If you are allergic to barley, be aware that Butter Toffee Cracker Jack Rice Cakes now contain barley.

If you are allergic to egg, be aware that the White Cheddar and the Butter Rice Cakes now contain egg, and the BBQ, Ketchup, Sea Salt & Lime, Cheddar Cheese, Caramel Kettle Corn, Dill, Sour Cream & Onion, and Butter Crispy Minis now may contain egg.

If you are allergic to sulphites, be aware that Caramel Kettle Corn Crispy Minis now contain sulphites.

If you are allergic to wheat, be aware that Ketchup, Sea Salt & Lime, Cheddar Cheese, Caramel Kettle Corn, Dill, Sour Cream & Onion, Butter, and BBQ Crispy Minis now may contain wheat.

If you are allergic to soy, be aware that BBQ Crispy Minis now may contain wheat.

News of Quaker Rice Cakes New Allergen Warnings Slow to Spread

Although it has been a little over three months since PepsiCo Foods Canada announced that their Quaker Rice Cakes and Crispy Minis now may contain peanut, I’ve been disturbed that they are still on the menu at daycares with peanut-allergic children in our city. In fact, these products were for so long considered a staple as a “safe-snack,” and many still consider them as such. I was a regular consumer of these rice cakes, and I might not have learned of the formulation change (which is the result of the introduction of the new peanut butter flavours) if I wasn’t a regular visitor to the Allergic Living message board where someone had posted an alert. I think these alerts were sent to those who have registered to receive Quaker Foods product alerts and not many, if any, other folks.

Luckily for me, I was pre-warned of the change, and carefully inspected the packaging of the Quaker Rice Cakes, eventually finding the “MAY CONTAIN PEANUTS” warning. Shortly after, when a friend of mine was packing a few bags of these rice cakes to bring on a trip she was taking with her peanut-allergic son, she was shocked when I told her that she’d better look for a warning on the packaging. Her shock turned to annoyance as we both tried to straighten out the top of the rice cake package, scrunched together with a bread-bag-type tie, to read the warning. The warning is, shall we say, NOT obvious.

These rice cakes were a staple at my son’s child care centre, and I’m having some difficulty erasing the concept of Quaker Rice Cakes being a safe snack from their minds. I’ve finally found them an alternative brand (NoName) for which I’ve obtained the manufacturer’s assurance that they are free from peanuts. But change is slow, and this week the child care centre accidentally purchased and served the Quaker brand (I was able to intervene before my son was given any).

I’ll continue to spread the news to others and hope the news continues to spread. It would be nice if the multinational, billion-dollar-earning, food-producing corporations could help out too.

Parents offered new choices in allergen-free food

Enjoy Life is by now a well-known brand, and one that many of us have grown used to seeing in our grocery stores if not in our cupboards. This is a great story of a couple of guys who wanted to help out the growing population of allergy sufferers.

An idea that started as a class project between two friends is big business in the booming food allergy and intolerance market that one research firm estimates will reach $3.9 billion this year.

Scott Mandell and Bert Cohen, classmates at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 2000, founded their allergen-free food company, Enjoy Life Natural Brands LLC, in 2001. The pair drafted their initial business plan for a school assignment in their last class before graduation. Their idea for an allergen-free food company was inspired by Cohen’s mother, who had multiple sclerosis and serious dietary restrictions.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Nut-Free Mom Blog: New Peanut Flour Warnings for General Mills Cereals

Jenny at Nut-Free Mom has sent us this warning, and all should read!
This just goes to show you that our everyday foods can become unsafe for those in our homes. 

New Peanut Flour Warnings for General Mills Cereals

I just got an alert from my local food allergy support group and wanted to pass it along.

Please check the ingredients lists of your General Mills cereals very carefully. The company is adding peanut flour to Cocoa Puffs. Some of their other cereal products contain new allergy warnings for nuts as well as for other foods including gluten.

The link above contains an exchange in the comments section of the blog between someone at General Mills and the Allergy Moms web site readers. The General Mills exec maintains that you can trust the labels on General Mills products and that they explicitly list allergy warnings wherever appropriate.

I know that Frosted Cheerios (a General Mills cereal) contain almond flour despite the fact that the name of the cereal contains no reference to nuts–we found that out just as our daughter was about to eat Frosted Cheerios at a relative’s house. This was about a year ago and as I recall, there was no “called out” allergy warning. Almond flour was simply listed as an ingredient. The labels may have changed since then–I’m sure we’ll all check our cereal boxes now!

We still eat the plain Cheerios without incident at my house but it just goes to show you that you must read all labels, all the time. As ingredients labels continue to evolve, I’m sure we will all be faced with new decisions about old standby foods.

via The Nut-Free Mom Blog: New Peanut Flour Warnings for General Mills Cereals.

From peanuts to shellfish… Why are so many adults suddenly getting allergies?

I found out myself, well into my 20s, that I could not eat hazelnuts. It was as an adult that I found out I could not eat one of my favorite snacks. Here is a story about another adult who finds herself allergic to foods she had grown used to eating without any issues.

When Edwina Galloway started to feel a strange knot in her throat after eating some peanuts, she tried to ease it by drinking tea.

But within minutes her throat was constricting and she was struggling to breathe. Her husband bundled her into their car and rushed her to hospital.

Fortunately, it was only a mile from their home in Sevenoaks, Kent; had it been much further, Edwina could have died.

‘By the time I got there, I was shivering and shaking as my body was going into shock,’ says Edwina, 48, who runs her own administration business. ‘It was terribly frightening.’

Edwina was suffering from anaphylactic shock – an allergic reaction which causes puffy lips and eyes, other symptoms such as vomiting and breathing difficulties as the air passages swell. Untreated, it can prove fatal within minutes.

Edwina was immediately given antihistamine, which eased her symptoms. She later underwent tests to see what had brought on such a violent reaction; the results couldn’t have been more surprising.

‘I was told I’d developed an allergy to peanuts and hazelnuts,’ Edwina recalls.

‘It was a real shock, as there is no history of allergies in my family, and I certainly had never had an allergy before.

‘In fact, my husband is a vegetarian and so nut roast had been a staple of our diet. This allergy just came on out of the blue.

‘Now I have to carry an adrenaline jab with me at all times in case I have a really bad reaction.

‘Luckily, that hasn’t happened yet, but the allergy has changed my life. I have to be incredibly careful about what I eat because it takes only a trace of nut to set me off.

‘I went to a friend’s house for lunch a year ago, and although she was very careful to prepare food without nuts there must have been a tiny hint somewhere because I took a mouthful and blotches started to come up on my face.

(continued)

Read on via From peanuts to shellfish… Why are so many adults suddenly getting allergies? | Mail Online.