CTV British Columbia – Misreading nut labels a potentially deadly mistake – CTV News

Even companies with the right intentions are taking the crossed-out peanut to mean they can include nuts in thier ingredients.

Be vigilant when reading labels!

A registered nurse is sounding the nut allergy alarm over potentially confusing allergy labels on packaged foods.

While the red circle with a line through it is an internationally recognized symbol for ‘no,’ the symbol with a line through a peanut doesn’t necessarily mean no nuts.

Rob Cimaglia, who has a severe allergy to tree nuts, was shocked to discover that a package of granola bars he purchased at IGA had the no-nut symbol on the front, but contained almonds in the ingredient list

 

Read on at CTV British Columbia – Misreading nut labels a potentially deadly mistake – CTV News.

PEANUT ALLERGY ALERT

PEANUT ALLERGY ALERT
May 2, 2011

Organic Food Bar, Inc. is expanding its previous recall of “Chocolatey Chocolate Chip RAW Organic Food Bars due to undeclared peanut to include additional organic food bars in the following varieties:

• Cinnamon Raisin, Lot # 3070910, Expiration Date 09-Jul-11; Lot # 3072110, Expiration Date 21-Jul-11, Lot # 3083110, Expiration Date 31-Aug-11; Lot # 2092710, Expiration Date 27-Sep-11; Lot # 3100410, Expiration Date 04-Oct-11; UPC # 8 73521000114
• Chocolate Coconut, Lot # 6071210, Expiration Date 12-Jul-11; Lot #6072810, Expiration Date 28-Jul-11; Lot # 4081710, Expiration Date 17-Aug-11; Lot # 3082710, Expiration Date 27-Aug-11; Lot # 5102010, Expiration Date 20-Oct-11; UPC # 8 7352100031 2
• Oooatmeal Apple Pie, Lot #2071610, Expiration Date 16-Jul-11; Lot # 2071610, Expiration Date 16-Jul-11; Lot # 1083010, Expiration Date 30-Aug-11; Lot # 3090710, Expiration Date 07-Sep-11; UPC # 8 73521 001111.
• Chocolatey Chocolate Chip; Lot # 2062810, Expiration Date 28-Jun-11; Lot # 4062810, Expiration Date 28-Jun-11; Lot # 3071210, Expiration Date 12-Jul-11; Lot # 2072810, Expiration Date 28-Jul-11; Lot # 2081610, Expiration Date 16-Aug-11; Lot # 4092810, Expiration Date 28-Sep-11; Lot # 2102010, Expiration Date 20-Oct-11; UPC # 8 7352100021 3.
• Fiber Chocolate Delite, Lot # 6062810; Expiration Date 28-Jun-11; Lot # 7072110, Expiration Date 21-Jul-11; Lot # 1082710, Expiration Date 27-Aug-11; UPC # 8 73521000411.
• Keerunch Crunchy Chocolate Chip, Lot # 3070710, Expiration Date 07-Jul-11; Lot # 2101410, Expiration Date 14-Oct-11; UPC # 8 73521 00121 0.
• Oohmega Cherry Pie, Lot # 3072910, Expiration Date 29-Jul-11, UPC # 8 73521 00101 2.

The product was distributed in 12-pack cartons through retail stores, mail order, and direct delivery in the U.S.

Consumers may return the recalled products to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at (800) 246-4685, Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST.

Allergic Living – Quaker facility closed. Boy goes home :)

Allergic Living has reported that after the packaging error that occurred last week at the Quaker Canada facility the facility has been closed pending an internal investigation and that the boy that was affected by an allergic reaction has gone home.

We’re happy for the good news about the boy and hope that Quaker gets to the bottom of this soon!

Read the article here…

From the Quaker website

IMPORTANT PRODUCT NOTICE

The health and safety of our consumers is our highest priority. Accordingly, Quaker Canada has initiated a voluntary recall of our 14 count Quaker Chewy Granola Bars Value Pack cartons that may have been mis-labeled. No other packages of Quaker bars or Quaker products are affected.

Quaker Canada is taking this action out of an abundance of caution because the outside packaging erroneously states that the boxes should contain Chewy Chocolate Chip and Chewy S’mores bars, both of which are made in a peanut-free facility. The individually-wrapped bars are clearly and accurately labeled.

Consumers who have purchased a 14 count Quaker Chewy Granola Bars Value Pack carton with a UPC Bar Code ending in 10742 should inspect the contents of the carton to ensure it contains the correct product (Chewy Chocolate Chip and Chewy S’mores bars). If the carton contains Dipps Chocolate Chip and Dipps Caramel Nut bars and a consumer has a peanut or tree nut allergy, they should return it to the retailer where it was purchased for a refund.

No other packages of Quaker bars or Quaker products are affected.

There is NO health risk associated with handling the mis-labeled product for disposal, however this product should not be consumed by those in a peanut or tree nut-allergic household. The company is working closely with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Anaphylaxis Canada to notify the public.

Consumers with questions may contact us by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-800-267-6287.

PEANUT AND TREE NUT ALLERGY ALERT

PEANUT AND TREE NUT ALLERGY ALERT

Nov. 29, 2010

Quaker Canada is recalling “Quaker Chewy Granola Bars Value Pack” cartons, sold in Canada, due to undeclared peanuts and tree nuts.

FAAN is sending notification of this recall because, per the manufacturer, some consumers of this product may be U.S. residents.

The affected product is packaged in 14-count cartons with UPC Bar Code 55577 10742. The carton should contain Chewy Chocolate Chip and Chewy S’mores bars, but could incorrectly contain Dipps Chocolate Chip and Dipps Caramel Nut bars.

Consumers should return the recalled product to the place of purchase for a refund. Consumers with questions should contact Quaker Canada at (800) 267-6287.

PEANUT ALLERGY ALERT

Oct. 23, 2010

Nestlé USA is recalling “Nestlé® Raisinets® Fun Size Bags” due to undeclared peanuts. The 10-oz bags were sold in Target, Shop Rite, and Don Quixote retail stores in the U.S.

The product is marked with production code 02015748 and UPC 2800010255.

Consumers should contact the company at (800) 478-5670 for a refund.

BBC News – Hopes rise for low allergy peanut

How amazing could this be?

If they can create a peanut that is low allergy, when will they be able to create one that is NO allergy?

I know there is the camp that is against the whole genetic manipulation of food, but it’s very cool and promising.

Besides, genetically modifying food and plants may lead us to some very important medical discoveries!

Researchers are working on peanuts that are low allergy, which could put an end to the problems the popular seed can cause.

Through mixing varieties, the US team has managed to remove or reduce key proteins thought to spark the allergy.

They stress the resulting peanuts are not genetically modified but the product of conventional cross-breeding.

Peanut allergies are relatively common and usually cause breathing problems.

But at their most serious, they can lead to a potentially life-threatening anaphylactic shock.

Read on…

via BBC News – Hopes rise for low allergy peanut.

Book – The History of the Peanut Allergy Epidemic

Available in real paper (not as an e-book), this book offers a glimpse into the history of the peanut allergy.
I hope to have a review up in the near future, but in the mean time pick up a copy and tell us what you think.

The History of the Peanut Allergy Epidemic, the first documented history of the rise of peanut allergy, is now available http://www.peanutallergyepidemic.com

Written by Heather Fraser a Toronto-based historian and mother of a peanut-allergic child, this meticulously researched book pinpoints the moment of the allergy’s appearance and reveals the perfect storm of social, medical, political and economic factors from which the epidemic has grown.

The epidemic proportions of peanut allergy have spawned intense research into numerous risk factors including peanut consumption, birth month, hygiene, parasite levels and even head size.   And yet, no one has been able to connect the specifics of this surprising epidemic with a functional mechanism of sensitization – how have 2 million children in just the last 20 years become sensitized to this one food?  Neither coincidence nor genetic fluke can explain the speed at which this allergy has spread in children or its peculiar features.   The allergy appears primarily in western countries including the US, Canada, Australia and the UK and in toddlers, boys more often than girls in a ratio greater than 2:1.

The history of food allergy provides some answers starting with Charles Richet who coined the term anaphylaxis in 1913 to describe a sudden and unexpected prevalence of mass allergy related to pharmaceuticals.  Clemens von Pirquet in 1906 called these altered reactions in children allergy.  Combing the literature, Fraser discovered that outbreaks of peanut allergy began to occur only after WW II.  There was a slow but noticeable growth of the allergy in children through the late 1960s up until about 1989. Around 1990, there was an explosion of this allergy just in toddlers.  This moment is well documented by ER records, cohort studies of the time and eyewitness accounts.  Society only recognized the epidemic when this mass of allergic kids showed up for kindergarten.

The surge of peanut and food allergic 4 and 5 year olds took everyone by surprise – school systems, teachers, parents, entire communities.  And it has persisted and worsened.  An estimated 2% of kids living in the US and Canada are peanut allergic.  A 2010 Australian stat indicated that 3% of children living there are allergic to peanut.

How has this happened?  Functionally, there are a limited number of ways in which a person can become anaphylactic to any protein – ingestion, inhalation, through the skin and injection.  Historically there was only one mechanism implicated in mass allergy.  This together with a series of swift, identical alterations in political, social, legal, medical and economic conditions in western societies between 1987 and 1994 the peanut allergy in children tipped into epidemic….  Events unfolded in plain sight.

The History of the Peanut Allergy Epidemic (Innovation Press, 2010) is a must-read for every parent, teacher, and health professional.  Heather Fraser, MA, BA, B.Ed is a Toronto-based writer.  The book consists 211 pages with endnotes, index and appendix showing the global prevalence of the allergy.  Book is $19.99 and available for purchase http://www.peanutallergyepidemic.com

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Delta urged to stop offering peanuts

MEMPHIS, May 9 (UPI) — Dr. George Flinn, a physician and Tennessee county commissioner, is asking Delta airlines to stop serving peanuts on its flights formerly flown by Northwest.

Delta began serving peanuts in late March, when it substituted its snack, food and beverage offerings for those previously provided by Northwest.

The Memphis Commerical Appeal reported Saturday that Flinn said he’s not allergic to peanuts, but his grandson is.

“It’s been absolutely proven that if someone who is allergic to peanuts is exposed to peanuts, they’re going to have anaphylaxis,” he said. “This can cause trouble breathing, possibly even death.”

Delta spokesman Anthony Black said the airline’s policy is to create a buffer zone three rows in front and three rows behind a passenger with peanut allergy.

But Flinn said that’s not good enough because some allergy patients can be affected by airborne peanut particles.

He said Northwest not only provided that, but the airline also would make courtesy announcements asking passengers not to break out their own peanut-based snacks while traveling on a flight with an allergic person.

He said his family has been forced to make alternative travel arrangements with his grandson since the snack offerings changed.

“Peanut allergy is the most common cause of severe allergic reactions in the U.S. and it tends to be a lifelong allergy. Further, the entire family of an allergic individual usually changes their plans to keep that person safe, thereby making the market impact of food allergies three to four times greater than the 12 million patients,” said Anne Munoz-Furlong, founder of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.

via Delta urged to stop offering peanuts – UPI.com.