Some Allergy News Article Links

Have you noticed an upstick in allergy news lately? I have spotted several articles about allergy research and news in recent days. Here are a few links you may find interesting:

Researchers Making Strides Against Food Allergies
EPA Grant to University of Chicago for Research on Food Allergy Triggers
Find Could Cut Allergy Deaths
Camp Helps Kids With Asthma and Allergies Have Regular Camping Experience

Twin Oaks - Quintessential Rhode Island

For me, it is difficult to think of a restaurant that is more representative of Rhode Island than Twin Oaks. When I step through those doors, it is like being zapped back to my childhood 30 years ago. The dark wood tables and chairs, high back benches with the shiny, firm polyurethane cushioning, it has not changed. The fare is italian food, and some steak and seafood. It is a casual restaurant where the friendly, professional waiters donned in black vests, black pants, white shirts, attend to your party's needs like a well-oiled machine.

I called in advance to inquire about the presence of peanuts and peanut oil and to feel them out. I have eaten there before, but not with my peanut allergic child. That changes everything. They connected me to the kitchen and I was informed that no peanuts or peanut oil are used, the children's menu is "safe", and dessert might be something to avoid due to the presence of nuts. When we arrived, we informed our waiter of the peanut allergy and he gave us the same information as the gentleman on the telephone. We ordered chicken fingers and french fries, the fall back restaurant meal for so many kids,  and the waiter confirmed with the kitchen that the chicken fingers would be a safe choice for someone with peanut allergy. It was safe and tasted great! We decided to skip the bread since it is brought in from an Italian bakery in Providence and there was no way to know what else is baked in that bakery, but the chicken fingers were so tasty, my son forgot all about the bread. It was a great meal, and from the peanut allergy perspective, it passed with flying colors.

Twin Oaks is located at 100 Sabra St, Cranston, RI 02910, The telephone number is (401) 781-9693 and the website is www.twinoaksrest.com. Twin Oaks is known to have incredibly long lines at dinner, so I would recommend arriving early to avoid the crowds if you have children or don't have the time or patience to wait. It's a great traditional Italian family restaurant.

Trace Adkins is Honorary Chair of the 2009 FAAN Walk

Thanks to celebrities like Trace Adkins who help bring attention to causes (like food allergies!) near and dear to our hearts.  Press release from the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN):

"FAIRFAX, Va. (July 22, 2009) – Demonstrating his unwavering commitment to finding a cure for food allergies, country music star Trace Adkins will once again serve as the National Honorary Chair of the 2009 FAAN Walk for Food Allergy: Moving Toward A Cure.

This year, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is sponsoring a record-number 33 walks in cities across the country as well as online, all in the name of raising funds for food allergy research and education.

Adkins, who has put his stamp on country music with a string of award-winning hits, has made an even stronger impression with FAAN members for his work in increasing food allergy awareness. For Adkins and his wife Rhonda, it’s personal – their young daughter Brianna has multiple food allergies.

“I know firsthand how important FAAN’s efforts to increase funding for food allergy research and education are,” said Adkins. “I’m honored to once again be serving as the National Honorary Chair for FAAN’s Walk for Food Allergy. Please join me and thousands of others nationwide in raising awareness about food allergies and money to find a cure!”

For more information, or to register for the FAAN Walk for Food Allergy, go to www.foodallergywalk.org."

To read the press release in its entirety, please visit the Media section of the FAAN website.

How Do I Get to the Food Allergy Twitter Party? #foodallergy

You've probably read my posts and tweets chatting up tomorrow's Twitter Party. It's kinda fun, kinda hip, somewhat cutting edge. It's a good opportunity to chat live with some of your favorite food allergy bloggers, writers, and representatives and owners of food allergy conscious companies. It'd be a challenge to do it in person, but the internet makes these gatherings much more do-able.

How does one "attend" a Twitter Party, you ask? Well, there are a number of Twitter dashboards available and there's also Summize. They may or may not require your Twitter account name and/or password, but all require one important piece of info--a hashtag. The hashtag for tomorrow's party is #foodallergy. You will need to enter that on Summize or the Twitter dashboard of your choice in order for all other conversations and tweets to be filtered out for you.

Personally, my favorite dashboard for Twitter parties is tweetgrid. You can set it up fairly easily and set up your screen in a couple different ways. I like to have two columns, one for my tweets and one for all the #foodallergy tweets. Then I can follow the overall party conversation and also easily see what I have already Tweeted. They also have some short video tutorials on tweetgrid which explain how to use Tweetgrid and even how to attend a Twitter Party. Here is a link to that page. Number 8 is the video which shows how to "go to" a Twitter Party.

Hope this info helps a bit and that we'll see you there tomorrow! Don't forget, we'll pick one random winner from those who RSVP (and attend!) for an extra prize. Here is the link for the invitation if you haven't RSVP'd yet: http://tiny.cc/uCUw8. See you there! 1 pm EST/10 am PST on Thursday, July 23, 2009. Bring your back to school tips and questions.

Where to Find Miss Roben's Goldfish Cracker Mix & Please Vote for SilknPearls

I have two small items I would like to share with you.

First, if you haven't heard, Navan Foods of Virginia Beach, VA, has a few more of Miss Roben's Goldfish Cracker mixes left. All of the other Miss Roben's mixes are gone. This may be your last chance to get your hand on some of these. Navan has marked them down considerably so those interested can stock up!

In other news, my gluten-free friend, @SilknPearls (aka Joyce Paige), has entered a cupcake contest. If you haven't visited her site, Grandma's Guten-Free Baking n Cooking, you should! Let's support her contest entry! Voting closes at midnight July 25 so we have a few more days. Visit http://bit.ly/2gCBIf and click on the link in the blog in order to vote. Thanks so much!

Back2School Food Allergy Twitter Party on July 23, 2009

It's only a few days away--the Back to School Food Allergy Twitter Party on July 23 at 1 PM EST/10 AM PST. Just in time too, since the stores are already pushing their back to school merchandise. July is more than half over and we've barely experienced summer here in Massachusetts. In terms of weather, it has been a most unusual summer! Time keeps marching on though, and it is time to start getting ready to send those kids back to school. For those of you with young food allergic children just embarking on their school careers, it can be an especially nerve-wracking time. Stop by our party to hear from other parents whose kids are already in school or have completed school. It's a good chance to "pick" their brains and find out how things work in other places.

The party is open invitation. Everyone is invited! Bring questions and tips to share with others, or hand back and just observe. Here is the invitation. We'd love to know how many people join us, so please RSVP if you can.

We have many door prizes to give away from some fantastic food allergy friendly companies. You can see the list on the invitation. Please note: winners have only till July 30 to provide their contact and/or shipping information to Ruth or me for their prizes.

Our panelists this time include: food allergy mom and blogger @nowheymama, gluten-free student and advocate @GF_AdventureGrl, and food allergy mom and author @LindaCoss.

It should be a great time! We hope you'll join us. Feel free to forward this post or the invitation to any interested friends and family.

Anyone interested in contributing prizes or participating as a panelist for the next Twitter Party (Halloween theme in September) should contact me (jennifer@foodallergybuzz.com) or Ruth (ruth@bestallergysites.com).

Gluten-Free Dining in Boston's North End

Below is a copy of an email I received regarding an appealing gluten-free dining option in Boston's North End. I have not been to Nebo yet; it would be great to hear from any readers who have been to Nebo and would like to comment on their experience. 20 gluten-free pizzas to choose from--that certainly sounds tempting!

neborestaurant.com

simplicity demands the finest ingredients

90 North Washington Street

Boston, Massachusetts 617-723-6326 Fax: 617-723-6327

To whom it may concern;

I am writing to inform you of our new Gluten free menu. About 4 yrs ago my sister Christine and I opened nebo restaurant at 90 N. Washington St. in Boston’s North End. Nebo is a traditional Italian restaurant offering dishes based on recipes that were passed down from our mother and grandmother. After being open for about a year, two of our closest friends were told they had Celiac disease. We then realized just how many people this disease has affected and the need for an alternative for their dining restrictions. Determined to serve our friends their favorites, we set upon making our menu available in a gluten free form. We are thrilled to say that we have now produced 90% of our menu with the same great taste as our regular menu. We don't think there has been an accomplishment that has brought us more pleasure. If you would like us to forward a copy of our Gluten free menu please send a menu request to nebofunctions@gmail.com .

Sincerely,

Carla and Christine Pallotta

Chef/Owners

-Just a taste of our menu-

misto fritto - crisp shrimp, calamari, smelts, mediterranean aioli

sale e pepe - sea salt and white peppercorn marinated chicken wings

polenta con scampi - sauteed shrimp in a lemon butter sauce over grilled polenta

burrata - cream filled mozzarella, proscuitto di parma, balsamic fig glaze

-Gluten free pasta specialties-

bucati - fresh mozzarella, pacchino tomato, pecorino romano, basil, evoo

cappesante - seared sea scallops, light mascarpone cream sauce

aglio olio - gulf shrimp, pei mussels, garlic, evoo, chile flakes

salsicce e rabe - homemade sweet sausage, broccoli rabe, pecorino romano

bolognese - slow cooked meat ragu, tomato, cream, pecorino romano

amatriciana – pancetta, sweet onions, spicy marinara

*or simply, fresh tomato basil sauce

A variety of 20 gourmet Gluten free pizzas are available

Nebo’s stylish décor, reminiscent of modern Italy, is all natural wood, chocolate suede and brick surrounding a 120 person capacity dining area and a full bar showcasing a magnificent marble top, glass shelves and plasma televisions. This creates the perfect setting for the enjoyment of one of our specialty martinis or a bottle from our “Wine Spectator Magazine” award winning wine list. Nebo’s list features 150 Italian wines and a cellar list for the true wine enthusiast.

Monday – Wednesday 5pm until 11pm

Thursday – Saturday 5pm until late night

Full menu served during all business hours

Extended hours for “The Garden” event nights

Parking on street or adjacent to restaurant

Zeer Select Free 30-Day Trial for Food Allergy Buzz Readers

Have you heard about Zeer Select? I wrote about it recently in this post: Zeer Select Launch Marks Debut of Great Gluten-Free Tool. The folks over at Zeer have sent a promo code for Food Allergy Buzz readers to receive a 30 day free trial of the new Zeer Sleect service. The following info is a paraphrase of the email I received from Zeer--Here is the link to go to in order to get started: http://www.zeer.com/30dayfreetrial. The promo code is: FABUZZ (please keep in mind it is case sensitive!) The code is good for 30 days and "has an unlimited number of uses."

Give it a try and share your thoughts in a comment here. What do you think? Would you sign up for a subscription?

Food Allergy Buzz Videos

When we started making videos for Food Allergy Buzz, I started a YouTube Channel for Food Allergy Buzz. It seems now is an appropriate time to share the Food Allergy Buzz YouTube Channel. Unless the title or description of a video on the Food Allergy Buzz Channel states otherwise, the video was made by and for Food Allergy Buzz. The videos are housed on Jennifer Trammell's YouTube Channel also, as she is the talented creator of all the Food Allergy Buzz videos so far with the exception of my humble Bunny Hut video! It's easy to distinguish between the videos created by Jen and those created by me, lol! Jen is a rising star and we are so appreciative of her help here at Food Allergy Buzz.

If you come across the Food Allergy Buzz videos somewhere else besides YouTube and Food Allergy Buzz, please let me know! Enjoy the videos!

Thanks, Food Allergy Friends!

Just a quick word of thanks to everyone who reached out to me via email, Twitter and comments here yesterday in response to my post about allergy video nonsense! I very much appreciate the support.

If you are toying with adding videos to your website or blog and are new to it, here is a link to a helpful article from Hubpages about linking to and embedding videos and copyright infringement: http://hubpages.com/hub/Embed-YouTube-Videos---Copyright-Infringement

Also, I thought I should mention that a few of you wrote to say that you have noticed additional allergy websites which copy and paste content from other allergy blogs and websites. Say it ain't so! That's really not cool, guys and gals! The online food allergy community is such a great and supportive community as whole. Most of us are more than happy to help or share, if you just ask! Try it--you might be surprised! :)

A Word to the Wise Food Allergy Bloggers and Readers

The other day, I visited a relatively new food allergy blog/website from Toronto, Canada, and was surprised to spot a familiar picture in their media kit. It was a still from one of the Food Allergy Buzz video interviews Jen Trammell did with Sweet Alexis during the THRIVE Expo in Chicago months ago! Anyone who saw the video on Jen Trammell's YouTube channel would have seen the words "Food Allergy Buzz" listed among the keywords or tags for the video. In the video, Jen also mentions Food Allergy Buzz and it's very clear that the video was an interview for Food Allergy Buzz.

We did not fully realize that if you post a video on YouTube, there is no way to ensure that you will have a chance to grant permission for the video's use elsewhere or even receive credit for content you upload onto YouTube. It's a total free-for-all! As long as you permit your video to have the embed code so it can be added to other blogs or websites, you've essentially given up control over your video. My advice to bloggers and others dipping their toes into posting videos on YouTube and elsewhere is to be prepared for this! Even though it is customary for others to link back or give credit to a source, this does not always occur. Needless to say, we were disappointed to see that another allergy website used our content in this manner. Neither Jen nor I had been asked for permission to use the videos or stills from the videos. It was a disheartening and eye-opening experience.

What to do? We have removed the video interviews made during the THRIVE Expo with Sweet Alexis and disabled the embed option on all of the other videos Jen has done for Food Allergy Buzz. I also have asked the other allergy website/blog to remove the video and still from their media kit and website/blog. I was comforted to discover that YouTube does try to encourage its users and visitors to respect others and to be courteous in the use of videos from and on YouTube. I have cut and pasted it below, along with a link to that page on the YouTube website.

From the Youtube community guidelines:

"When you create something original, you own the copyright for it. Likewise, when other people create content, they may have a copyright to it. As a creative community, it’s essential that everyone on YouTube respect the copyrights of others. If you’re not sure if something will violate someone’s copyright, the safest thing to do is to create something completely original, with images and audio you’ve created. If it’s all yours you never have to worry about copyright—you own it. If you’ve recorded something from a DVD, videotaped your TV screen, or downloaded a video online, don’t post it unless you have permission."

UPDATE: In the end, it took THREE (3) days from the date of my original request for my content to be removed from the other website/blog's media kit. Only after we removed the Food Allergy Buzz videos from YouTube, reiterated the request for the content to be removed from the media kit, and published this post did the other website finally take action to remove the Food Allergy Buzz content. All Food Allergy Buzz content has been removed from the media kit and the problem has been resolved.

New At Whole Foods North Atlantic Region Stores...

I learned recently that Whole Foods' North Atlantic region stores will begin carrying peanut-free and tree nut-free goodies from A & J Bakery as well as their peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free and egg-free treats too! Now, anyone who's been following Food Allergy Buzz for a while knows I am a big A & J Bakery fan. A & J is a dedicated (and I mean dedicated!) peanut-free, tree nut-free bakery located in Rhode Island, which also bakes egg-free, dairy-free and gluten-free items at designated times. They have a storefront and online store. There will be six A & J products sold at Whole Foods: 3 peanut-free, tree nut free items--chocolate chunk cookies (6 in a package), sugar cookies (6 in a package), brownies (5" x 7" pan) with fudge icing--and 3 peanut-free, tree nut-free, egg-free and dairy-free items--chocolate chunk cookies (6 in a package), yellow cake with icing and chocolate cake with icing. I live within a reasonable drive from two north Atlantic locations, which are actually closer than A & J's bakery, so this is exciting news for us! Rumor has it that you should begin to see A & J's baked goods at Whole Foods after July 17. If you don't see them there, ask! And Whole Foods folks (Hi! I know you visit here!), good decision on carrying A & J Bakery goods--thanks!

Pet Peeve--The Allergy Friendly Bandwagon

I have to share some food allergy pet peeves!

You know those companies that are trying to appear allergy friendly? You know the ones--they don't really do anything extra to their products to make them allergy friendly. Their labels haven't been written to be allergy friendly either. Nonetheless, because their product happens to not contain a major allergen, they try to jump on the allergy friendly bandwagon. For some reason, that gets under my skin. That and the broad statement so many manufacturers give when we call or write to inquire about the presence of certain allergens in their products or their manufacturing facility. I am sure you've heard it--"We follow the FDA" blah blah "8 most common allergens" blah blah. That information really isn't helpful! I don't know about you, but I certainly expect and hope that U.S. food manufacturers follow federal regulations. I don't think they deserve special attention because they label the way they are supposed to according to FDA regulations!

Unfortunately, I don't find that the regulations require these manufacturers to provide enough detailed information. It is those manufacturers that go above and beyond what is required that deserve extra credit. One company that goes above and beyond in their labeling is Amy's. All the information I need is right there on the package! And...it is actually something I can buy at the supermarket and not special order online! How often does that happen?! There are others as well. Let's see how many I can think of off the top of my head...

Cherrybrook Kitchen
Enjoy Life
Glutino
Homefree
Pamela's Products
Philly Swirl

I am already stumped. Maybe I need more coffee! What other really food allergy friendly manufacturers can you think of whose products are available at the supermarket and have great allergen labeling?

We Want to Hear from You! #foodallergy

We're busy getting ready for the upcoming July 23 Back to School Food Allergy Twitter Party (#foodallergy) and plans are underway for autumn parties too. We've gotten such good feedback, Ruth (www.bestallergysites.com) and I plan to make it a regular event.

Now, we want to hear from you! If you are interested in being a panelist for future Twitter Parties, or would like to get on the waitlist for prize contributions (good PR for all you food allergy related entrepreneurs), or even have a request/suggestion for a theme or topic for a future party, please email me at jenniferATfoodallergybuzz.com.

It's a great way to connect from afar with the online food allergic, celiac, and gluten-free casein-free communities as well as others who are concerned about the food they're putting in their bodies.

Is the Moon Made Out of Peanuts?

The boys are out of school for the summer and I have signed them up for a number of free workshops and activities at our town library. The library has fantastic things scheduled--rocket building workshops, a visit from the Boston Museum of Science, and all kinds of science-related activities. Today's workshop was an intro to astronomy for ages 5 to 10. The presenter/speaker handed out containers filled with a white unidentified powder and small marbles and balls to illustrate how craters are formed on the moon. The kids sensed an opportunity to get their hands dirty, and me? I immediately thought to myself "What is that powder? It looks like flour. But what kind of flour? Is it something besides flour?" So, I had to ask about the white powder. When my question was met with a somewhat confused look, I had to then explain my son has a peanut allergy. It was, as I expected, all purpose white flour, but better safe than sorry since peanuts have a tendency to show up in all kinds of unexpected places. The speaker told me that he couldn't imagine peanuts in a powdered form. After all, he said, "how would they remove the peanut oil?" (Umm....ever heard of peanut flour?!)

It was a good opportunity for me to help teach my son that peanuts and nuts can show up anywhere, and that anytime food is involved--even for a science experiment--we have to ask and keep away if nuts or peanuts are present. Just for the record, peanut flour does exist. I knew this, of course, but didn't think the kids workshop was the right time to share that knowledge! For a little more info on peanut flour, check this link. The workshop, with its flour activity, was a good reminder that when it comes to food allergies, you can't ever let your guard down, even in places and activities where food isn't normally present.

Zeer Select Launch Marks Debut of Great Gluten-Free Tool

I have been a fan of Zeer for some time--I love being able to see reviews of foods and share my own--but I am really impressed by their latest offering, Zeer Select. Last week, I had the pleasure of getting a preview and tour of Zeer Select, a fee-based subscription service which permits the user to search for gluten-free foods by product name, UPC number, and by category in Zeer's massive product database of over 30,000 food products. It is an amazing resource for those with celiac disease, gluten intolerance and others who need or wish to avoid gluten.

Very detailed nutritional and ingredient information is available, highlighting specific allergen information and even cross-contamination risks, and contact information for product manufacturers is right there too. Foods are rated for their Gluten-Free Safety Status (or gluten-free friendliness)--"gluten-free", "appears to be gluten free", "may contain gluten" and "contains gluten"--and bear easy to read symbols to indicate their Gluten-Free Safety Status. Zeer Select highlights the gluten ingredients or possibly gluten-containing ingredients so you can easily locate and assess all the information yourself.

The Zeer Select website is easy to read and move through--the design seems very user-friendly. It truly seems like they have thought of everything. What a great tool this could be for someone entertaining a gluten-free guest. We all are aware of the learning curve for nutritional and ingredient label reading when you are on a restricted diet, and Zeer Select makes it so much easier. Friends and family can check out the gluten-free friendliness of dishes they plan to serve and even discover gluten-free snacks that might be good to have on hand. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of making a gluten-free grocery list; and you can save your personal list of safe foods, and email it to relatives and friends. I was really blown away by how complete the information is. My absolute favorite feature was the feed--similar to the feed on Facebook--you can easily see the latest info that has been added to the Zeer Select database--a handy feature for those who already have a working gluten-safe shopping list but are in search of exciting, new safe foods to try.

Subscriptions are $14.95 per month and you can also take a tour to see how it works. If you or a family member are living gluten-free, spending some time on Zeer Select is a must. Stay tuned--even more exciting things are planned at Zeer, including some tools for food allergic consumers too! Below is a short video from Zeer about the new Zeer Select service--check it out. Way to go, Zeer!

@foodallergybuzz on Twitter

ACK! I went online last night to take a look at what's new on Twitter and discovered my account is suspended. Not only was it suspended but it was being investigated! How annoying!

Guess the Twitter repair guys aren't all that bad. I was back online within hours. Phew! It's be hard to do a Twitter party suspended, lol!

Food Allergy Friendly Restaurants in Pennsylvania

It's that time of year again. I am making preparations for our annual summer road trip out to see some relatives in the Pittsburgh burbs, and as usual I am looking for new "safe" restaurants for our young peanut allergic family to try. I feel like a Food Allergy Veteran at this point. We bring a box full of "safe" foods, picnic frequently, and always grab a couple Ian's frozen allergen-free meals once we get to our destination. That makes meals with the relatives so much easier!

I know there are the chain restaurants with their allergen-free menus and I know we can eat and have eaten at certain fast food joints. I hear Cici's is a peanut-safe pizza place and there are a few on the way to Pittsburgh. It would be a great to try a new place that is making an effort to be food allergy friendly, and preferably not one of those chains! Allergen-free menus are great, and while I appreciate the awareness from all those chain HQs, let's face it, sometimes the local restaurant staff still don't "get it", despite the allergen-free menus and best efforts of the HQ staff.

So if you've got a tip for a restaurant worth a try let me know. Email me at jenniferATfoodallergybuzz.com. I will write about our experience so it's a chance for some good publicity (or not-so-good publicity). We'll be in the Greensburg vicinity outside of Pittsburgh but may head into Pittsburgh as well.

FoodAllergyTalk Drawing Contest Starts Today

We're helping spread the word from Andrea of foodallergytalk.com:

The Drawing contest begins July 1st and ends July 18th. The theme this year is to "draw a picture that captures either a past memory or a future instance where food allergies have had a positive impact on your life."

There will be four winners in age groups (5-8), (9-12), (13-15), and (16+). Contestants can find more information here: http://www.foodallergytalk.com/fadrawingcontest.htm