Sin-sational Peanut-free, Nut-free, Gluten-Free Chocolates Rated X-ceptional

Seth Ellis Chocolatier in Boulder, Colorado makes exquisite chocolates. These chocolates are definitely not your everyday chocolates. They are works of art. When I learned recently that Seth Ellis Chocolatier is a nut-free, gluten-free chocolatier, I quickly placed an order. So often on food allergy blogs, the focus is on treats and goodies for children. Your children may enjoy these chocolates, but make no mistake: Seth Ellis is really a grown-up treat. Their sophisticated flavor and price tag make them a treat appropriate for mature palates. The light and dark chocolates are filled with exotic array of flavors, including nutmeg, mint, coffee, lemon, ginger and raspberry--you'll be lusting for more! They are available in a few local stores around Boulder, some Whole Foods Markets, and online at It's Only Natural Gifts. The chocolates arrived in a lovely chocolate-colored box, accessorized by raffia ribbon. This is one mail-order relationship you can introduce to your parents and friends!

Foodessentials Simplifies Food Label Reading

FoodEssentials Information

Information provided by FoodEssentials.com

Have you visited Foodessentials.com? It's a new website which features a huge ingredient database based on data from food labels, gathered and organized over the last 4 years. You can search for food, such as bread, and add a filter, such as dairy, to generate a list of breads that contain dairy, may contain dairy, or do not contain dairy. Instead of spending time looking at the labels of multiple packages at the store, you can sort through your options on the web. You can search by allergen, preservatives, fat content and other filters. Of course, you should still verify the food is right for your needs by reading the labels on the foods you select at the store. Manufacturers do change recipes and manufacturing procedures constantly, so the label you can read in person is the most accurate. What a time saver Foodessentials could be! It could really help simplify finding "safe" foods at the grocery store. Imagine if it were available on your cellphone or at the supermarket. Food allergic individuals and others on restricted diets could quickly weed through the many product choices and come up with a short list with just a few clicks.

The possibilities are exciting! Anton Xavier, one of Foodessential's founders, was kind enough to answer a few questions about Foodessentials and where it's headed. Foodessentials is in its beta form--they're tweaking it, making improvements, and would love to hear from you. Stop by foodessentials.com and give it a try.


Q & A with Anton Xavier, Foodessentials

How long have you been in the U.S.?
We brought Foodessentials to the U.S. in May 2008 and have spent our time since then networking within the Consumer Package Goods (CPG) industry making contacts with manufacturers, retailers, and online grocers, as well as CPG marketing companies.

Foodessentials was initially conceived in Australia back in 2005 and has travelled a long hard and varied road before landing squarely on two feet in Chicago.

Why Chicago?
Our U.S based partner and CIO Dheeraj Patri is based in Chicago and so it was always where we were going to set up base in the U.S. It just so happened that it was a great city to set up for our industry due to its close proximity to companies such as Peapod, Kraft and others.

Where will you head next?
The U.S was always recognized as the most advantageous place for us to commercialize the technology that we had developed. With over 300 million people compared to Australia’s 20 million, it made a lot more sense to at some point bring it here. Our next most obvious market is the U.K and Europe as a whole. The food marketing, specific dietary needs, and online grocery market is well developed and sophisticated in the U.K.

How did you get started in this field?
This started as a family project several years ago. Our father, whilst attempting to implement a change in his diet, found it incredibly difficult to compare food labels in his local supermarket and so decided to do something about it. It began as a pet project but the more we spoke to people and the more we learnt about the data and the issues surrounding the data – particularly in regard to the allergen community - the larger it became. Since then we’ve worked with a vast number of consumer advocacy groups, health professionals, government organizations, retailers and manufacturers in both Australia and the U.S and have gained an expert knowledge of the issues surrounding food labeling which is evident in the comprehensive nature of our ingredient database.

Why the interest in food labels?
Food has always played a significant role in the culture of our family and so we have always naturally been aware of the change in modern food consumption patterns and the increase in consumer packaged goods. But as we learnt more about the issues surrounding food labels and the complexity of the solutions required we realized that there was an opportunity for us to become a small part of the solution. We felt that a tool that enabled people to effectively compare the foods of their local store to easily find the products that suited their specific dietary needs could really make a positive impact in the lives of many people.

Since the initial concept we’ve had the privilege to meet with hundreds of people who told us their lives would be considerably improved if Foodessentials succeeded. We strongly believe in what we do, that has been our motivating factor

When do you expect Foodessentials to be complete?
We believe it is one of those things that will never be truly complete, there will always be ways to better the quality of the data, or the way it is communicated. We’re very excited about the potential for positive change that Foodessentials may have but at the same time are very realistic about the challenges that we face in the near future.

We expect to officially launch Foodessentials.com by the end of April 2009, by which time we hope to at least have a service that can go someway towards helping people to find the foods that better suit their dietary needs.

Is it something we can expect to see on sites like Peapod?
We hope so. We have spoken and are speaking to several companies like this, all of whom are very interested in the comprehensive nature of our data. Right now however, we still have the challenge of proving what we’re doing right now, which is getting the word out there about Foodessentials.com. We’re very focused on learning to walk before we try to run.

Will it be available in supermarkets?
This is our ultimate aim. To combine the power of information on the internet with the practicality of being in the shop whilst physically touching and holding products -this would be very exciting. And although there are several opportunities along these lines on the horizon we’re keeping our heads down and bums up for the time being and are hoping the hard work will reap its rewards further down the line. But we believe it won’t be long before you will see this information in a store near you. In the meantime if you’d like to help get us in your local store mention us to your store manager – we’ll be happy to pursue it.

Will there be a way to search by manufacturer to see, for example, which products a manufacturer makes that contain peanuts or nuts?

We have been very diligent in the way we have built our backend. Enterprise level scalability and flexibility has been our main goal. Because of this there are many very powerful things that we can do including what you suggest. And we hope to get to that soon. However, right now, we are focused on trying to get our core functionality - the search results and basic features - working really well before we look at expanding out. Which is why we’re running this beta test period – we’re looking for as much feedback, ideas and suggestions as possible to ensure we get it right. It’s not a simple thing to get people to do something they’ve never done before. It’s totally new and so there are no rules. Because of that we need your help.

Some Food Allergy Friendly Bakery Goodies for Easter

I thought I would try my hand at imovie, so I've made a short video of our bunny hut assembly. (Please tell me if the audio is too loud or too soft. I'm a video novice!) The bunny hut I am assembling in the video is from A & J Bakery in Rhode Island. Ours is peanut-free and nut-free, but they also make bunny huts that are dairy-free, egg-free, peanut-free and nut-free upon request. To order a bunny hut visit www.aandjbakery.net or call 401-228-8696.

My kids love to have bakery treats. (Who doesn't?) We also tried A & J's Easter sugar cookie decorating kit. I was able to get a couple photos before the kids and I gobbled up the cookies. Fun and delicious!

* A & J Bakery is a sponsor for Food Allergy Buzz

Should Allertherapy be Marketed as a Homeopathic Medical Treatment for Food Allergies?

Something about this Allertherapy Homeopathic Medical Treatment doesn't sit right with me. I don't like how it is being marketed to food allergic individuals. There is no treatment for food allergies approved by FDA yet. The Allertherapy press release states "Food allergy sufferers now have a treatment option that builds immunity to food allergens from the comfort of home...It quickly builds immunity to allergens and maintains it over time. The easy-to-use oral spray uses a low, homeopathic allergen strength of one part per million to allow for safety of use in most allergy sufferers. The food mix contains many of the most common allergy-causing foods. Users can quickly build immunity and reduce targeted allergies."

That sounds dangerous to me. Do we really want people with life threatening food allergies experimenting with desensitization at home? I don't think so. They say it's in such diluted form that it has no dangerous effect. Really? Does that mean FDA has finally established thresholds for safe levels of allergen in foods and medicines? No, there are still no thresholds. That's why we see products such as Tofutti Cuties labeled as milk-free while they actually contain traces of milk! Why is FDA permitting this to be marketed as a safe, at-home OTC treatment for food allergies? Something's not right about this.

Take a look at FDA's Sec. 400.400 Conditions Under Which Homeopathic Drugs May be Marketed (CPG 7132.15). Here's an interesting snippet: "Today the homeopathic drug market has grown to become a multimillion dollar industry in the United States, with a significant increase shown in the importation and domestic marketing of homeopathic drug products. Those products that are offered for treatment of serious disease conditions, must be dispensed under the care of a licensed practitioner. Other products, offered for use in self-limiting conditions recognizable by consumers, may be marketed OTC...Homeopathic products intended solely for self-limiting disease conditions amenable to self-diagnosis (of symptoms) and treatment may be marketed OTC. Homeopathic products offered for conditions not amenable to OTC use must be marketed as prescription products. " Wouldn't potentially life threatening food allergies be considered "serious disease conditions" requiring the "care of a licensed practitioner"? Surely, such allergies aren't "self-limiting conditions" suitable for OTC (over-the-counter) remedies. While some people do grow out of allergies, many do not. In addition, it does not appear that one can predict if an allergy will go away over time, one can only hope that is the case. It seems to me that Allertherapy is improperly being marketed as OTC.

Now, let's consider the active ingredients of this "treatment". All of the active ingredients are foods, many of which are among the 8 most common allergens as defined by FDA. In fact, this treatment contains all of the 8 most common allergens. Hmm. So, what they're selling is an allergy treatment containing fish to people with life threatening allergies to fish? And it's being sold OTC? I think I've heard enough! At a minimum, FDA needs to investigate this product a bit more.

The contact address for ProActive Remedies, the manufacturer is in Fort Collins, Colorado, so I've put in a call to the Denver, Colorado FDA District Office. The telephone number for FDA's District Office is 303.236.3017. There is also a form to request FDA investigate of a web site selling medical products. To complete and submit FDA's complaint form, go to http://www.fda.gov/oc/buyonline/buyonlineform.htm.

You know where I stand on this. What's your opinion? Should Allertherapy be marketed as OTC for at home food allergy desensitization treatment?

Gluten-Free Guidebook

I'm undoubtedly behind on discovering this resource, but better late than never--Hilary Davidson's Gluten-Free Guidebook. It is full of tips and recommendations for eating gluten-free here and abroad. Check it out!

Edited to add: Allergic Girl actually mentioned Hilary Davidson's blog just yesterday here. I think this cold is starting to get to my brain. I read Sloan's post yesterday and then completely forgot I had, and mentioned Hilary's blog up above! TGIF!

If It Sounds Too Good to be True...

I just came across this alarming press release advertising an over-the-counter homeopathic treatment for food allergies: New OTC Treatment Available to Food Allergy Sufferers. It's so distasteful and dangerous to prey on people like this, especially on the heels of promising news from the Arkansas and Duke peanut desensitization studies. As they say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Please be sure to check with your allergist about any treatment you may be considering!

Arizona Diamondbacks Offer Gluten-Free Food at Games

 "The times they are a-changin"--peanut-free and food-free zones, peanut-free games and gluten-free snacks at the ballpark! It's nice to see how baseball teams are making such an effort to reach out to fans on restricted diets! The Phoenix Fanster reported that the Arizona Diamondbacks will be offering gluten-free snacks and beer at games this season: Take Me Out to the Ball Game (Gluten-free Remix).

Buzz Around New England: Grand Opening of New Englandʼs First Specialty Snack and Food Store Focusing on Food Allergies

Below is a recent press release for FAB Snacks. (hint, hint: Please vote for FAB Snacks in Startup Nation's Leading Moms in Business Competition. You can vote every day till March 31!)

Finding snacks and convenience foods at the local supermarket for those with food allergies, food intolerances, and other restricted diets can be difficult, if not impossible. While many families are making more homemade food, it helps to be able to find a convenient, safe snack thatʼs tasty, portable and affordable. FAB Snacks (www.fabsnacks.com), a new online food allergy friendly snack center, stands ready to assist those families.

Frustrated with the lack of local and affordable shopping options, Jennifer B. founder of FAB Snacks, Inc., decided to take matters into her own hands. “Like so many parents of food allergic children, I had grown weary of the limited ʻsafeʼ options at my local supermarket and the high prices there,” Jennifer says. “Although I found more choices online, the prices were prohibitively high and it was not easy to get the kind of detailed product information that I wanted. In addition, there were no stores specializing in food allergies in New England, the place I call home.”

As the founder of Food Allergy Buzz (www.foodallergybuzz.com)--a blog where she shares information on food allergy friendly products, businesses and resources--Jennifer has made her mark in the online food allergy community by focusing on food allergic individuals as consumers, and introducing and supporting food allergy friendly businesses. Fellow food allergy blogger Jenny (of The Nut-Free Mom Blog http://nut-freemom.blogspot.com) commented “Jennifer B of the blog Food Allergy Buzz faces all the same problems and so she took action! She decided to start FAB Snacks, a source of allergy-free foods for many different types of food allergies.”

Shannon, mother of a peanut allergic child, says “I found FAB Snacks to be an easy company to order from. The ordering process was quick and easy and my peanut-free products arrived in a timely manner. Quick shipping is always important and FAB Snacks definitely came through...Before finding the FAB Snacks web site, I had taken to making my own granola bars and such because the other sites had ridiculously priced items. The items that we tried were delicious and we will definitely be ordering again soon.”

FAB Snacks is able to keep prices reasonable by selling solely to individual, corporate and institutional customers online. Choices include snacks free of the eight most common allergens as well as some less common ones, such as dairy-free, egg-free, peanut-free, sesame-free, soy-free, tree nut-free, wheat-free and gluten-free. For additional information, visit www.fabsnacks.com.

Food Lion's Supplier Change Could Mean Cross-Contact With Nuts, Peanuts

We've learned that Food Lion stores in the southeast have recently switched to a different supplier for mini-cupcakes. The new supplier apparently uses nuts and peanuts and is located somewhere outside the U.S. The name of the supplier is not available at this time.

Until the recent change, Freed's Bakery, a nut-free bakery in New Hampshire, had been the supplier for many years. Unfortunately, shifting operations outside the U.S., even for baked goods, is a continuing trend. There has been much discussion in recent days about the practices of food manufacturers in the U.S. How would U.S. manufacturers compare to foreign manufacturers in terms of good manufacturing practice (GMP), procedures to avoid cross-contamination, and facility inspections? In my younger days, I was involved with projects which brought foreign government officials to train with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in good manufacturing practices. If U.S. practices aren't up to snuff, as recent news indicates, how are those FDA trainees faring in their home countries?

How do you feel about U.S. and foreign manufacturing practices in light of food allergies?

Cupcake Mystery Solved

In February, I wrote about cupcakes and muffins made in New Hampshire's nut-free Freed's Bakery. Freed's converted to a completely nut-free facility in February 2008. Their cupcakes and muffins are sold at supermarkets around the country, sometimes bearing a Freed's nut-free label and often not. In fact, a number of supermarkets near me carry Freed's mini-cupcakes-- popular items for children's celebrations--but they still bear supermarket labels and disclaimers stating they may have been in contact with a number of allergens including nuts! With a peanut allergy in the family, foods with a disclaimer are off limits.

Freed's confirmed over the telephone that they are indeed nut-free, but I don't feel comfortable taking someone's word over what is written on the label. After all, a mistake could be fatal. It took a number of telephone calls to Shaw's Supermarkets, but I learned that many supermarkets occasionally open the cupcake packages to add seasonal decorations or sprinkles. Shaw's Supermarkets is one such customer, and rightfully uses its own label with disclaimer about the possibility of cross-contact. Other supermarkets have similar practices. Which supermarkets sell the cupcakes and muffins direct from Freed's, untouched? Members of Food Allergy Support have found them at certain Walmart locations and Market Basket supermarkets, complete with a "nut free" label. Unfortunately, there is no list of stores that sell the cupcakes and muffins as is, decorated and packaged by Freed's. If the package does not bear that nut-free label, there is a chance the supermarket may have opened the package to add decorations, and there's no way to know if the decorations are nut-fee.

I've suggested that Freed's consider changing the packaging so it would be easier to know if a package has been opened at the store. As they are now, the label is what holds the package closed. I purchased Freed's cupcakes--to my son's delight--at a Market Basket store, complete with nut free label, and found I was able to remove the label enough to open the package and then reseal. That's not exactly tamper-proof or good for avoiding cross-contact! I understand Freed's is investigating options for different packaging.

Conclusion? Keep doing what you're doing! Read those labels, call the manufacturers, and know your own comfort level.

Vote for Best Allergy Sites and FAB Snacks--We Need Your Votes!

Ruth (Best Allergy Sites) and I have each entered Startup Nation's Leading Moms in Business Competition. They rank the top 200 contestants by number of votes received and then select a few from to feature in articles and other media. To my knowledge, we may be the only contestants with a food allergy focus. You actually can vote for both of us every day till March 31. If you bookmark it, it'll take less than a minute, just a matter of clicking on a Vote Button for each of us. You don't have to provide any information at all. Thanks for your support!

You can use the following links to vote for Best Allergy Sites and to vote for FAB Snacks.

Thanks again!

Sunday Morning Link Love

There are so many wonderful food allergy blogs and websites, and amazing advocates behind them! Please take a moment and visit these two great blogs/websites:

www.CleanOutThePantry.org
"Clean Out the Pantry.org was developed through a coordinated effort by 4 food allergy parents from Buffalo, New York. The families met through a local play group, further brought together by their children’s allergies. Each family felt there was something more to be done to help others cope with the news of food allergies and to enhance their every day lives from that point on."

www.eatnutfree.com
"Eat Nut-Free was born from a little boy with nut allergies and our want to make his life easier by bringing together the news and advances of Nut Allergy living. We hope to provide information to help others with their allergies and to make their life easier by providing this little service."

St. Paul Saints Food-Free Seats

Also available on Free to Enjoy Baseball.

I received a tip from a reader (Thanks, G!) about the June 25, 2009 St. Paul Saints game and confirmed the details with Wendy Wessel, Coordinator of Food Allergy Support Group of Minnesota. This is the 5th year of the food-free section at a St. Paul Saints baseball game! You heard right--peanut-free, nut-free, completely food-free! Wendy explained the arrangements: "They arrange for us to reserve the top several rows of a section, with an empty "buffer" row between our section and the rows below. Our area gets extra cleaning before the game. Their food vendors cannot try to sell food in our area. They place extra ushers in the aisles to communicate the accommodations with other fans if they try to sit in the empty row or bring food in our area. Some of our attendees bring snacks to the game but go to main walkways under the bleachers to have them and then they return to their seat. Drinks are allowed in our area."

Ticket information for the game will be available at the end of April at www.foodallergysupportmn.org.

Food Allergy Stores Need Your Business

Do you have a favorite food allergy grocery store near you or online where you buy those hard-to-find specialty foods you need? There are only a handful of such stores around the U.S. I know of three brick and mortar stores which also sell online, and there are several online stores as well.

The pioneer food allergy store, Miss Roben's/Allergy Grocer, appears to have closed its doors and no other information about its future is available at this time. One thing is certain, individuals and families with food allergies and other restricted diets already have a difficult time accessing the foods they need. These specialty stores sell hard-to-find foods that often aren't available at neighborhood supermarkets. While specialty foods cost more due to higher quality ingredients and dedicated manufacturing facilities, they provide an irreplaceable convenience to us. Please try to support these specialty retail stores and manufacturers or they will not survive these tough economic times!

The closing of Miss Roben's should be a wake-up call to us. We need to make a special effort to support these food allergy conscious businesses. Many of these companies were founded by food allergic individuals and families. They understand the challenges of living with food allergies because they have experienced it themselves. For many of them, providing allergy friendly products is more than a business to them, it is a passion. When a food allergy conscious manufacturer or retailer closes its doors, it is a loss to the entire food allergy community.

Where is Miss Robens/Allergy Grocer?

Is it true or is it an ugly rumor? Has the grande dame of food allergy stores gone out of business? Someone on Twitter said during the night "NO!!! Please RT for other food allergy people Miss Roben's / Allergy Grocer has gone out of business!!!"

I checked the website and it does not seem to work. Does anyone know what happened?

Where is the Epipen?!

This story popped up on my Google Alerts this afternoon: Webutuck Student Rushed to Hospital. In Connecticut, an eighth grade student was having a life threatening allergic reaction during track practice after school. No one seemed to know what to do. The student actually managed to telephone his mother during the event and she called 911 for him. She rushed to the school and discovered that no one knew where the epipens were. It's a parent's nightmare.

I don't like fear-mongering, but since I recently posted about schools that do not have nurses--particularly in the context of food allergic and asthmatic students--I thought this article would further drive home the point that parents of food allergic children (and other health conditions such as asthma or diabetes) need to consider whether a trained medical professional of some kind is on campus during all school activities should a medical emergency ever arise. It's a very serious problem.

March 19 Living with Food Allergies Blog Carnival

Welcome to the March 19, 2009 edition of Living with Food Allergies Carnival. It's the last one left before the official start of spring this year! The last week or two have been heavy with allergy news, so we start with a few allergy news posts, then a couple observations on life with food allergies and finish with some fun recipes.

Allergy News


Joe E presents Possible New Cure for Peanut Allergy Sufferers | Promote Health posted at Promote Health, saying, "A promising new treatment for peanut allergy sufferers has been discovered by British researchers."

Amy Leger presents Wellshire Company’s Gluten-Free Nuggets Back in Stores posted at The Savvy Celiac, saying, "Three months off store shelves, now Wellshire Family of Products unleashes it’s updated version of the company’s gluten-free Chicken Bites. Find out about the changes the company is making to ensure the gluten-free status of its a popular product."

Ruth Smith presents Do Allergies Have an Economic Impact on Families? posted at Best Allergy Sites, saying, "Hi Jenn, thought I'd finally submit to the blog carnival. Thanks for inviting me."

Jennifer B presents Sesame Allergy on the Rise posted at Food Allergy Buzz.

Life with Food Allergies

Christy Matte presents The Food Allergy Goes to Preschool posted at More than Mommy.

Libby presents Contact Reaction to Hair Conditioner posted at The Allergic Kid, saying, "Since I can't be a good example of parenting with food allergies this week, I'll have to serve as a horrible warning! Things went terribly wrong when we used a new product and The Kid had a contact reaction on his skin. To top it off, I took an unsavory tour of the ingredient label."

Recipes

Speedbump Kitchen presents Creating an Egg-Free Egg posted at Speedbump Kitchen, saying, "How about a recipe for some dairy/egg/nut/soy/wheat-free Cadbury Creme Eggs, just in time for Easter!"

Nowheymama presents When Irish Mouths Are Eating posted at No Whey, Mama, saying, "A mustard sauce recipe for your leftover corned beef--or for your Easter ham"

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of living with food allergies carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our
blog carnival index page.

Sesame Allergy on the Rise

Below is a recent article that I think is important to highlight since sesame allergy seems more and more common, yet it is not a popular food allergy conversation topic. In many other countries, sesame must be identified on food labels as peanuts and tree nuts are. The U.S. does not have the same labeling requirements for sesame, but growing numbers say we should. By the looks of it, FDA's plate is full of labeling issues (among other things!), but it seems it's time to include labeling for sesame and perhaps a few other food allergens on FDA's to-do list. What do you think?

Sesame Allergies on the Rise in the U.S.

AAAAI: Black Male Children Have Higher Risk of Food Allergies

Many interesting bits of allergy related news have come out of the recent AAAAI (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology) conference. One such item is the results of a National Health and Nutrition Survey which state that Black Male Children Have an Increased Risk for Food Allergies.

When I read about these survey results, I was reminded of a radio essay Jenny (The Nut-Free Mom Blog) pointed out not so long ago. Gluten--A White Person's Allergy?

Video: Symposium on Children with Food Allergies

About a year or so ago, there was a Symposium on Children with Food Allergies in Boston. The symposium was recorded and the video is now available for purchase on 2 DVDs for $23.95 ($19.95 plus $4.00 shipping) on http://www.peanutsafety.com/. Each disc is 1 hour and 45 minutes long. Speakers include Dr. Michael Pistiner (pediatric allergist and father of a food allergic child), Stacey Schakel (school nurse and mother of a food allergic child), Joan Landers (a school superintendent) and Tim Sindelar (attorney). I am very glad someone decided to record it as I was unable to attend the symposium! I am still watching my copy and it seems very informative so far, as expected. I am especially interested in the segment with Attorney Tim Sindelar, who is the go-to-guy for 504 issues in Massachusetts. I will give you some feedback on the videos as soon as I finish viewing the video in its entirety. It seems like another video that would be helpful to have at the town library.

Fruit Is a Safe Food for Allergies--Or Is It?

Some individuals are allergic to fruit and in those cases, it's obvious fruit would not be a "safe" food to offer, but what about those with milk, dairy, peanut or nut allergies? No problem, right? Think again! FAB reader Katie sent the above photo from an Edible Arrangements gift. The gift is a fruit bouquet or basket artfully arranged with wonderful fruit but it comes with the warning shown in the photo. Why? Because some fruit is dipped in chocolate and may have traces of peanuts, nuts, or milk. Good eye, Katie! Thanks to Katie for this reminder not to assume food is safe for your food allergies and to always read those labels.

Support us in the 2009 StartupNation Leading Moms in Business Competition

Support us in the 2009 StartupNation Leading Moms in Business Competition

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Buzz Around New England: Peanut-Free and Nut-Free Zeppoles

Unless you hail from an area with a good number of Italian immigrants or descendants of Italian immigrants, you probably haven't heard of St. Joseph's Day. I have spent a fair amount of time in nearby Rhode Island and can say that it's still alive and well there, though the focus may be less on religion these days and more on food--zeppoles, to be specific.

In Rhode Island, there is a peanut-free, nut-free bakery making zeppoles this year--A & J Bakery*. They're for pick-up only, so those of you lucky enough to live nearby, try to get there soon. St. Joseph's is March 19. They're offering a special for the celebration: Buy 12 get 3 free or Buy 6 get 1 free. (Confession: they aren't small and I ate 1 all by myself pretty darn quick!)

Saint Joseph's Day, according to Wikipedia:

"Saint Joseph's Day Celebrations in the United States

In New Orleans, Louisiana, which was a major port of entry for Sicilian immigrants during the late 19th century, the Feast of St. Joseph is a city-wide event. Both public and private St. Joseph's altars are traditionally built. The altars are usually open to any visitor who wishes to pay homage. The food is generally distributed to charity after the altar is dismantled.

There are also parades in honor of St. Joseph and the Italian population of New Orleans which are similar to the many marching clubs and truck parades of Mardi Gras and St. Patrick's Day. Tradition in New Orleans also holds that by burying a small statue of St. Joseph in your yard, your house will sell more promptly. In addition to the above traditions, some groups of Mardi Gras Indians stage their last procession of the season on the Sunday prior to St. Joseph's day otherwise known as "Super Sunday," after which their costumes are dismantled.

St Joseph's Day is also celebrated in other American communities with high proportions of Italians such as New York City; Buffalo; Chicago ^[8]; Kansas City, MO; Gloucester, Mass. ; and Rhode Island."

*We are very grateful that A & J Bakery is one of Food Allergy Buzz's sponsors.

A Blog Dedicated to Peanut Free and Food Allergy Friendly Baseball

I've created a "sister blog/site" to collect all of the information on peanut-free games, peanut-free seating areas, and other food allergy friendly accommodations at baseball games around the U.S. and Canada. I'm still tweaking it, but please feel free to take a peek at www.peanutfreebaseball.com. If you have events or information regarding food allergy friendly games or accommodations at games, please email the info to me at jenniferATfoodallergybuzz.com. Thanks!

Clinton Lumberkings' Peanut Free Night on May 20

We are happy to hear that "Peanut Free Night" returns to Alliant Energy Field again this season. "No products containing peanuts or peanut oil will be sold or allowed in the ballpark for the Wednesday, May 20 game" the Lumberkings play against Lansing.

Ending the Week on a Sweet Note

The other day, I wrote about Surf Sweets, the mysterious candy I keep hearing about but hadn't had a chance to try. I am happy to report that I have tried all of the varieties of Surf Sweets and I get it now. They are really excellent gummy candies. Surf Sweets manufactures gummy worms, gummy swirls, jelly beans, gummy bears, fruity bears, and sour worms. My gummy tasting assistants--ages 5 and 8--and I loved all of them. My personal favorite was the gummy swirls, but the boys liked the gummy and fruity bears best of all. They taste fantastic--sweet and truly fruity, with real fruit flavors--and have a fun texture. Surf Sweets are small and very tasty, so there is the undeniable temptation to take a generous handful and just keep on eating. Plan ahead--once you open a bag, you probably will have to finish it right away!

I wrote to Surf Sweets and received quick and helpful responses from Bert Cohen, the owner. I had lamented that I couldn't find Surf Sweets nearby and Bert kindly told me where I might purchase them. Come to find out, I don't have to travel too far to find them. They just aren't at my usual stops, but I can assure you I will make a special trip to one of the other stores just to get Surf Sweets. They're that good. One other thing about Surf Sweets--the owner was one of the founders of Enjoy Life Food, so you can be sure they are very food allergy aware.

Surf Sweets are great tasting and food allergy friendly candies. They're gluten-free, casein-free, peanut-free and are manufactured in a facility free of the eight most common food allergens. They also do not contain sunflower, poppy or sesame seeds. The manufacturing facility does use organic sunflower oil. If you haven't tried them, you really should!

And Now for a Little Food Allergy Link Love

Here are some links to some food allergy resources which you may find interesting and helpful.

Food Allergy Book

Flourishing with Food Allergies, by A. Anderson, is a relatively new book which has received many positive reviews and is popular among support groups. Here are a few links to reviews by some of my favorite food allergy bloggers:

About.com: Food Allergies, Flourishing with Food Allergies

Allergy Life in Loudoun, New Book: Flourishing with Food Allergies by A. Anderson

Peanut Allergy Kid, Book Review: Flourishing with Food Allergies

The book is available online for purchase from a number of online retailers, such as Amazon.

Food Allergy Clothing

http://www.teeshirtstalk.ca/

A Canadian company founded by Christina Halladay, mother of a young peanut allergic girl. Christina explained the difficulties she had in finding suitable allergy awareness shirts for her daughter. "...as I was looking to outfit her with an allergy awareness teeshirt, I discovered that I could not find what I was looking for. I found great designs in the US but after I paid shipping it was too expensive. The shirts I found more locally were beautiful but so ornate that I felt for a 3 year old, the message was lost. So, I created my own designs." A portion of all teeshirtstalk.ca sales are donated to allergy awareness and research.

Food Allergy Website

Raising Food Allergic Kids is a new food allergy website founded by Lissa Critz, mother of a food allergic toddler. Lissa says "I personally felt when I started doing online research for food allergies in children that a lot of the sites that were heavily into advocacy and politics were strongly in favor of a particular viewpoint on the “cause” of food allergies or what parents should or shouldn’t do with their kids. I wanted a stress-free no-judgment zone where I could share what we do and eventually other parents could join in and share what works for them." You can find Raising Food Allergic Kids at www.rfak.org.

Lowell Spinners Offer 2 Peanut-Free Baseball Games

Peanut-free seating areas are springing up all over!

Out of Lowell, Massachusetts, comes news of two peanut free night games at the Lowell Spinners, Class-A Affiliate of the Red Sox, during the 2009 season. The Spinner have set Wednesday, July 1 and Sunday, August 2 as Peanut Free nights. Jon Boswell, Media Relations Manager for the Spinners, explained "Both games are the first games of homestands, giving us an opportunity to thoroughly power wash our stadium and clean our concession stands. No peanuts or products containing peanuts will be sold that night."

"Individual tickets for our 2009 season go on sale Tuesday, March 17 and group tickets can be booked now through our Spinners Ticket Office at 978-459-1702. Ticket prices range from just $4 for standing room to $8, making Spinners games affordable for the entire family. Additionally, on our second Peanut Free game, as part of our Sunday Kid’s Days, children are welcome to stay after the game to run the bases on the field."

Not bad, eh? 2 peanut-free games, and check out those ticket prices! That's a steal!

More Peanut-Free Seating for Red Sox Games

I am not sure if any tickets remain, but there were 3 more additional Red Sox games with peanut-free seating announced this week. So exciting!

June 7th vs. Texas
July 12th vs. Kansas City
September 13th vs. Tampa Bay

To inquire about tickets or get on the waiting list for next season, send an email to rlathamATredsox.com. (**Note: Families may purchase tickets to more than one game**). Tickets are sold on a first come, first serve basis and are $75 for seats, and $25 for standing room.

Linda Coss to Deliver Keynote at AAFA's 2009 Conference and Expo

Author, food allergy advocate, and food allergy mom, Linda Coss, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the Anaphylaxis & Food Allergy Association of Minnesota's (AFAA's) 6th Annual Food Allergy Conference and Expo at the University of Minnesota Radisson Hotel on April 4, 2009. The topic of Linda's speech will be "What You Need to Know about Food Allergy Management."

In a recent email, Linda said "In this 45 minute presentation I'll talk about some of the things that are in my "How To" book, such as recognizing and treating an allergic reaction, avoiding the dangers of cross-contamination, and more. In addition, I'll be discussing a very important issue that isn't in my book: How parents can handle all of these day-to-day issues in such a way that their child grows up "well-adjusted" in spite of having potentially fatal food allergies."

For more information about AAFA's upcoming conference and expo or to register, please visit http://www.minnesotafoodallergy.org/conference/.

Update from AFAA on NWA Negotiations

Below is a portion of an email which I received this morning from AFAA regarding ongoing negotiations with Northwest Airlines (NWA) regarding peanut snacks on airplanes. To complete the survey please cut and paste the url below in your browser window or send me an email and I will forward the entire email message to you so you can use the button inside the actual email. Please encourage everyone you know to complete the survey and send letters. Don't forget to visit our Facebook Group, You Don't Need Nuts to Fly. Thank you!

Peanut-Snacks on Airplanes
An Update from the
Anaphylaxis & Food Allergy Association of MN (AFAA)

Negotiations Begin with NWA/Delta An AFAA delegation - consisting of medical director Dr. Allan Stillerman, AFAA Executive Director Nona Narvaez, retired Star Tribune Travel Editor Catherine Watson, and Minnesota State Senator Jim Carlson - met with the Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Northwest/Delta Airlines on Friday, March 6th. Also attending the meeting was an aide from U.S. Representative Oberstar's office. The delegation presented medical information about food allergies; letters, comments, and e-mails from over 270 people; preliminary results of the Peanuts on Airplanes survey; and an extensive list of policy recommendations for the airline to adopt. "AFAA's goal is to create safer flying conditions for food allergic passengers, and there are a number of improvements that can be adopted by airlines," said Dr. Stillerman, "including - but not limited to - reduction of the presence of peanut allergens on the aircraft." Some of the provisions advocated by AFAA received favorable reception at the meeting, but all provisions are being evaluated internally by the airline before they officially respond. "This is the first step in negotiations with the airline," explained Ms. Narvaez. "We will meet again with the airlines to discuss progress on our policy goals." In the meantime AFAA representatives will continue working with Senator Klobuchar's and Representative Oberstar's staff on this issue, and will keep Minnesota Legislators apprised of developments. Interested individuals and families are encouraged to take the Peanuts on Airplanes survey, which is open through March 16th, when final results will be tallied. Final results will be shared with policymakers, the airline, the media, and other organizations. More than 600 people have taken the Peanuts on Airplanes survey. Their comments and the preliminary results of the survey were shared with Northwest/Delta Airlines, with U.S. Congressional Members, and with the Minnesota Legislature. Final results of the survey will be distributed after the survey closes.

Your opinion Matters!

AFAA is encouraging all food allergic individuals and family members to participate in a survey and forward it to others affected by food allergens on airflights. The survey results will be helpful information to relay to the airlines in AFAA's efforts to influence them to accommodate passengers with food allergies.

AFAA is also continuing to collect e-mails and letters to deliver directly to the airline and to the U.S. Department of Transportation Aviation Consumer Protection Division. You are encouraged to submit your opinions and share your experiences on the survey page or at airplanes@minnesotafoodallergy.org.

This e-mail with the survey link can be forwarded to friends and relatives so they may participate also: Use forward button from inside this e-mail or provide them the URL:
http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2h2368hfrsnb0e0/start

The survey will be open until midnight, March 15th.

Registration for FAAN Walk for Food Allergy Is Now Open

Have you participated in the FAAN Walk for Food Allergy? We participated in the 2007 Boston area FAAN Walk. It was well attended, to say the least. The walk took place in a state park and was about 2.5 miles through the woods over bumpy trails. We borrowed a friend's jog-stroller to push our then 3 year-old and our 6-year-old walked along with us. I think participating in the walk was a cathartic experience for me. When you read the paper or look online, you know you are not alone in this food allergy journey. When you participate in a FAAN Walk, you actually can see all of the other food allergy families. Somehow, it makes a difference to be physically surrounded by other families going thru the same experiences or even more challenging ones. Best of all, the Walk for Food Allergy is a great way to help fundraise "to find a cure for food allergies, to increase awareness, and to provide understanding, hope, and an opportunity for a child with food allergy to simply be a child."

Registration for the 2009 Walk for Food Allergy is already open. There will be 35 Walks held around the country this year. Visit http://www.foodallergywalk.org/ to sign up for a walk near you, donate to a walk site or by mail.

Here is the press release for the 2009 FAAN Walk for Food Allergy.

ELL Issues Allergen Ingredient Labeling Alert for Tofutti Cuties

This alert from ELL just came in at 5:00 PM Eastern on Monday, March 9, 2009. More scary food news.

March 9^th, 2009

Attached is a Manufacturer Allergen Ingredient Labeling (MAIL) ALERT for Tofutti Cuties.

A child suffered an anaphylactic reaction immediately following ingestion of this product.

Cross-contamination with milk in processing is suspected. The product will be tested by FARRP, an independent food allergy testing laboratory at the University of Nebraska.

This is the 3^rd allergic incident report for Tofutti that has been submitted to ELL within the past several months (9 total documented allergic incidents to-date). Following the receipt of each report, ELL has notified the manufacturer but has not received any replies.

Please note, Tofutti Cuties are manufactured by co-packers (Kemp’s Ice Cream). Tofutti also manufactures a peanut variety of the Cutie frozen dessert. Tofutti does not include cautionary or advisory warnings for the potential for cross contamination with milk and/or peanut ingredients.

Historically, the company has been very uncooperative and has not taken responsibility for any of the allergic reactions reported.

If you are aware of any allergic incidents resulting from consumption of Tofutti products, please contact Eat, Learn, Live (ELL) immediately.

Regards,
Kathleen Silverman
Eat, Learn, Live (ELL)

ksilverman@ellfoundation.org
630-262-1154
www.ellfoundation.org

Does Your School Have a Full-Time Nurse?

Here is a link to a very sad and disturbing story about a girl with asthma and allergies who died from an asthma attack at school in Washington state. The school has a nurse who rotates between schools and the staff on-hand apparently were not adequately trained to deal with asthma emergencies. The child had a doctor prescribed inhaler and epi-pen at school.

Parents seeking millions against school district for asthma attack death.

How to Use An Epi-pen

Have you come across this video before? It's a "how-to" video from Dey, the maker of Epi-pen and it's pretty good. Take a look.

March 6, 2009 ELL Alert

We've just received an alert from ELL. It caught my eye because it is for Good Humor Sherbet, which is related to Breyer's ice cream, a brand many food allergic families consider to be safe! A boy suffered an anaphylactic reaction to peanut allergen in rainbow sherbet. Visit http://ellfoundation.org/ and click on Allergy Incident Report to view the ELL incident report.

San Diego Padres' Peanut-Free Seating

We just received the following news from Sue Wagner of the San Diego Food Allergy Support Group:

The San Diego Padres along with San Diego Food Allergy Support Group™ have created a peanut-free seating area for the:

May 17th Padres v. Cincinnati Reds Game at 1:05 p.m.

The gate value of tickets is $50, which all participants will be able to purchase at the discounted $25 price using our promotion code.

To purchase tickets,

click on the link below and enter promo code:

PEANUT for the 50% discount.

Peanut-Free Ticket Sales or www.sandiegofoodallergy.org and follow the link from there.

To prepare for the event, the Padres will power wash the seating section, have trained emergency responders aware of our sections needs, remove peanut items from the vendors in the immediate concourse area above the section, post "Peanut Free Zone" signs around the section with ushers to help insure compliance.

Peanut Allergy Friendly Games at Fenway

Yes, it's that time of the year. News of more peanut-free, peanut-reduced, food-free and allergy friendly games is beginning to trickle in, as spring draws near. The Red Sox will be offering several games with a peanut allergy friendly zone or section to those on the waiting list. You can request the waiting list for the peanut allergy friendly section by calling the ticket office at 877-RED-SOX9. Based on what I can gather, it's a pretty long list, but if you aren't lucky enough to get the call or email this year, Fenway will be sure to follow up with you next year.

This is not Fenway's first venture into offering accomodations to peanut allergic fans, as we were reminded by a reader several months ago--Seats for Peanut Allergic Red Sox Fans. With the removal of Conigliaro's Corner, the peanut allergy friendly seating will be in the Coca Cola Left Field Pavilion this year. Seats are $75 and standing room is $25. We understand that there will be several games for which peanut allergy friendly seating is available this season. Being a local, I must say thanks again to the Red Sox and the folks at Fenway for making these seats available!

Details for Seattle Mariners 2009 Peanut-Free Games

Here are the details on the Seattle Mariner's peanut-free baseball games for 2009 courtesy of Michael San Soucie. Thanks again, Michael!

"After a successful peanut-free experiment last season with a couple of games, we are expanding our Peanut Controlled Area games to a total of 4 this season. For the following four games, the view box sections 313, 314, and 315 will be reserved for those folks with peanut allergies and their families. This area will seat roughly 200 fans and will be specially priced at $11 per ticket.

Sunday May 3 vs. Oakland

Wednesday June 24 vs. San Diego

Tuesday July 7 vs. Baltimore

Monday August 10 vs. White Sox

Additional details can be found at mariners.com/nopeanuts which links directly to the GroupManager ticketing page. The offer is live so tickets can be ordered at this time. This offer will be promoted within that "community" but please feel free to inform anyone you know who would be in need of these special seats.

GO MARINERS! SEE YOU ALL AT THE BALLPARK!

AND REMEMBER I WILL ALSO BE RELEASING DETAILS ABOUT TICKETS FOR THE PARTY DECK GAME ON MAY 24TH AT CHENEY STADIUM IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE AS WELL!

Michael San Soucie"

Please note that you need to use the offer code "peanut". Enjoy the game!

Spring Specials from Britain's It's Nut Free

Lovely specials--such as the one below--for Mother's Day and Easter, are mentioned in the latest It's Nut Free newsletter. It's Nut Free products are available in the UK but have not made it across the pond yet. We're eagerly awaiting their arrival as we read of It's Nut Free's success in Britain--they must be something! For more information or to sign up for the newsletter, please visit www.itsnutfree.com.

TREAT YOUR MUM AND TREAT YOURSELF AT THE SAME TIME!
 

To celebrate the launch of our great new range of Snack Bags in time for Mother's Day, we're giving away a trial pack (containing 50g x all 3 flavours) with every Snack Bag Order placed in March. The new range includes Caramel Fudge Cubes, Chocolate Truffle Fudge Cubes and Chocolate Orange Biscuit Bites.

Orders must be over £20.00. Maximum 1 Trial Pack per order.

Update from Anaphylaxis & Food Allergy Association of Minnesota re: "Peanut-Snacks on Airplanes"

Peanut-Snacks on Airplanes
An Update from the
Anaphylaxis & Food Allergy Association of MN (AFAA)

This Week: Your opinion Matters! A delegation consisting of members of AFAA's Board of Directors - including medical director Dr. Allan Stillerman - will be meeting directly with Northwest/Delta Airlines this week. An aide from U.S. Representative Oberstar's will participate in the meeting, and possibly an aide from U.S. Senator Klobuchar's office. (Both members of Congress represent Minnesota on their respective transportation committees.) "We want to give voice to those affected by this policy change," said AFAA Executive Director, Nona Narvaez. AFAA is encouraging all food allergic individuals and family members to participate in a survey and forward it to others affected by food allergens on airflights. The survey results will be helpful information to relay to the airlines in AFAA's efforts to influence them to accommodate passengers with food allergies. Take the Survey AFAA is also collecting e-mails and letters directly and from a national food allergy organization to deliver directly to the airline during the meeting. You are encouraged to submit your opinions on the survey page or to airplanes@minnesotafoodallergy.org. This e-mail with the survey link can be forwarded to friends and relatives so they may participate also: Use forward button from inside this e-mail or provide them the URL: http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2h2368hfrsnb0e0/start

Flying With Food Allergies Travel Tips Be Prepared: Carry Epinephrine(preferably more than one injector) and meds on you (not in suitcase or carry-on bag) Don't Eat Airline Food (Bring your own from home) Wipe Seats & Trays (bring wipes from home) Communicate (with flight attendants, reservation agent, gate agent, etc. prior to flight) Additional suggestions: Check seat pockets for mislaid refuse Have wipes handy in case of accidental skin contact (but remember that handwashing with running water is better) Use carseats on the plane for your child (this will reduce their contact with seats, etc.) Dress in long sleeves and slacks to avoid skin contact Choose seat assignments early to ensure that food allergic children are seated next to or between parents: ask to switch seats if necessary Bring enough food in case of delays Before departure, ask the flight attendants to inform the captain about you/your child's severe allergy so that they will be prepared to land the plane early if necessary If you ask, some airlines will make an announcement requesting that passengers voluntarily refrain from eating peanuts If you ask, some airlines will not serve peanuts for 3 rows in front and behind a food allergic passenger (a buffer zone) Politely educate those around you: most people want to be courteous and careful In case of a reaction: Quickly follow your doctor's directions for treating allergic reactions Inform the flight attendants immediately If the reaction is severe or moderate, seek medical care immediately upon landing Remember: With forethought and preparation it is possible to fly safely

Anaphylaxis and Food Allergy Association of Minnesota (AFAA)
2200 Hendon Avenue; St. Paul, MN 55108
www.minnesotafoodallergy.org
info@minnesotafoodallergy.org

AFAA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate, advocate, and support those with food allergies.

Join us in Taking the Fear Out of Food Allergies!