From Children's Hospital Boston':"A Cure for Food Allergies" Video # 6

Just received the following from Children's Hospital Boston earlier today (September 29, 2009):

"http://childrenshospitalblog.org/a-cure-for-milk-allergies-part-6-at-school-with-brett-nasuti/

In this week's installment, we go to school with Brett. He's taken it upon himself to educate his classmates by organizing an annual Food Allergy awareness week at his school, during which he's raising money for food allergy research.

The videos will also be featured on our Facebook page<http://www.facebook.com/ChildrensHospitalBoston?ref=search&sid=1229933931.2537082010..1"

FAAN Kids’ Congress on Capitol Hill

From the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network:

FAAN Kids’ Congress on Capitol Hill

WHAT:          The third Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) Kids’ Congress on Capitol Hill, a gathering of children aged 6-18 with food allergies who will share their experiences with their elected representatives and encourage them to support food allergy legislation as well as fund food allergy education and research.

The children will meet with legislators, attend a Food Allergy Awareness Rally to recognize food allergy leaders, including the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and get to know other children who share their condition. Legislators invited to be recognized at the rally include Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), and Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY).

WHEN:          Third FAAN Kids’ Congress on Capitol Hill, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2009

Food Allergy Awareness Rally at 9 a.m., Oct. 1, 2009

                        Congressional Auditorium in the Capitol Visitor Center, Lower Level

WHERE:       Washington, D.C.

WHY:             The children selected to serve as “Junior Ambassadors” for their states all have food allergies and are members of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, a nonprofit organization based in Fairfax, Va., that is the world leader in information about food allergy, a potentially fatal condition that afflicts approximately 12 million Americans. By talking to lawmakers about how food allergies affect them, these Junior Ambassadors can advocate for improved food allergy legislation, specifically, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act (H.R. 1378/S. 456), and encourage continued funding for food allergy research.

CONTACT:  Jennifer Love
                       Marketing and Media Communications Manager
                       The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network
                        (703) 563-3061 (direct)
                        (301) 639-4811 (cell)
                        jlove@foodallergy.org
                        www.foodallergy.org

Q & A with Peter DeRousse, Owner of Free From Market

Continuing Food Allergy Buzz's series of Q & A's with specialty food store retailers for the food allergic community, I'm pleased to share FAB's Q & A with Free From Market's owner, Peter DeRousse. Thanks to Peter for agreeing to do the Q & A and for his thoughtful answers.

Please tell us more about yourself and your connection to food allergies, food intolerances and/or celiac disease.

My wife Shelly and I have two daughters, the youngest of which is allergic to soy.  The eldest has life threatening anaphylactic allergies to dairy and egg, Celiac Disease, asthma, and severe environmental allergies to dogs, cats, mold, dust mites and trees.  We were founders of a local chapter of POCHA (Parents of Children Having Allergies) and every year we raise funds for food allergy research through FAAN and FAI.  My single most relevant credential is that I have two kids with life threatening allergies, asthma and Celiac disease.  I want them to enjoy variety in their diet, clean air, optimum nutrition in spite of their restrictions, and for others to understand and take their restrictions seriously.  Our customers want these things too.

What inspired you to open Free From Market and when did you open for business?

We opened Free From Market in March, 2009, because we were disappointed by the service, selection and experience to be found at other outlets.  Knowledge about allergy was generally lacking and consequentially also lacking were a broad selection of products that would give the most people the most options.  The idea was to create a total allergy specialty store with everything in one place – the region’s largest selection of allergen free foods, HEPA air purifiers, mattress encasements, pharmaceutical grade supplements, etc.  As consumers ourselves, we also wanted a place to shop that would maximize convenience and be cheery, would allow people to try new products with confidence, and would have hours that fit the lives of busy professionals.  We opened in March 2009 and launched www.freefrommarket.com the following month.

What was your principle line of work? Have you always been an entrepreneur?

I was a professor of Classics (Greek and Latin language) and I spearheaded the effort to create a Classical Studies program at DePaul University starting in 2001.  That was an entrepreneurial effort, I suppose.  Once the program was successful and mature I decided to move on to something new. 

Free From Market is different.  It began as a platform for what were our two principle preoccupations: being advocates for those with food allergy and raising funds to support research toward a food allergy cure.  These will always be fundamental to the mission of Free From Market.  It is about building a community of which we are members, and has less to do with me or making a mark in businesses.

Who handles the day-to-day business? Who can customers expect to see when they visit Free From Market or speak to when they phone?
When people call or stop by the store, they are often greeted by Brittany, Nicole, Stacy or myself.  Shelly sometimes helps out on the weekends or at promotions.  I generally handle the business and marketing end, while Stacy is our buyer.  Everyone helps out on the floor and processes online orders.  We enjoy learning about our customers and their families and often fall into long conversations about the lifestyle that we all share.

What are the distinguishing features of Free From Market?
First, every ingredient of every product is in a database that can be filtered by any combination of the top eight food allergens, rice, corn and kosher.  This is a function that works for all products -- foods, tooth pastes, lotions, cleaners, cosmetics, vitamins, everything – and this functionality is available at www.freefrommarket.com as well.  To my knowledge, no other allergy store or website has vetted their non-food items too.  Within the store there are also handy icons on every product showing what they contain, so shopping is easy.  We will not stock anything that lacks a plain language, full disclosure label.  The staff re-reads every label of every product every time we restock.  We often catch recipe changes and announce them to our e-mail list or on Twitter.  The entire store is peanut, paraben and petrochemical free and 99% gluten free.  When it comes to food, we are most interested in younger, smaller brands that must make great advances in quality in order get the attention in a very competitive market place.  It is an exciting time to be doing this, because quality in some areas has improved tremendously.  We recently streamlined our internet ordering process so now the website server and in store computers are synchronized so as to track a single inventory.  This makes the entire operation very efficient.  We’ve also negotiated cheaper shipping, so we can offer free shipping for orders over $100. 

Most important, however, will be a fund raising program that we will unveil in our next fiscal year.  In partnership with the Food Allergy Initiative we will begin raising funds for a food allergy cure.  I am very excited about this as it is fundamental to our corporate mission.  I do not want my daughter to be hospitalized ever again.  I want for Free From Market to be put out of business by a true cure.

Finally, which items are your biggest sellers? Do you have any specials coming up that you'd like to tell Food Allergy Buzz readers about?

Currently Gluten Free Pizzas of all sorts, anything that we get in from local GF and Allergy friendly bakeries, Sun Flour Bakery Cookies and Blue Air Purifiers.  Fresh bread from Andrea’s GF Fine Foods is also popular for not needing to be toasted.  All Blue Air Purifiers are 20% off through September, but this offer is not available online.  One must shop at the store or call to take advantage of the sale: (708) 590-6205.

"A Cure for Food Allergies?" Video #5 from Children's Hospital Boston

From yesterday's email from Children's Hospital Boston:

"In this week's installment, we sit down with celebrity chef Ming Tsai, chef-owner of Blue Ginger restaurant in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Tsai is as a spokesperson for the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) and is passionate about increasing awareness and improving restaurant systems so people with food allergies can eat out safely. He’s also the father of a son who has had multiple severe food allergies.

http://childrenshospitalblog.org/a-cure-for-food-allergies-part-5-celebrity-chef-ming-tsai-discusses-his-passion-for-food-allergy-awareness/"


As a side note, we took our peanut allergic son and non-allergic son to Ming's restaurant, Blue Ginger, in Wellesley. It was one of our most memorable experiences.

Allergy Smart TV Podcast from Australia

Aaron Dwyer of Allergy Smart TV in Australia has recently posted the latest Allergy Smart TV episode. I enjoy Aaron's show because I think it's helpful to be reminded that so many other parents are dealing with the same challenges all over the world.

Previous episodes were video recordings. This latest episode is a podcast. Aaron touches briefly on the subject of sleepovers and parties with children who have anaphylaxis in Allergy Smart TV is Back (well sort of) - Episode #21. Now, I am curious to hear what happens and will keep an eye open for episode #22, after the sleepover party.

Webinars on Autism Hangout

I love innovative, progressive websites. One website that I visit with increasing frequency is Autism Hangout. The founder, Craig Evans, has done interviews with various members of the autism community and also has begun webinars as well. Tonight's webinar (September 21, 2009) is 6 to 8 pm CDT and features Dr. Ester Hess on the subject of Autism Crossroads: Early Signs and Diagnosis and Treatments and Therapies. Past webinars may also be viewed. Take a look!

Friday Link Love

2 good links to share with you on this gorgeous early fall Friday.

Gluten Free Dining Friends in RI

This group sounds fun! And one of things I like to do on Food Allergy Buzz is to find ways to have fun despite food allergies and intolerances. This group certainly does not let celiac disease or gluten sensitivity or intolerance slow them down one bit!

"Gluten Free Dining Friends RI is a group of friends who have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Our main purpose is to dine at the MANY restaurants in the local area that generously offer gluten free menus & selections. We will try to have monthly dine outs to enjoy RI and MA restaurants and have fun, make friends, share recipes or ideas. You can join us or use these pages as a free resource and find a safe place to dine. We are NOT a support group although we are friends with the local Celiac Support Group for Children, Inc. http://www.geocities.com/celiacchildren"

Flourishing with Food Allergies Blog

You've likely heard of A. Anderson's celebrated book Flourishing with Food Allergies. I have not read the book yet, but I have heard wonderful things about it. The reviews have been very favorable and now there is also a companion blog where you can read new posts from the book's author. Check it out!

Food Allergy Buzz Talks to Allergies and Me Owner, Jamie Stern

Jamie Stern, Owner of Allergiesandme.com, graciously answered our questions about her new online specialty food store. Thank you, Jamie, for your time and for answering our questions!

Please tell us more about yourself and your connection to food allergies, food intolerances and/or celiac disease.

We started this company after learning more about the difficulties of raising a child with multiple food allergies. Our best friends have a beautiful four-year-old boy, Jack, who is allergic to Dairy, Eggs, Peanuts and Tree Nuts.  Seeing first-hand what they were dealing with, from first diagnosis to subsequent life-threatening reactions, we made a decision to see how we could help. After researching the online resources available, my vision was formed. Allergiesandme.com was created to help families find a stress-free shopping opportunity to find essential and great tasting products specific to their needs. The website is also dedicated to providing resources for education, support networks and new recipes to try. We offer a platform for new cookbook authors and bloggers to promote their business, which in turn, helps our customers.

Allergiesandme.com is involved in giving back to those fantastic non-profit organizations that help in the daily struggles. We have pledged to donate a significant portion our company profits to FAAN, Kids with Food Allergies and Celiac Sprue Association. Additionally, we are giving our personal time and efforts to support them as well.  I am the co-chair of our first annual FAAN Walk for Food Allergy: Moving Toward a Cure here in Tampa, Florida. I am a member of several local and national Food Allergy and Celiac Support groups and will be assisting them in their own individual fundraising efforts.

What inspired you to open Allergies and Me and when did you open for business?

Of course, Jack was our inspiration. We have given him the important position of” Corporate Mascot”. He has happily accepted this responsibility!

Allergiesandme.com launched our online store the beginning of August and we have been encouraged by all the positive feedback received from our customers. They have found the website easy to navigate and have voiced their appreciation of the large variety of products offered.

What is your principle line of work? Have you always been an entrepreneur?

I think I was always an entrepreneur at heart, but applied that spirit to my life in the corporate world. I have an extensive marketing background within the Commercial Insurance industry. This  gave me a wonderful opportunity to learn the important aspects of running a customer focused business.

Who handles the day-to-day business? Who can customers expect to when they phone?
I am the principal owner and head of operations of Allergiesandme.com. I believe Customer Satisfaction is the most important service we can provide to our customers and because of this, would be closely involved in all customer contacts.

What are the distinguishing features of Allergies and Me?

I would invite your readers to see for themselves. To me, it is the “uncluttered and stress-free” feel of the website, from the home page to the individual product descriptions. We have made this a priority because we know that our customers lead a stressful life, dealing with these dietary issues. Allergiesandme.com is dedicated to giving them the ability to slow down the pace and really feel that they can read product and ingredient lists without the distractions. We offer a “multiple allergy” search option to search for several allergen concerns by category. The site also provides direct contact information for all our manufacturers so if there are any specific product or production questions, our customers can go directly to the source for information.

Finally, which items are your biggest sellers? Do you have any specials coming up that you'd like to tell Food Allergy Buzz readers about?

 I couldn’t narrow our best sellers down to just a few at this point, our customers have indicated their approval for many of our product lines. We are adding more items weekly and I encourage your readers to check the online store frequently for new additions. We offer products for the top food allergens, Gluten and Wheat free products and also address the needs of many other dietary needs, such as Vegan, Vegetarian, Kosher, Organic, etc.

I am offering your readers a personal invitation to check out our online store with a wonderful discount offer. We are giving a discount of 10% off product orders between now and November 1st.  They just need to input the following code in the check out process: DCBUZZ.

Thanks for this opportunity to introduce my company to your readers. I look forward to hearing from them. We welcome all suggestions, comments and requests to make our store even better…and focused on the needs of our customers.

Jamie Stern
Owner, Allergiesandme.com

New Video About Milk Desensitization Study from Boston Children's Hospital

No point in trying to reword the recent email I've received from Boston Children's Hospital. See below!

Boston Children's Hospital has just posted a 4th video about "Brett Nasuti's quest to overcome his allergy to milk." In this video, "Brett's mother Robyn shows us what it's like to go grocery shopping for children with severe food allergies."

Here is the link for the video: http://childrenshospitalblog.org/a-cure-for-allergies-part-4-food-shopping-with-the-nasutis/

"The series will also be featured on Children's Hospital Boston's redesigned Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ChildrensHospitalBoston"

Great Video from Kinnikinnick Foods

I am not sure how I first came across this video made by Kinnikinnick Foods, but it certainly helps explain why dedicated facilities and equipment are critical when it comes to food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities.

Check it out: Importance of Dedicated Gluten Free Facilities and Equipment. All I can say is "wow!"

Living with Food Allergies Blog Carnival

A quick reminder that submissions to the Living with Food Allergies Blog Carnival are due Wednesday, September 16, at 11:00 PM (EST). Feel free to send in your favorite food allergy related post or recipe.

Visit here http://blogcarnival.com/bc/cprof_2597.html and then scroll down a bit to click on "Submit an Article".

Please contact me with any questions, jenniferATfoodallergybuzz.com

Favorite Epipen Carriers to Provide to Teachers?

I am in the market for an eye-catching, convenient epi-pen carrier for my son's teacher to sport when they leave the kindergarten classroom. The school nurse has asked for something like a fanny pack. Does anyone have a favorite type of epi-pen carrier which they've provided to the school so the epi-pens can follow their child during the day? As you can imagine, I receive information from epi-pen carrier manufacturers and retailers fairly often, but weeding through them is more challenging than I thought! 

I like the Activeaide carrier I have because it attaches to my belt  and I think the Allergy Essentials carrier will be perfect for my son to wear. Now I must find one for the teacher, something easy for her to carry and simple to grab on the way out of the classroom.

Any suggestions?

Food Allergy Buzz Exclusive with New Owner of Allergy Grocer & Miss Roben's

Glenn Molin, owner of Allergy Grocer and Miss Roben's, graciously agreed to a Q & A with Food Allergy Buzz. Thank you, Glenn!


What is your principle line of work? Have you always been an entrepreneur?
I would like to thank you for the opportunity to present a bit about myself and my decision to purchase Allergy Grocer and Miss Roben’s to www.foodallergybuzz.com readers.  Your blog is a wonderfully thoughtful and great resource for the community and I am excited to be included. 

I have been involved in the healthcare sector throughout my entire career (20+ years).  As a Doctor of Chiropractic, I developed several successful multi-disciplinary clinics that care for a large and diverse patient base. 

Currently, I am the CEO/President and owner of Next Generation MRI which is a medical diagnostic imaging facility located in Columbia, Maryland.  The center opened in 2005 and features the latest in MRI technology, the Upright Positional MRI.  Please feel free to peruse www.NextGenerationMRI.com for detailed information regarding the practice.

I have always been intrigued with business; so much so that I went back to graduate school and received an MBA.  I suppose I inherited my entrepreneurial spirit from my paternal grandfather.  In some ways, I am following in his footsteps.  He owned several groceries in New York City during his lifetime.  I am sure if he were alive today he wouldn’t fully comprehend the world of e-commerce, but I think he would be proud that I am involved in the “grocery” business.

Purchasing Allergy Grocer and Miss Roben’s presented a wonderful opportunity for me.  My goal is to use my knowledge and experience gained from 20+ years as a doctor and as a business person to build a sustainable enterprise in support of the health of food allergy sufferers by offering the very best in service, a wide variety of allergen friendly foods, reasonable prices, and the further development of the Miss Roben’s brand.   

Please tell us more about yourself and your connection to food allergies, food intolerances and/or celiac disease.
It seems as though everyone has at least some connection to food allergies, either personally, or through someone they know.  It is an increasingly pervasive malady in society.

In addition to airborne allergies and most antibiotics, I am a food allergy sufferer.  I am highly allergic to shell fish and moderately allergic to sea food (mollusks and chordate) in general.  Over the years my allergic response has grown to the point where I really can not be around shell fish at all.   Even vapors from cooking can cause an anaphylactic reaction.  I carry an epi-pen and have to be vigilant when I eat out.  However, I fully recognize that it’s far easier to avoid crustaceans than gluten, eggs, or corn.  My experiences with the allergic response (anaphylaxis) have certainly created a deep, personal understanding and empathy for all allergy sufferers.  I also have an aunt with celiac disease and my wife, along with several family members, are gluten intolerant.

More formally, my education and experiences as a doctor in an active family orientated practice supports a deep understanding of the clinical and physiological aspects of the allergic response.  Over the years, I have had many patients who have suffered from food allergies and I have learned a great deal from their situations while supporting them in the quest to regain good health. 

As undergraduates, both my wife and I worked with the autistic and developmentally disabled.  These populations have long recognized the connection between diet, allergens, and behavioral patterns.  We both remember the struggles these children and their families faced with dietary restrictions and food allergies, at a time when very few, if any, of today’s gluten free and allergen friendly food alternatives were available.

Who will be handling the day-to-day business, such as order fulfillment? Who can customers expect to talk to when they phone?

Two of Allergy Grocer’s and Miss Roben’s long time team members have committed to the next phase of company development and their expertise has been invaluable as we re-organize.  We have brought order fulfillment back in-house at our redesigned dedicated allergen friendly production plant and warehouse.  By utilizing the latest in order fulfillment technology, we have streamlined the ordering process, simplified fulfillment, and secured the lowest possible shipping rates.  In fact, Allergy Grocer will be offering free shipping with minimum orders designed to bring our products to the market in the easiest most cost effect manner possible.  We are pleased to say that these cost savings are being passed on to our customers. 

Direct phone customer service (1-888-476-3350) will be answered by Allergy Grocer’s head customer service representative, Genna.  She will handle most questions and concerns and I will personally be available to speak to our customers directly.  Also, Allergy Grocer’s new website design, www.AllergyGrocer.com, will feature direct instant messaging during normal business hours and has updated FAQ’s and resource links.     

Will Allergy Grocer still be located in Maryland or will it be relocating?
Allergy Grocer’s warehouse and Miss Roben’s dedicated allergen friendly production plant will be located in the same building in Hagerstown, Maryland as it has been for the past 14 years.     

Will the previous owner be involved in any way?

Yes, Allergy Grocer and Miss Roben’s former owner, Jay Berger, has been absolutely wonderful during the ownership transition.  We have developed a strong working relationship and I greatly respect her gluten free and allergen friendly knowledge base.  Fortunately, Jay has agreed to serve on Allergy Grocer’s and Miss Roben’s advisory panel.

Will you be producing Miss Roben's products?

Absolutely!!!  All current Miss Roben’s mixes will be available.  Miss Roben’s products fill an important need in the community with nutritional, great tasting, shelf stable, readily available, and reasonably priced gluten and allergen friendly foods.

We are actively improving current mixes and our staff is busy in our kitchen creating new mixes to add to the Miss. Roben’s line with an emphasis on taste, texture, and nutritional value.  We are also performing in-house allergen testing of both raw materials and finished goods to support final product safety.  As always, consumers can count on Miss Roben’s production facilities being a dedicated allergen friendly environment.  If your readers have any specific concerns they should feel free to contact me directly at 1-888-476-3350.          

Will there be a brick and mortar store?
At this time there are no plans for a brick and mortar store.  Our goal is to provide Miss. Roben’s mixes for sale at existing retailers; so if your readers have a favorite place to shop, we ask them to inform the proprietor about our products and encourage them to contact Miss Roben’s to stock our products.    

How will Allergy Grocer be different than before?

For 17 years, Allergy Grocer paved the way for gluten and allergy friendly food options and was a great business and pivotal service to the community.  Our mission is to continue this great service and move it forward by offering a great selection of gluten free and allergen friendly goods as well as a constant flow of hand selected new product offerings.  The website is very user friendly, dynamic, and exciting and will serve as both a product and educational resource for our clientele. 

The most noticeable change will be the “look and feel” of the Allergy Grocer website, www.AllergyGrocer.com.  It has been totally redesigned to be user friendly and features a modern and robust IT platform that will support consumers with high speed, specific product organization, and enhanced search features.  For example, customers will be able to refine product searches by brand, food type, and allergen.  Further, “custom” print catalogues will be available based of the customer’s specific needs.  If, for example, a person has a corn allergy, it makes little sense for them to have to search through hundreds of corn allergen containing products.  They will be able to filter only corn allergen free products and then either shop on-line or, if they prefer, print a catalogue directly on their home computer.

The “back-end” of Allergy Grocer has been modernized which supports efficient ordering processing, order fulfillment, and secures the lowest possible shipping rates.  In fact, we have eliminated all “handling charges” and will be offering free shipping with minimum orders.  All of which was designed to bring our products to the market in the easiest most cost efficient manner possible – and those cost savings have been passed on directly to our customers.

As we grow and develop, our goal is for Allergy Grocer to stock as many gluten free and allergen friendly products as feasible; to become a “one stop allergen free shop”.  We will work hard to carry only products that we find to be nutritious, high quality, and desirable by our clientele.  That being said, we are extremely open to consumer feedback and requests and will do what we can to build Allergy Grocer around customers’ desires.

What is the expected launch date?
www.AllergyGrocer.com is currently in beta testing and, barring complications, will be ready to launch by early October.

ISO Interesting Food Allergy Blog Posts for the Living with Food Allergies Blog Carnival

Just a reminder that the next Living with Food Allergies Blog Carnival is scheduled for Thursday, September 17, 2009.  Submissions are due 11:00 pm EST on Wednesday, September 16.

The Food Allergy Coach has graciously offered to host the September 17, 2009--thank you! If you would like to host a future edition, please send an email to me, Jennifer B, at jenniferATfoodallergybuzz.com

Milk Desensitization Videos from Children's Hospital Boston

Here are links to part 2 and part 3 of the milk desensitization study taking place at Children's Hospital Boston.

http://childrenshospitalblog.org/a-cure-for-milk-allergies-dr-schneider-explains-the-bold-new-idea/

http://childrenshospitalblog.org/a-cure-for-allergies-part-3-brett-nasuti-takes-his-very-first-sip-of-milk/

The Buzz Around New England: Allergy Essentials USA

Photos courtesy of Allergy Essentials USA

A few months ago, Alison DiBiasio of Allergy Essentials USA contacted me to introduce the Allergy Essential line of Epissentials epipen carriers and food allergy place mats. Alison resides in Rhode Island and has two children with multiple food allergies. She designed these great accessories to simplify managing food allergies away from home. Food allergy moms rock, don't they?!

The Allergy Essentials place mats come in a variety of fabric designs suitable for boys and girls, and are constructed of a special fabric to prevent soiling. The front of each place mat has two pockets--one for epipens and a second for benadryl or wipes. The mats all bear a patch with the words Food Allergy to help alert others. They may be wiped down and also washed on delicate in a washing machine, and are an eye-catching, environmentally friendly way to keep your eating surface free of offending allergens at the school cafeteria and other locations away from home. The place mats retail for $12.99.

The Epissentials epipen carriers are a particularly clever and practical design. They are constructed out of neoprene and attach with velcro straps to one's leg, so they can be discretely carried under clothes. I tried a small size carrier; it's comfortable and lightweight, excellent for wearing during athletic activities or throughout the day at work or school. I think this carrier is especially ideal for those who need to carry epipens but want a more discrete manner in which to do so--a perfect solution for athletes and fantastic for men and boys, since a shoulder bag is not ordinarily an option.

The epipen carriers come in 6 designs and two sizes (small-medium and medium-large). There are also two models, a single carrier and double carrier. All are currently $19.99 in the Allergy Essentials back-to-school sale (good through October 31, 2009) and ship for free in the continental United States.

To view all of Allergy Essentials' products, please visit http://allergyessentialsusa.com/. Take a look for back-to-school supplies or for an early holiday purchase. For questions or comments, please telephone 888.741.0240 or email AlisonATallergyessentialsusa.com.

Allergy Essentials is a sponsor of Food Allergy Buzz.

Great Allergen Warning Spotted at Dunkin Donuts

We ought to reward companies that make an effort to have clear easy-to-find allergen warnings. This morning, I had to get a coffee at Dunkin Donuts and while there, I spotted this great allergen warning at the drive thru. Great job, Dunkin Donuts people!!

Support A Food Allergy Friendly Business--Please Nominate A & J Bakery

I received the following from A & J Bakery, a peanut-free and tree nut-free bakery in Rhode Island which also bakes egg-free, dairy-free and gluten-free treats as well. Please help support this food allergy friendly business!

"Dear Valued Customers:

Help Shine A Light on A&J Bakery

Please support A&J Bakery by nomination us as a inspiring small business in the Shine A Light business sweepstakes.

The "Shine A Light," campaign calls for people across the country to nominate and vote for their favorite small businesses that has distinguished itself through innovation, made a contribution to its community, or proven its merit through exceptional customer service.

The winning business will receive $100,000 in grant and marketing support from American Express and will be featured on MSNBC's small business show, "Your Business." And the people who nominate the three finalists will receive $3,000 AmEx gift cards.

Please endorse our company today.  Just go to nbc.com/shinealight

We need to submit stories of how we have helped your family and what we have done for you our customers.

Amy Hitzemann"

Living with Food Allergies Blog Carnival - September 3, 2009

Welcome to the September 3, 2009 edition of Living with Food Allergies Carnival.

Well, we're off to a slightly bumpy start in our transition of administration of the Living with Food Allergies Blog Carnival. Lots of spam post submissions and few relevant posts. At the last minute, to help fill things out, I added one of my own as well as a link to an interesting one from The Nut-Free Mom (don't worry, I have sent an email to her to make sure she's ok with that!).

Rational Jenn started this fantastic carnival, and at her suggestion, we're transitioning it over here Food Allergy Buzz. Thankfully, Jenn is still involved! I was so overwhelmed with the start of school, I completely blanked on the carnival momentarily. Thank you, Jenn--glad to help on the blog carnival. I'll be more on top of it on the next go-around!

Allison Johanson presents 50 Free Sites Where You Can Review Clinical Medical Research posted at Online Ultrasound School.

Kim, The Food Allergy Coach presents tasty Flourless Pancakes! posted at The Food Allergy Coach, saying, "These pancakes are delicious! My version is wheat, gluten, peanut and tree nut free, and they can also easily be made dairy free!" Sounds great, Kim!

Jennifer B presents How to "Get rid of", "Clean Off" or "Disinfect" Allergens on Food Allergy Buzz.

Jenny presents Acorns, Pine Cones and Tree Nut Allergies over at The Nut-Free Mom Blog.

Libby presents A Tour of Enjoy Life Foods posted at The Allergic Kid. What a cool prize that was! Thanks, Libby, for sharing this.

Ruth Smith presents Another School Year Begins posted at Best Allergy Sites. The start of school is a crazy, exciting time of the year, especially challenging for those with food allergies and other medical conditions.

Tony presents Food Allergies posted at Health Fitness Article Directory, saying, "Food allergies are funny things. I learned all about them when I was struck by food allergies which developed in my 20s. Turns out I’m allergic to eggs, broccoli, and commercially prepared ribs. The main symptom was stomach cramps that felt like a Charley horse in my stomach, except for the time when this progressed to all-over-the-body hives which then went into my throat, which started to close. My blood pressure dropped to about 70 over 50."

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 

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How to "Get Rid of", "Clean Off" or "Disinfect" Allergens

Lately, I have been seeing an uptick in traffic to Food Allergy Buzz as a result of Google searches such as "does deep frying kill allergen", "heat kill food protein allergy" and "disinfect kitchen with peanut allergen". These are the sorts of Google searches that make my eyes bug out because it is a reminder of how much work we need to do to educate the general public about food allergies. If I had the money to make a TV commercial about food allergies, I think I would make one that explains that allergens can be cleaned off or removed with soap and water--not hand sanitizer!--and that no amount of heat will remove them. You can burn that food, char it, it still will contain that protein! Cross contamination is really a mystery to many people.

Does anyone reading this blog have the ability or connections to get the ball rolling for such a public service announcement or commercial? Any big companies in need of a good cause toward which to donate some money? I have a great idea for you-- this would be a good a cause. Getting more of the general public to learn that soap and water is what is needed to remove allergens from surfaces such as tables and toys would be a huge accomplishment. Furthermore, spreading the word that no amount of cooking will "kill" allergens in food would be immensely helpful too. I know these things now only because my son has a peanut allergy; I had to learn this sort of information. I knew nothing of allergens until we got that diagnosis and I guess I shouldn't be surprised that so many people aren't aware of these basic food allergy facts. These facts are not immediately obvious or intuitive but a little education through a public service announcement would go a long way!

EDITED (thanks for suggesting it, Marketing Mama!) to add that hand sanitizer WILL NOT remove allergens--soap and water (and some hand wipes) do!