Food Allergy Consumer: Auvi-Q Epinephrine Auto-Injector

In the United States, we have three choices for epinephrine auto-injectors: Epipen, Auvi-Q and generic. When my son was first diagnosed, he was prescribed Epipen Jr. He carried his Epipens in a waistbelt. As he grew, he switched to the adult-size Epipens. This year, we asked the allergist for a prescription for Auvi-Q, and it is so much easier to carry them discreetly! Unlike Epipens, no carrying case is needed for Auvi-Q. It is designed to fit easily into a pocket or a purse. It contains the same amount of epinephrine as an Epipen, and comes in a 2-pak like Epipen. In addition, the Auvi-Q has recorded voice instructions that start when you remove the cover and walk you through administering the medicine, step-by-step. Both my son and I prefer the Auvi-Q's design over the old Epipen design--it is equally effective, has a more convenient design, and is more user friendly, providing step-by-step directions aloud when used.

Not all health insurance plans cover Auvi-Qs, and some have a higher co-pay for Auvi-Q than Epipen. In a discussion with a healthcare consultant, I learned that pharmaceutical companies can effectively cut out their competition by offering discounts to health plans that do not include their competition in the list of covered prescription drugs, or that only offer their competition for a higher co-pay amount. The only way we as consumers can change this is to keep requesting and demanding the available choices. After all, wouldn't an epinephrine auto-injector like Auvi-Q--that fits in your pocket and walks you through administration of the medicine--encourage more people to use their epinephrine auto-injector instead of waiting to get to the Emergency Room? It would save lives and maybe even save the insurance company money. It's a win for everyone.

Ask for Auvi-Q. Demand choices. 

Epinephrine Injectors in Public Places: Is Massachusetts Next?

Wouldn't it be great if epinephrine injectors were available in public venues? Allergic reactions can happen anywhere, and with the rise in food allergies, it just makes sense! According to the MetroWest Daily News, a law making epinephrine injectors available in public venues already exists in 16 states. A bill is now in committee in the Massachusetts Senate and is awaiting a hearing. Stay tuned! And if you are in Massachusetts, please contact your local state senator to support this bill!

Food Allergy News: Change is Coming to the Skies

Senators Mark Kirk, Jeanne Shaheen and Mark Warner recently proposed a bill in the U.S. Senate which could change air travel for individuals managing food allergies and for those yet undiagnosed. The Airline Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act of 2015,  S. 1972, would require that air carriers clarify that the "1:1,000 epinephrine ampules" "in emergency medical kits carried on aircraft" are to treat anaphylactic reactions. Air carriers would be required to carry--at a minimum--1 set of epinephrine injectors for individuals weighing less than 66 pounds and 1 set for those weighing over 66 pounds. In addition, airlines would be required to train staff to recognize symptoms of an "acute allergic reaction" and how to use epinephrine auto-injectors. In addition, the Comptroller General would be required to submit a report to Congress  on "air carrier policies for passengers with food allergies."

The bill is widely supported by food allergy organizations. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) has written a letter of support to Senators Kirk and Shaheen. AAAAI, FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education), Allergy & Asthma Network, the Allergy & Asthma Foundation of America and No Nut Traveler are all part of the coalition of food allergy organizations supporting the bill. The Association of Flight Attendants has also endorsed the bill.

This bill marks tremendous progress for the food allergy community. Finally, our voices have been heard on the subject of food allergy safety in airplanes. To become a law, this bill needs your support! Please take a look at the bill and read it (it is not a long read!), and write to your Senators to tell them to support S. 1972. Please share this blog post or the links in it with food allergy friends and family. Tweet and retweet! Post and share on Facebook! We need everyone's support to pass this very important bill!

Peanut-Free, Nut-Free Coffee Ice Cream #NatlIceCreamDay

 

Every few days, I make a batch of peanut-free, nut-free ice cream for my son with our Cuisinart Ice Cream. His favorite flavor right now is coffee ice cream, and I just made a new batch today--National Ice Cream Day!

If you use a Cuisinart Ice Cream machine, it only takes 30 minutes to make. I try to always keep the bowl in the freezer ready to use. It has to stay in the freezer for at least  8 hours to successfully make a batch of ice cream.

Ingredients:

1-2 teaspoons Autocrat Coffee Syrup (or your fav brand!)

1 teaspoon Vanilla

2 cups Heavy Cream

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

1 cup Milk

In a mixing bowl, add each of the above ingredients mixing one in at a time. I find a whisk works best. When the ingredients have been mixed thoroughly, quickly pour into your Cuisinart Ice Cream Machine, insert the mixing paddle, and put the cover in place. Turn on machine for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, immediately scoop ice cream from the ice cream machine bowl into a storage container. I recommend freezing the ice cream for about 15 minutes in order to solidify the ice cream a bit more.

NOTE: If you like to add in bits of candy or cookies, you can add them after the ice cream has mixed for about 25 minutes and let the candies or cookies get combined with the rest of the ice cream ingredients for the last 5 minutes

My son especially enjoys adding in Enjoy Life Foods Dark Chocolate Morsels or Mega Chunks. For toppings, we use Mrs. Richardson's Hot Fudge and any nut allergy safe brand of Whipped Cream. Today, we added about a half cup of Dark Morsels to our Coffee Ice Cream--an awesome ice cream treat to end a hot summer day. Talk about the perfect weather for National Ice Cream Day! To make it extra special, we are using these adorable personalized bowls from Personal Creations.  See the below photos--it was hard to slow down to take a photo before they gobbled their ice cream up! You can have two lines of up to 10 characters per line and you can select a character to accent your bowl. You can even choose hair color, skin color, etc. My teenage son got a teen boy character and his name on a bowl (bottom photo), my younger son got a bowl with a boy and his name (below photo)--which is really cool since we never can find his name on anything!--and I got a cute mom character with the word Mom (bottom photo).  It's such a fun gift for a child (or a grownup!) and makes having your own homemade allergy safe ice cream even more special.

The bowls are a bit like giant tea cups with cute handles and they scream brownie sundae to me because they are so big! If you are looking for an adorable, fun, and personalized gift, these ice cream bowls are wonderful! I noticed they can be microwaved, so they could also double as big soup bowls for a winter treat in the colder months! The bowls are $16.99 and personalization is included in that price. I peeked at some of the other Personal Creations products and I saw a number of gifts that would be great for a lot of different people and occasions. (I am thinking of future gifts for some people in my own life too!)

Thank you to Personal Creations for these lovely bowls and making our ice cream treats extra special on this hot humid summer day!

FTC Disclosure Image from Louis Gray (love these!)

Food Allergy Consumer: Philly Swirl

My two sons and I enjoyed sampling Philly Swirl products and are very happy to share our experience with you! Philly Swirl was even kind enough to send their frozen treats direct to us, which was both impressive and exciting on a warm summer day. We found each Philly Swirl product to be as delicious and fun to eat as the next. The flavors are different than Popsicles or other freeze pops-- distinct fruity combinations and the CottonCandy flavor actually tastes like cotton candy! Some of the flavors include: Rainbow, CottonCandy, Sunburst, Hurricane, CherryMelon, and Blueberry Jam. Not only are Philly Swirls tasty but they are also dairy free, gluten free, peanut free, tree nut free (except for coconut), egg free, soy free, and fat free, and are manufactured in a peanut free facility. The facility is also tree nut free, except for coconut. 

In their email to me, Philly Swirl stated:

"PhillySwirl frozen novelties are free of the top 8 allergens and are made in a peanut and tree nut free facility.

• Fat Free
• Dairy Free
• Gluten Free
• Peanut/Tree Nut Free (with the exception of coconut)
• No high fructose corn syrup"

They also sent the following information:

"Our products are manufactured in a dedicated peanut-free facility on lines that also run dairy. Before manufacturing the PhillySwirl products without dairy, the lines are cleaned with our CIP system on a daily basis and sanitized before start up. We use a Neogen Reveal 3D Total milk test kit after each dairy run before we start a regular run. We run the dairy products at the end of a day, then clean up before a regular run. PhillySwirl is also egg-free and soy-free. "

 

In addition, if you are counting calories: a Swirl Popper is only 68 calories, a Philly Swirl cup with  Candy Spoon is 98 calories, and a Swirl Stix is  only 48 calories.

We think Philly Swirl is fantastic. They are free of the top 8 allergens, taste delicious and are a wonderful refreshing frozen treat!

FAB Review: Philly Swirl

Dedicated Facility: Yes. Package states: "Manufactured in a Peanut Free Facility"

Appearance: Eye catching purple box in freezer section with photos of product on package. Clear easy to find labeling states "GLUTEN FREE", "FAT FREE","DAIRY FREE", "PEANUT FREE" and Kosher Pareve. The package has a "Best by" date approximately 2 years from present.

Taste: Sweet, refreshing, and delicious! All of the flavors are excellent. My two sons and I each have a different favorite flavor; our favorite flavors are Rainbow, Orange Dream, and Cotton Candy. We tried Swirl Popperz (8 in a box), Original Philly Swirl Italian Ice Swirls with Candy Spoonz (6 in a box), and  Swirl Stix (6 in a box).

Texture: Just right! Easy and fun to bite or eat with a candy spoon, and they don't melt too quickly.

Convenience: Available at many supermarkets around the U.S. They are currently on sale at my local supermarkets in southeastern Massachusetts--2 boxes for $5.00. Top 8 allergen-free, 2 boxes for $5? Not bad at all!

Buy again? Absolutely! It's a no brainer for me--a dedicated peanut free/tree nut free (except coconut) facility, does not contain top 8 allergen ingredients, and a super taste!

Philly Swirl website: www.phillyswirl.com
Philly Swirl Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/PhillySwirl