Simply Stated

Recently at the FARE 2014 Leaders Summit, one of the presenters brought up an excellent point, the overall literacy rate in the US is 5th grade level. We must use plain, simple words to explain things, but especially medical issues to every person. Food Allergy Gal says, go way beyond that. With 9 of 10 consumers demanding transparency in products, it's critical to use common words to describe all ingredients in products of any kind- from toothpaste to tomato sauce.

Consumers are demanding we simply state what things are in the plain english, the majority of us have learned in grades 1 to 5. With over 170 foods known to cause allergic reactions, plain english is super important. We generally can't remember all the scientific names of our life threatening food allergies- especially when we have multiples.

It's much easier to understand "yeast" than "candida." Simply state "coconut" instead of cocos nucifera.

If you have an Oat allergy for example, it's not required to be listed on packaged food products nor on personal hygiene products. Oats can cause allergic reactions that can be painful, unpleasant and make someone ill for weeks.  You'll have to remember all the names of oats if you have an oat allergy, and are shopping for products, because the US doesn't  require all products including medications to list ingredients in plain english.

Alternative Names for Oat:

Avena, Avena Fructus, Avena byzantina, Avena orientalis, Avena sativa, Avena volgensis, Avenae Herba, Avenae Stramentum, Avoine, Avoine Entière, Avoine Sauvage, Cereal Fiber, Dietary Fiber, Farine d'Avoine, Fibre Alimentaire, Fibre Céréalière, Fibre d'Avoine, Folle Avoine, Grain d'Avoine, Green Oat, Green Oat Grass, Groats, Gruau, Oat, Oat Bran, Oat Fiber, Oat Flour, Oat Fruit, Oat Grain, Oat Grass, Oat Herb, Oat Straw, Oat Tops, Oatstraw, Oatmeal, Oats, Paille, Paille d'Avoine, Porridge, Rolled Oats, Son d'Avoine, Straw, Whole Oat, Whole Oats, Wild Oat, Wild Oat Herb, Wild Oats Milky Seed.