27 March 2015

11 year old boy dies due to food allergic reaction because of mislableing

USAToday.com full article: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/03/24/family-sues-publix-wrongful-death/70381282/

An Alabama family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Publix Super Markets Inc. because of their 11-year-old son's death after eating a cookie they say was mislabeled from a store in Clarksville.
Derek "Landon" Wood, 11, of Sterrett, Ala., died of anaphylactic shock on June 3, 2014, after eating a cookie from the local Publix, which the family says had not been marked as containing a food allergen.
At a bakery counter that displayed ready-to-eat desserts such as cookies, brownies, pastries and muffins, there were no signs at or behind-the-counter warning of allergens or cross-contamination with allergens, the lawsuit said.
According to the lawsuit, before purchasing the cookie, Cline was told by a supermarket associate that a chocolate cookie, called a "Chocolate Chew," did not contain any tree nut allergens.
No label on the cookie disclosed the presence of allergens or a list of ingredients, the lawsuit said.
When the family returned home, Cline took a bite of the cookie, saw there were no nuts, and gave the rest to her son. Landon had three bites of the cookie and was sure there was something in it because his mouth was burning, the lawsuit said.
The cookie did contain walnuts.

-------------------------------Our take at Food Allergy Gal----------------------------------------

While Food Allergy Gal is not in favor of starting lawsuits for the sake of starting one, this is an area where I feel like we should be doing more in our community. Proper labeling is not only required by the FDA on packaged foods for 8 major allergens, but should just be good common sense practice. 
People aren't taking food allergies seriously and there is no mandated requirement for food service professionals to be properly trained on the consequences of mislabeling or not taking proper precautions in food service. We (the food service industry) all need to be trained from the grower to the restaurant. 
There are over 170 different foods known to cause allergic reactions. Allergic reactions can be deadly within seconds. While epinephrine is a medication that may stop anaphylaxis from finishing it's cycle (which is death), there is not a 100% guarantee. The medication cost over $350 for each dose usually, but is absolutely required for those with food allergies. 
Today in the United States over 15 million people have been diagnosed and reported as having food allergies that can be life threatening. Globally the number soars above 220 million people. 
The biggest trend we are seeing today is adult onset food allergies <---- (yes that is plural). Multiple food allergies are being diagnosed in adults for the very first time in their life. These allergies go way off just what the US deems as the major 8. 
There is a support group with over 300 members (www.FAadults.org) devoted to late onset food allergic adults. These adults ate normally for most of their lives until one day their immune systems decided to go haywire. It can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Anaphylaxis does not discriminate. All ages, ethnicities and genders can face anaphylaxis to any one or multiple foods found in the 170 reported. 
This is where clean labeling of all products becomes essential.  Any product found anywhere that contains any food ingredient should be labeled in plain language. For example, if a soap contains citric acid and avocado, it should clearly state, "Contains citrus and avocado." If a restaurant has a Meatball Sandwich on the menu it should have a separate menu, book or e-menu that defines every ingredient (ex. tomato, beef, veal, parmesan cheese (milk), corn meal, wheat, egg, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, sugar). The reason why: because someone may have a garlic and dairy allergy and the staff may not be thinking of those "minor" ingredients so they recite something simple and seemingly harmless like, "so you should be fine." 
Customers with food allergies also need to take responsibility and ensure everyone in the process knows they have a food allergy, even if it might not seem like banana would be in that salad, but you just never know what might hiding in the dressing. It's important to triple check though. To save time, just do clean labeling upfront. It can get annoying after the 80th person has walked thru the door and said, "what's in that?" or "does the main dish have ____,_____,____ in it?" So be prepared up front whenever possible.
Trust me it pays off royally in the end. Food Allergic guests, their friends, family members, and co-workers will become loyal patrons if they know they can safely be accommodated in your facility or with your product that's on the shelf that has simple, plain language ingredients listed on them.  -Avoid the lawsuit and especially avoid having death on your hands, where a mistake could have been prevented-. 

07 March 2015

Life of a Food Allergic: A Break from the norm

by Lauren Pechack, Certified Allercoach

In the world of special dietary requirements there is much talk of how clean is clean, endless label reading, grilling manufacturers about how they maintain their facilities. Delving into the minutia, constantly can make one feel a bit cross-eyed and can wear very quickly.

Then there our interpersonal relationship discussions. What soaps do they use? Did they hand wash or use the dishwasher? Is this a home I feel safe in or wary? Please don't put your lips close to my face if you've eaten something I'm allergic to.

And then there are the blessed weekends when we find a place where we feel like we belong. The last weekend was spent in Austin, TX at Living Without's, Gluten Free Food Allergy Fest.


What a joy this conference was from the every day "Norm" of allergic living. It was a bit of a break from treading through the weeds to have the opportunity to pop up and say, "hello." Hearing people's stories, was so refreshing, so varied! Some shared stories with the long batter to diagnosis, to being diagnosed years before there was much information or help, and others, just recently diagnosed desperately looking for help with their new normal. 


Most of the vendors were really fantastic. Not only were their products amazing, but they were extremely open about their manufacturing processing- which as so refreshing. I love the small companies who are driven by all the right things: openness, quality, and genuine care for their customers. Amazing stuff.


The best part was seeing the support shared. How sweet it was to my heart to see someone walk in with their friend or relative tagging along for support! Yes, please! Life has its ups and downs. Not everything is going to go my way or be perfectly suited to me, but if I have the support and care of a friend, it makes all the difference.


Much of what I saw this weekend was a direct result of that very thing. People lost in the minutia, reading labels, going cross-eyed and one day deciding to take a leap and do it for others. The micro and macro are tied and intertwined together, each individual thread embodying its color coming together in a tangled mess to create a beautiful masterpiece.





05 March 2015

What type of Food Allergy test is most reliable?

From Allergy Asthma Network's Ask an Allergist 

It's very important to see the right doctor for Food Allergy Testing, which is a board certified Allergist. They will ask about your medical history to see if it is consistent with a possible food allergy. The allergist can then determine the specific allergens to test.

Allergy testing for foods can be done either by skin prick testing, or by testing the blood for specific IgE directed against the potential food allergen. Both tests provide reliable results, although there’s not always complete agreement in the results between the two tests. Some allergist choose to use both  tests in their practice.

The skin test provides almost immediate results with a small, localized reaction that you can actually see. Follow up can be done with a blood test that gives an actual IgE level for the food (or other allergen). The blood test can then be tracked every 6-12 months to determine whether or not the person is outgrowing the allergy (typically more common in children)

Interpretation of blood test results for food allergy can be tricky. A very low positive result is not always clinically relevant, and an allergist’s input can be helpful in determining which foods should be eliminated from the diet.

If the reactions are restricted to eczema (40% of eczema patients have food allergies) then elimination of those foods that tested positive can be helpful. If the clinical relevance of the positive test is unclear, gradual reintroduction (per your doctor’s instructions) of one food at a time can help determine which foods are contributing to eczema.

However, if the person has experienced an allergic reaction not related to an eczema flare, then reintroduction of a food allergen at home without medical supervision could be dangerous.

People with food allergies are prescribed two epinephrine auto-injectors and urged to avoid the food allergen in their diet. Allergist should follow the blood test results to determine whether the person's IGe level is decreasing. If the doctor thinks that it may be safe to reintroduce a food, usually they do an in-office food challenge under medical supervision before clearing the person to eat the food at home.