Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Complacency in Food Alerts?

I read an interesting article last night regarding alerts sent out from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and how the increasing number of alerts may result in consumers being overloaded and desensitized to them.

Here are some of the statistics quoted in the article:

Since 2004, the CFIA has issued 696 alerts

  • 56% of those were food recalls
  • 41% were allergy alerts
  • 3% contained other food-related advice

Of the recall notices, 67%  were due to suspected bacterial contamination …

  • 22% from listeria
  • 19% from salmonella
  • 10% from E coli

So do you think we’re being overloaded on food notices?

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Communication is the Key

The boys are at Vacation Bible School (VBS) this week. I know from other parents of children with allergies that this fills them with anxiety. Thankfully, the VBS is being hosted at my sister-in-law’s church, and she has been hard at work to ensure that the week is peanut-free – not just for her nephews, but for other allergic children as well. Also Krystyne is hosting a class on baking with the kids so she is right there in the kitchen, keeping an eye on all of the snacks for the week.

Our boys’ involvement in this week’s VBS stresses the importance of communication – communication with organizers, with school staff, with camp staff, anyone. If you’re longing to send your peanut- (or other allergen) allergic child to a camp, or are looking towards the coming school year with trepidation, let me encourage you to open a dialogue with those who will be responsible for your child in your absence.

Another method of helping your child have some of the “normal” experiences you remember as a kid is to offer to volunteer time, information, snacks, or anything else to help. The first time the boys went to VBS at their aunt’s church, Krystyne volunteered to provide the snacks to ensure they were peanut-free. The other volunteers were spoiled with homemade chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and other such goodies.

We just got back after spending some time at Grandma’s trailer (she bought it for the grandchildren to enjoy, and since none of them can drive yet we get to tag along), where the boys were able to attend a children’s program every weekday. The staff there were so supportive and a couple of times asked Krystyne to check the snacks up-front. Krystyne also attended a staff meeting to teach everyone how to use an EpiPen, just in case. During one of the days home to do laundry Krystyne baked a LOT of chocolate chip cookies to take back to the staff as a thank-you.

Open the door to communication, and keep it open.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Young Children with Peanut Allergies

Here’s a good article on helping your young child learn to live with their peanut allergy!

http://www.allergyuk.org/art_peanutallergy.aspx

From the article …

With good management and practical solutions peanut allergy can be managed and risks can be minimised, however younger children may need some extra help! As independence is gained your child has to learn to deal with many new situations.

Other articles to help you and your child …

But How do They Feel?
10 Things Children with Food Allergies Want You to Know
What It’s Like (penned by 11-year old PA-son, Joseph)

Friday, July 24, 2009

Curing Peanut Allergies

Earlier this week I posted a commentary on the findings of recent peanut allergy studies involving feeding children increasing doses of peanut flour, which has now allowed many of them to eat full peanuts and enjoy a newfound freedom (see Harmful Cure).

There have also been reports of developments related to treating the underlying causes for food allergies. First, researchers in Scotland have found the protein responsible for triggering anaphylactic reactions …

Find 'could cut allergy deaths'
Discovery offers hope for nut allergy sufferers

And other news this week announced that researchers in New York have discovered the protein responsible for triggering allergies themselves …

Protein behind food allergies identified

It’s encouraging to see these developments into freeing people – especially children – from life-threatening food allergies.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Harmful Cure

Over the past few weeks I’ve seen a scary trend in news articles regarding food allergies.

Scientists find nut allergy children cure
Nut allergy children cured by new treatment

There are more and more articles touting the UK study that involves feeding children peanuts in increasing doses as a “cure” for peanut allergies. While I am happy for the children that this study has helped (and their parents), there are few news outlets that mention the children whose reactions were so severe that they were unable to continue the study.

With the prevailing attitude on food allergies being “why should my child change their eating habits to accommodate yours”, children like Liam – whose anaphylactic reaction is triggered by trace amounts (near 10ppm) of peanut protein – may be put more into danger. The more militant of the anti-allergy camp could take this news and say that the allergy can be “cured” so there is even less reason to make peanut-safe policies in schools, or label allergens.

I realize this is a drastic view of the argument, but there is also another problem with this kind of study. What if – for example – there are three siblings involved in the study and two are “cured” of their peanut allergy while one remains trace-amount allergic? In order to keep the allergy from redeveloping, the two siblings would be required to eat peanuts on a regular basis. How do you manage this in a house where the third child cannot be near peanuts – or people who have eaten peanuts – without reacting?

This is similar to the scenario we were faced with on our last visit to the allergist. Liam’s older brothers’ allergies are declining where they may be able to peanuts in the future, but at that point they would have to continue eating peanuts on a regular basis to keep the allergy from returning. Again, because Liam’s reactions are so severe and his allergy’s threshold is so low, there is no way we would be able to keep the house trace-amount peanut-free.

So while the news of treatments that raise the participants’ thresholds for reactions is good news, it still does not provide a “cure” that parents are praying for. However, there is uplifting news coming out of Glasgow University.

Find 'could cut allergy deaths'
Discovery offers hope for nut allergy sufferers

Researchers there have found the molecule responsible for triggering anaphylactic reactions, and preliminary lab tests have shown favourable results in blocking the molecule to reduce the severity of the reaction.

While we may not have a cure yet, thankfully there are signs that we are heading in the right direction.

Friday, July 17, 2009

More Peanut-Free Snacks

A trip to the local grocery store has yielded more labels of products free from nuts.

Granola1 Granola2

The President’s Choice brand from Loblaws includes a Dipped & Chewy line of granola bars that prominently display the peanut-free symbol on the front and there are a number of varieties, including chocolate chip and s’mores.

Mars1 Mars2

Of course, if you have more of a sweet tooth, you can pick up a Mars bar – either original, dark, or caramel – they are all peanut-free in Canada.

Rolo
Mini Rolo chocolates are a good choice choice as well. The ingredient lists wheat under its may contain section, so by Canadian labelling standards that means no peanuts.

And if you’re baking, or looking for sugary candy snacks, the in-store No Name brand offers peanut-free choices such as …

jujubes
jujubes

gumdrops
gumdrops

jellybeans
… and jellybeans!

And unless you live in Central Ontario, you’ve been seeing beautiful summer temperatures and bright sunshine (it’s getting ready to rain again here for the next few days), and there’s few summer treats that our boys want more than freezies. The No Name brand offers jumbo freezies that are manufactured in peanut-free factories too!

freezies

Monday, July 13, 2009

Certified Allergen Control

Reading labels is a familiar practice when you live with food allergies. I’ve mentioned a few times before the many different ways that manufacturers list allergen information in Canada (under the Food label at the right).

However, I was not familiar with the method for labelling allergens on products manufactured within the province of Québec. We recently found the Leclerc brand of soft-baked cookies, which the boys love.

Leclerc1 

These little (25g) cookie packages have the familiar peanut with the “No” symbol on the bottom left corner, next to the branding CAC, which stands for Contrôle Allergène Certifié – or Certified Allergen Control. A quick search on the Internet brought me to the program’s official site, which was developed by the Québec Food Allergy Association to recognize products in which their manufacturing process was highly controlled (the CAC program does not use the term “peanut-free”).

The four allergens currently tested for by the program are:

  • almonds
  • peanuts
  • milk
  • eggs

Participation in the program is voluntary, so not all products labelled as “peanut-free” are automatically included. Again, this underscores the need for a common labelling standard, but this method of certifying products is certainly appreciated. Check out their list of certified foods here.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Alergy Alert - Crown, Lotte, Surasang

There was another food allergy alert posted from Anaphylaxis Canada regarding undeclared allergens. To sign up for these alerts, visit their webpage and click on Anaphylaxis Registry.

*** *** *** *** *** ***

Dear Registrant,

The following alert from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) pertains to undeclared milk, eggs, or tree nuts (almond, hazelnut) in Crown, Lotte, and Surasang brands of snack foods described below. These products contain allergens which are not declared on the label.

This message is brought to you via the Canadian Anaphylaxis Registry, a public service of Anaphylaxis Canada. Anaphylaxis Canada's mission is to inform, support, educate, and advocate for the needs of individuals and families living with anaphylaxis and to conduct and support research related to anaphylaxis.

http://www.anaphylaxis.ca/
***************************************
ALLERGY ALERT UNDECLARED ALLERGENS IN CROWN, LOTTE, AND SURASANG BRANDS OF SNACK FOODS FROM KOREA

OTTAWA, July 10, 2009 The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning people with allergies to milk, eggs, or tree nuts (almond, hazelnut) not to consume various Crown, Lotte, and Surasang brands of snack foods described below. These products contain allergens which are not declared on the labels.

All codes of the following Crown, Lotte, and Surasang brands of snack foods, imported from Korea, are affected by this alert. Product information below can be found on the package and the sticker applied for the Canadian market.

Brand
Product
Size
UPC
Undeclared allergens

Crown
Couque Dasse Coffee Biscuits / Korean Cracker
128 g
8 801111 614252
Hazelnut

Crown
Sando Choco biscuit
161 g
8 801111 614436
Milk

Crown
Couque Dasse Coffee Biscuit, Korean Cracker, Item #09803
64 g
8 801111 614214
Milk

Crown
Couque Dasse Coffee Biscuit / Korean Cracker Item #12721
128 g
8 801111 614252
Milk

Crown
Korean Cracker
Item #13885
372 g
8 801111 110624
Milk, Egg

Crown
Butter Waffles Korean Cracker Item #08488
237 g
8 801111 113212
Milk, Egg

Lotte
Pepero Biscuit with Choco / Funzel Crispy Sticks
33 g
8 801062 272112
Almond

Lotte
Pepero Biscuit with Choco / Pepero Choco Sticks 180 g
8 801062 272136
Almond

Lotte
Pepero Almond and Chocolate / Almond Pepero Sticks
32 g
8 801062 272174
Egg

Surasang K
orean Cracker Item #13961
420 g
0 87703 01398 8
Egg

These products have been distributed nationally.

There have been no reported allergic reactions associated with the consumption of these products.

Consumption of these products may cause a serious or life-threatening reaction in persons with allergies to milk, eggs, or tree nuts (almond, hazelnut).

The importers are voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).

For information on milk, egg, and tree nuts, three of the nine most common food allergens, visit the Food Allergens web page at:

Milk:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/allerg/milklaite.shtml

Eggs
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/allerg/eggoeue.shtml

Tree nuts
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/allerg/nutnoie.shtml

For information on receiving recalls by e-mail, or for other food safety facts, visit our web site at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/.

30

Media enquiries:


CFIA Media Relations
613-773-6600

********************

ALERTE ? LALLERGIE PR?SENCE NON D?CLAR?E DALLERG?NES DANS DIVERSES GRIGNOTINES DE MARQUE CROWN, LOTTE ET SURASANG DE LA COR?E

OTTAWA, le 10 juin 2009 LAgence canadienne dinspection des aliments (ACIA) avise les personnes allergiques au lait, aux ufs et aux noix (amandes, noisettes) de ne pas consommer les diverses grignotines de marque Crown, Lotte et Surasang d?crites ci-dessous. En effet, ces produits contiennent des allerg?nes alors que l?tiquette nen fait pas mention.

Tous les codes des grignotines suivantes de marque Crown, Lotte et Surasang, des produits de la Cor?e, sont touch?s par la pr?sente mise en garde. Les renseignements suivants figurent sur lemballage des produits et sur un autocollant qui y a ?t? appos? pour le march? canadien.

Marque
Produit
Format
CUP
Allerg?nes non d?clar?s

Crown
? Couque Dasse Coffee Biscuits Korean Cracker / Biscut Cor?en ?
128 g
8 801111 614252
Hazelnut

Crown
Biscuit ? Sando Choco ?
161 g
8 801111 614436
Milk

Crown
? Couque Dasse Coffee Biscuit, Korean Cracker / Gateau Item #09803 ?
64 g
8 801111 614214
Milk

Crown
? Couque Dasse Coffee Biscuit Korean Cracker / Gateau Item #12721 ?
128 g
8 801111 614252
Milk

Crown
? Korean Cracker Biscuit Cor?en Item #13885 ? Item #13885
372 g
8 801111 110624
Milk, Egg

Crown
? Butter Waffles ? Biscuit Cor?en ? Item #08488 ?
237 g
8 801111 113212
Milk, Egg

Lotte
? Pepero Biscuit with Choco ? / Funzel B?tons Croustillants
33 g
8 801062 272112
Almond

Lotte
? Pepero Biscuit with Choco ? / Pepero B?ton de Choco 180 g
8 801062 272136
Almond

Lotte
? Pepero Almond and Chocolate ? B?tons de Pepero DAmande
32 g
8 801062 272174
Egg

Surasang
Gateau Cor?en ? Item #13961 ?
420 g
0 87703 01398 8
Egg

Ces produits pourraient avoir ?t? distribu?s ? l'?chelle nationale.

Aucun cas de r?action allergique associ? ? la consommation de ces produits na ?t? signal?.

La consommation de ces produits peut d?clencher une r?action grave, parfois mortelle, chez les personnes allergiques au lait, aux ufs ou aux noix (amandes, noisettes).

Les importateurs retirent volontairement du march? les produits touch?s. LACIA surveille lefficacit? du rappel.

Pour de plus amples renseignements, les consommateurs et les gens de lindustrie peuvent appeler lACIA au 1-800-442-2342/ATS 1-800-465-7735, du lundi au vendredi de 8 h ? 20 h (heure de lEst).

Pour obtenir des renseignements sur le lait, les ufs et les noix, trois des neuf allerg?nes alimentaires les plus courants, consultez les pages Web consacr?es aux allerg?nes alimentaires suivantes :

Lait
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/francais/fssa/labeti/allerg/milklaitf.shtml

Oeufs
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/francais/fssa/labeti/allerg/eggoeuf.shtml

Noix
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/francais/fssa/labeti/allerg/nutnoif.shtml

Pour savoir comment recevoir les rappels par courrier ?lectronique ou pour obtenir dautres renseignements sur la salubrit? des aliments, visitez notre site Web ? ladresse http://www.inspection.gc.ca/.

30

Questions des m?dias :

Relations avec les m?dias
Agence canadienne dinspection des aliments 613-773-6600

********************

The FOODRECALLS_RAPPELSALIMENTS archives all list postings at:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/recaltoce.shtml

You can join or leave a variety of e-mail lists managed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency using the on-line form found at:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/tools/listserv/listsube.shtml

La liste FOODRECALLS_RAPPELSALIMENTS archive tous les enregistrements de listes ? :
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/francais/corpaffr/recarapp/recaltocf.shtml

Vous pouvez vous inscrire ? une vari?t? de listes courriels administr?es par l'Agence canadienne d'inspection des aliments au moyen du formulaire en ligne affich? ? l'adresse suivante : http://www.inspection.gc.ca/francais/tools/listserv/listsubf.shtml.
Le m?me formulaire vous permet de retrancher votre nom de ces listes.





Thursday, July 9, 2009

No-Nonsense No-Nuts policy

A news article was posted today announcing that the Las Virgenes Unified School District board has adopted new policies surrounding peanut allergies that should bring a sigh of relief to many parents of peanut-allergic children in this area west of Los Angeles, California.

According to a local online paper, There were safety standards in place for some schools within the district, and these have now been extended to all of the schools in the area. From the article …

For starters, if a highly allergic student attends an LVUSD school, all parents will be asked not to bring items in a particular food group— say peanuts—to the school.

As well, substitutions will be made in school breakfasts, lunches and other food provided after school or during field trips.

If you don’t live within the area and are concerned about sending your peanut-allergic child to school in September, let me encourage you to start a dialogue with the school administration as early as possible and in a calm manner. Don’t expect to dictate your concerns to them, as this is definitely the wrong way to go about it. We found that offering assistance, as well as being available for questions from staff, is the best approach.

If you want a copy of a letter that Krystyne made that can be distributed to parents, you can download a copy (pdf file) here. It outlines anaphylactic symptoms and alternative choices for peanut-free snack ideas as well. The principal at our boys’ school has asked to include it in their official policies package for this September.

Monday, July 6, 2009

A Kindred Spirit

It’s great when you connect with someone who truly understands.

When we enrolled our boys in day camp for the summer, we were ready for disappointment when it came to Liam’s class. We fully expected that we wouldn’t be able to sign him up at all – or at least have to keep him home from special events like cookouts or campfires.

What a beautiful surprise to learn that the person responsible for the children’s programs was herself extremely allergic to bee stings and carries an EpiPen with her. She grew up knowing what it was like to be excluded from things, so she was determined to include as many kids as possible.

We’ve been overjoyed to see Liam and Keeghan at their first class campfire, toasting marshmallows with their friends, with huge smiles on their faces for being a part of it all.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Allergies on Trial

I read an article this morning regarding immunotherapy for treating food allergies and found it interesting that out of all of the reports posted on trials involving ‘training’ the body to tolerate allergens by feeding a small amount to the participant, this was one of the few that even mentions that some participants are unable to continue due to severe reactions.

Many well-meaning friends mention these studies to us or pass along clippings that they’ve found in the paper. Each time we thank them, but knowing that Liam has anaphylactic reactions to 10ppm of peanut protein, there is no way that he could participate in any of them.

But we are looking into another option – some naturopaths are offering immunotherapy that does not involve ingesting any nut protein whatsoever. A friend of ours whose son tested allergic to milk has seen no symptoms at all since a few short treatments with her naturopath. We will be looking into this further, even if it can improve his trigger levels. If you want to investigate it as well, check out some of my earlier posts on this (here and here) or go to the website for the Institute for Natural Health Technologies for more information on BioEnergetic Intolerance Elimination.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Camping with Allergies

After a week of “winter camping” (seriously … 12°C in Central Ontario in July???) I think I’ve finally gotten used to the hot spots in the small BBQ at the trailer. Maybe when it warms up a bit more we can enjoy some time in the lake when we go up.

But major kudos go to the Sobeys family of supermarkets for their Compliments store brand and their clear allergy labelling! Here’s the label on the back of a package of hamburger buns bought recently.

buns-back 
all glare aside, it’s quite clear labelling

The white exclamation point within an orange circle is how allergens are highlighted across the Compliments brand, and they clearly list – in English and French – any allergens that are or may be present in the item. And on the front of the packaging, they draw your attention to allergens by placing the same symbol on the label ….

buns-front
the exclamation mark is there to remind you
to read the label

We also had the counsellors from the boys’ day camp ask us to check the food they were using for their weekly campfire. The only thing without clear allergy labelling was a package of marshmallows by DOUMAK. A quick Google search brought up this page, which was a declaration from the company that their marshmallows are free from milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans.

I’ve never thought of marshmallows possibly containing nuts, but it was good of this company to have allergen information easily available. Companies like these certainly make shopping for camping much less stressful.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Play Ball!

If you’re in Chicagoland on July 8th, why not take in a peanut-free ballgame? The Kane County Cougars are hosting their 3rd annual Peanut-Free Night at 6:30pm against the Burlington Bees.

No peanut or peanut-related products will be available at the stadium, which will be be scrubbed in advance of the game. The players on both teams have also agreed to refrain from using food containing peanuts or peanut ingredients.

Call (630) 232-8811 or go online to order tickets.

Hope everyone had a great Canada Day and I wish my American friends a happy Independence Day!