That Cookie Tastes Like Peanut

I read a story tonight about a child who showed great allergy awareness despite not being allergic himself. (Though it is a Halloween-related story it just came out.)

Adam Waldusky is a 7 year old from Chippewa Falls, WI. At a Halloween party with (supposedly) safe treats the kids were eating cookies. Soon after the kids ate cookies, Adam's friend raised an alarm by telling Adam's Mom that he tasted peanut.

Thought it is not clear why Adam did not notice this himself, within minutes he began to swell. Adam's Mom was prepared and after administering an EpiPen she brought Adam to the hospital for the 4-6 hour observation period.

Thought it is great that story had a happy ending. I was also impressed that Adam's friend was the first one to recognize the danger and report it. It is impressive that at a young age he was thoughtful enough to think of Adam's allergy after tasting peanut.

One of the contributing factors to his awareness was the fact that Adam's Mom talks to the kids in Adam’s grade once per year, to promote allergy awareness.

It takes a village ...

Villager of the Month - Jen

The Villager of the Month accolade goes to a person or group that has done something interesting or special for those with allergies.

This month's winner is our neighbour, Jen. Our daughter was invited to her son's first birthday. A few weeks before the party Jen proactively reached out to ask for our Wacky Cake recipe. She then went a step further and told all of the other parents that there would be an allergic child at the birthday party and to avoid bringing peanut snacks.

How incredibly thoughtful!

Jen made four chocolate Wacky Cakes and as always, they were moist and flavourful. These cakes are hardly a sacrifice for anybody and are very helpful for those with severe food allergies. The cake was a hit with our daughter. I think she ate five pieces, though much of the cake seemed to be smeared on her face and her dress!

Just as the party was winding down, an incredible thing happened.

I was speaking with one of Jen's friends and I mentioned that the cake was nut and egg free. It turns out that she has anaphylaxis to peanut! She was very happy to learn that she could actually enjoy the cake with the rest of us.

This was a rare treat for Jen's friend and it was also a pleasant surprise for Jen as she was not aware of her friend's allergy. Consider it allergy karma! You just never know who is going to have an allergy in your circle of friends.

Other parents could really learn from Jen. She simply asked for a cake recipe, advised other parents to bring peanut-free snacks and ensured that whatever else she served was peanut free. She did not fear the allergy. She did not make us feel like she had to go out of her way. As a result we never felt like we were an inconvenience.

Though I did have to be careful of a few egg items on the buffet style party spread, our daughter was really just there to play with the other kids and to eat chocolate cake!

It Takes a Village to manage an allergy! Jen set a great example for parents looking to accommodate children with food allergies.

Villager of the Month - Summer 2007

This spring I started a new series called Villager of the Month. The intent is to recognize people and organizations who do special or interesting things to help those with food allergies. This month I have been featured in Allergic Living. I wrote an article about the theory behind this very concept and the reception has been great.

The latest recipient of the Villager accolade dovetails nicely with my post about the work that PACT had done with Bill M210 in B.C. The Food Allergy Initiative is a non-profit agency that raises funds toward the effective treatment and cure of food allergies. It also works to raise awareness of the seriousness of food allergy.

In August the FAI was a major force behind New York Governor Elloit Spitzer's decision to sign into the law the Allergy & Anaphylaxis Management Act of 2007 (AAMA) . The FAI's contribution was significant. "During the past year, FAI led a coalition of food allergy support groups and parents across New York State to achieve the passage of the AAMA. In March 2007, as a result of FAI’s leadership of a coalition in New Jersey, a similar bill, PL. 2007, c.57, was signed into law."

“This vital legislation will save lives,” said Robert Pacenza, Executive Director, FAI. “If a food-allergic child accidentally ingests even a minuscule trace of the wrong food, it can trigger a reaction that can kill within minutes. The AAMA will provide New York parents and schools with sensible guidelines to help keep these kids safe. FAI is proud to have been the organizing force behind this effort.”

Congratulations Robert and team. Great work on this legislation!

M210 Lives On ... In Spirit

This past spring bill M210 made its way through the legislative process here in British Columbia. As a result of a strong grassroots effort led by a group called PACT, the failed bill actually lives on, at least in spirit, via a new anaphylaxis directive handed down this week by Education Minister Shirley Bond.

“Children with life-threatening allergies need to be safe in B.C. schools, and our direction today is for all school districts to take immediate steps to ensure all students are protected,” said Bond. “Boards of education will now be required to have school-based anaphylaxis policies and practices that meet rigorous provincial standards.”

This is great news. PACT was my villager of the month for June and I am very pleased to see that in the absence of a true B.C. version of Sabrina's Law we do have protection for our allergic children in the province's skills.

Kudos to all of those involved in the lobby effort to make this happen.

Allergic Living Features NoPeanutsPlease!

The Fall 2007 issue of Allergic Living magazine features NoPeanutsPlease. I wrote a column on the concept of 'It Takes A Village' and it was included on the last page of the magazine: "Parting Shots: A father needs help to keep his anaphylactic daughter safe.". The article is not available online but was highlighted as a feature of the current issue.

Villager of the Month - June 2007

This spring I started a new series called Villager of the Month. The intent is to recognize people who do special or interesting things to help those with food allergies.

For June 2007 I wanted to recognize the efforts of a group of concerned parents in British Columbia. Under the name Protecting Allergic Children Today (PACT), Caroline Posynick and other members of her organization spearheaded a letter writing campaign to MLAs and government officials in support of David Cubberly’s proposed anaphylaxis legislation.

Though Bill M210 failed to advance after its second reading, the government is certainly aware of the issue of allergic children in schools and that is largely due to the efforts of PACT and its supporters.

You can learn more about PACT or Bill M210 on the organization's website.

Villager Of The Month - May 2007

This week was Food Allergy Awareness Week. In honour of this FAAN initiative, I have decided to add novel content to the the blogosphere. Earlier tonight I posted the announcement of my new "NoPeanuts Site Reviews" series.

The second addition to the site will be the Villager of the Month 'accolades'. You have seen the phrase "It Takes A Village" used on this site to refer to the fact that parents of allergic children cannot manage the allergy entirely on their own. Other people will at times relied upon in an emergency situation. Teachers, caregivers and friend alike could find themselves in this situation while the child is under their care.

Intended as a 'thank you' on behalf of the food allergy community, the 'Villager of the Month' will have done something interesting, special or courageous to help those with food allergies. I encourage my visitors to nominate people by posting comments or emailing me (address is in my profile).

In honour of FAANs initiative this week, I decided name my first Villager Of The Month (for May 2007) based on the contribution they made to Food Allergy Awareness Week.

One contributor was the Elliott family in Nevada who chose this week to launch their new line of products under the NoNuttin' brand.

I also thought it was pretty cool for a 13 year old in PA to write to her local editor and promote Food Allergy Awareness Week with a personal letter. In our own way we can all make a meaningful contribution.

Gina Clowes of AllergyMoms posted a list of great ideas of things you could do to make a difference this week.

Villager of the Month
The first recipient of the Villager of the Month accolade is Ria Sharon of CheckMyTag. I have seen Ria everywhere this week. I visit many sites in my 'rounds' and over the past two weeks I have noticed numerous cases of Ria posting comments promoting Food Allergy Awareness Week. She also posted a great collection of stories about food allergy on her blog, stories she collected from other bloggers and friends specifically for this occasion. Her efforts were creative and made a valuable contribution to food allergy awareness. Ria has a line of alert products for allergic kids. The business is about a year old and was started after her 13-month-old had an anaphylactic reaction.

Congratulations and thank you Ria!

Shell Game

Another weekend, another allergy scare. We've been on a roll lately it seems.

I play in a touch football league here in Vancouver and my wife takes the kids to games whenever the field has nearby playground equipment. During the first half of this week's game our daughter was playing near the swings when she came over to my wife with something in her hand.

My wife casually looked down to see her holding, of all things ... a PEANUT SHELL!

Turns out that (I'm guessing) some kids might have been in the park the night before, eating peanuts while sitting in the swings. They left the shells on the ground. I try not to judge people's actions. I was a peanut eater before December and you just don't think twice about that pile of shells you leave at the football game, hockey game, etc. It is simply a lack of awareness.

This time around we were lucky. There was no reaction at all this but we did give her Benadryl and play the fearful waiting game. For the rest of the morning even the slightest little facial blemish looked like a 1cm wheal!

It's virtually certain that you'll see somebody eating a bag of in-shell peanuts someday soon. Consistent with cultural practice, they'll likely be throwing the shells on the ground. Please ask them politely to throw the shells into the trash. They'll likely be unaware of the potential danger to an allergic child.

It Takes A Village.

Pathfinder Leads The Way

This is just the story I needed to read tonight. After our daughter's anaphylactic reaction this week and today's unfortunate incident I needed a feel-good story. I needed to read something that would remind me of the many, many people out there who are focused on helping our daughter. I found solace in the story of David Dockendorf, principal of Pathfinder K-8 school in Seattle.

Typically when parents of allergic children push for better anaphylactic policy or (God forbid!) a peanut ban, they are met with resistance. Not the case at Pathfinder! Machel Spence has a second grade daughter in the school and when she raised concerns about the schools level of preparedness for an anaphylactic emergency, this is the response she received:

"The principal, David Dockendorf, was very quick to respond and after their meeting was completed with the nurse and staff he sat down with me and shared his list of steps the school was going to take to make my daughter's school environment a safer one. The school nurse, Terri Helm-Remund, was also very responsive to my concerns and within days there were signs all over the school, a separate nut-free table in the lunch room for my daughter and her friends who bring nut free lunches and an article sent home to all Pathfinder parents to read asking them to avoid peanut products for snacks in the classroom as well as bake sales."

This is great. Though I do not see mention of the school purchasing EpiPens, providing teachers with emergency response training or educating students that there are several allergens that can create a fatal allergic reaction, I will take comfort in the fact that Dockendorf was so responsive and caring in his approach.

It Takes A Village and clearly Pathfinder is showing the way!

Peanut Butter Family

Today my parents tagged along for our daughter's weekly gymnastics class. The instructors have been great with the allergy and we've not had any serious issues to date.

This morning a new set of classes began and, per standard practice, we made sure that the other children, parents and nannies knew of our daughter's allergy. The instructors made an announcement and as always, the class was without incident.

After class our daughter made her way out to the foyer to get her coat and the Peanut Butter Family decided it was snack time. Parents, kids and Grandma all had peanut butter sandwiches and when Grandma caught our nanny's eye she sort of smiled in a way that suggested, 'what's the big deal'?

I understand that others cannot be expected to think proactively about our daughter's allergy. It is our responsibility. That being said, upon seeing our daughter they should have shown us the courtesy of putting the sandwiches away given that they had just heard about her allergy. This type of passive aggressive behaviour in response to our daughter's allergy bothers me.

Fittingly, as the family left one of the kids polished off his sandwich and innocently slid his hand along the rail as he ran down the stairs. One of the toughest things about the allergy is its ability to replace the joy of watching a child happily playing with the invisible terror of microscopic peanut proteins that might not even be present.

It's amazing how different the world looks when you're managing an allergy.

Dear Grandma, "It takes a village".

Peanut Butter Bagel

This story is the exact type of story that parents fear. An 18-year-old girl from Colorado ordered a "spinach parmesan bagel with veggie lite cream cheese" and ended up getting a surprise! "Cross-contamination from a knife that had been used to spread peanut butter, got wiped off, then was used to spread the cream cheese on Lauren's bagel." Upon eating the bagel Lauren felt somewhat ill but it was not until she started tennis practice that she felt hives on the bottom of her feet and was rushed to hospital.

The owner was great in the handling the situation. He was surprised that despite all of his precaution and care, the young girl came into contact with peanut protein and went into anaphylaxis. He has since removed peanut butter from the store to play it safer. Kudos to him for responding so positively and quickly to this situation.

It Takes A Village - Food Inspectors

Today I received a recall that bothered me.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Tickleberry's are warning people with allergies to milk, soy, sulphites, peanuts and wheat proteins not to consume Tickleberry's Chocolate Covered Dried Fruit products described below. The affected products contain milk, soy, sulphites, peanuts and wheat which are not declared on the label. (Several) Tickleberry's Chocolate Covered Dried Fruit products, sold in 100 g packages, are affected by this alert. These products have been distributed nationally.

My concern with this recall is that it was a multiple allergy alert for a product that was measured in 100g kid-sized packages. I decided to pick up the phone and call Dale Hoy. It was an interesting conversation.

Eight years ago Dale's company had their labels reviewed by the Canada Food Inspection Agency. Since that time the rules have changed and due to a lack of awareness, Dale's company did not stay current. Labels were created for new products per the old rules and thus products did not include complete allergy labeling.

After a recent inspection it was determined that Dale's products did not comply with the new allergy labeling standards. The result is a voluntary recall, though Dale freely admits that the vast majority of the product is already sold. The company is based in BC but due to the inclusion of its products in gift baskets, 50,000 units of these products are spread across the country and are long ago in the hands of consumers.

Notice that this did not happen altruistically. The cost for a boutique manufacturer to revamp labeling is quite steep. Dale conceded that small manufacturers would not likely do this on their own. The food inspector is the person that triggered this 'voluntary' recall.

This plant produces fudge, ice cream, cookies and other products. Nuts, soy, milk, sulphites are all ingredients used in the plant. The bottom line is that without external intervention many producers would be going to market with outdated labeling that potentially puts kids at risk of fatal allergic reactions.

It takes a village to manage anaphylaxis and in this case the food inspector delivered.

Rolling Eyes

As I read through the numerous articles, blogs and stories about anaphylaxis I have noticed a disturbing trend. It seems that when other parents, teachers, principals, etc. are told about severe allergy they often 'roll their eyes'. Unfortunately some of these people did not understand the true severity of the allergy until a child under their care died.

Here is an example from a live chat from the fall of 2006 at AllergicLiving.com with Sara Shannon: "Sabrina had a reaction at her public school the year before she died, and the reaction was handled improperly. Looking back, I see that as a warning. I went to the school to discuss how the reaction was handled, and I was greeted by rolling eyes (sad to say but it’s true). (This person now cries to this day about what happened to my daughter, by the way.) At the time that I was greeted with rolling eyes, I accepted their lack of belief and didn’t feel I could do anything about it, based on my past experience with the education system. My solution was for Sabrina to have complete avoidance of her allergens and hopefully she would not have a reaction at school."

Another example comes from Australia where a coroner's inquest is looking into the death of a young boy who was given peanut butter despite their being prior knowledge of his allergy. The boy's mother, Martha Baptist "told a packed session of the Victorian Coroner's Court that one mother at the kindergarten had rolled her eyes when she repeatedly asked her not to bring food with nut traces."

What I find troubling about this is that Baptist was trying to inform the other parents of the allergy but they treated her with disdain. Then the unthinkable happened ... the mother who rolled her eyes 'rolled in' with a peanut butter sandwich and it led to the boy's death. "Martha Baptist told the court that after her son's death it took her three months to work up the courage to ask the parents on duty that day what food was given to the children. Two mothers she asked, including a woman called Angela Berry, told her the children had eaten nothing but fruit.
But Martha Baptist told the court a third woman she knew from a mother's group later told her Angela Berry had in fact brought a peanut butter sandwich in on the day Alex died but that Ms Berry had told her not to say anything about it."

If that wasn't bad enough, to add insult to injury "lawyers for Berry asked Alex Baptist's paediatrician whether she was aware the boy had been referred to a neurologist for investigation of possible epilepsy, on account of an incident where as a baby his eyes rolled up in his head and his body went limp while breastfeeding." The doctor denied that this had occurred.

These examples make me roll my eyes. Allergic children rely on the support of school staff and the cooperation of other parents. Though people's attitudes seem to have come a long way in the last few years, it is disappointing to continuously see life threatening allergy met with rolling eyes, as if it was a nuisance to others.

As parents of an anaphylactic daughter it is impossible to read these stories without picturing this happening to our child. I suspect it is also nearly impossible for those who rolled their eyes to live with the fact that they did not take anaphylaxis seriously until it was too late.

Only through continued education, training and support programs will the non-allergic world understand the perpetual risk that our allergic kids face.

Life Before FAAN

I just read a great article on Anne Munoz Furlong the founder of FAAN. This organization has made a significant contribution to the allergy community and is a true success story despite its (at times vocal) critics on the message boards. It is amazing to think about what things were like 22 years ago when Munoz Furlong's daughter was found to have anaphylaxis and food allergy. It puts things in perspective: "(Munoz Furlong) would have welcomed a quick accurate diagnosis, a telephone support line and newsletters to consult, food labels identifying allergens, and cookbooks with allergen-free recipes. None of these resources were available." Sounds like we have it much better. I am not sure how you would manage an allergy in that support-free environment. Parents with newly-diagnosed cases of food allergy have much to be thankful for!

In the article, Munoz Furlong neatly articulates some of the biggest issues facing those with allergies. "The greatest challenge people with food allergies face today is 'convincing other people that food allergies are real ... that every bite can cause a serious reaction ... that it's a real concern, to a child, to know that birthday cake was made with milk or another allergen....The general public needs to understand there is no break, no seasonal component [as with hay fever] ... you have to eat. You have to have help from other people."

It takes a village ... FAAN has made a positive contribution.

A Dreadful Note

The 'It Takes A Village' series here on NoPeanutsPlease focuses on food allergy from the perspective of those who support food allergic children with in the community - teachers, other parents, child psychologists and even the peanut industry. Ironically I have devoted little time to the perspective of those who actually have the peanut allergy.

This week I had a post called 'Code 2' which discussed a first-hand account of an anphaylactic reaction. Very scary and quite thought provoking. It gave me more insight into what it is like to go through an anaphylactic reaction and left me wondering how somebody could adapt to multiple near death experiences. Today I had a similar reaction to a story about what it's like to be a 12 year old child with a peanut allergy within the school setting.

Parents have the best of intentions. We've explained the allergy to caregivers before and in future would surely send in notes and anaphylaxis response plans for teachers in daycare or elementary school. Parents are correct in thinking that these actions help make their kids safer. However, the flip side is that the child's feelings and self-image are also important and need to be considered. This may sound obvious but the article makes it clear that there is a delicate balance to be struck, as safety is generally not 'hip':

"In my backpack on the first day of school ... is a note from my mother to the teacher telling her about my severe peanut allergy. Every year at this time, I have to hand in this dreadful note. The teacher stands in front of the whole class and reads this note out loud ... I feel so guilty because the some kids sigh and say, "Awwwww." It's so embarrassing because after the teacher is done, some students walk up to me and say, "Thanks a lot, Allegra!"
"... Two years ago, my mom gave me a hideous denim purse to put my EpiPen in. I had to carry it around everywhere I went. I am not what people call the most girly girl, so I was not happy about that."

We'll have to make sure our daughter picks out her own purses! I also think it would be important, when she is more aware of her allergy, to get her perspective on what form of communication would be the most comfortable for her. I will never sacrifice safety purely for her comfort, but they do go hand-in-hand and if there is a way to accommodate both I will certainly try. As seen in the article, if our daughter does not like the purse for her Epipen then she will not bring it with her and that puts her life at risk.

It Takes A Village - Peanut Terrorists

I just read a excellent yet disturbing article about the challenges that can face our allergic children in schools. It is one of the most comprehensive articles I have read to date on food allergy. One section of the article talked about how other parents and other kids can react in a very hostile and dangerous fashion to those who have allergies. Here are a few excerpts ... what are these people thinking?

"a parent of a nonallergic child announced at a PTO meeting that he'd continue sending his child to the elementary school with peanut butter sandwiches and tell his child to "smear" the peanut butter along the hallway walls."

What message does that send to the child of that astute parent?

"Snarky comments about the "peanut police" pepper blogs and online message boards. "We are considering dressing our daughter on Halloween as 'The Death Peanut,'" one parent joked."

Indeed. Forgive me if I do not join you in laughter.

"At the middle school, a teacher brought in a homemade casserole containing nuts and invited the allergic boy to eat it; when he said he couldn't because of his allergies, she had him stand outside the classroom (in the cold) while the other students ate. This child was also taunted and bullied by other students in the cafeteria, including one who refused to move from a peanut-free lunch table and ate a peanut butter sandwich—which resulted in the boy's suffering an extreme allergic reaction that landed him in the hospital"

This article just left me frightened. I could not conceive of intentionally jeopardizing the health and safety of any child. That is just twisted. Will we really have to go through this? Let's hope that these people are truly at the fringes and that the majority of parents take a safer, 'saner' approach.

According to Connie Weil, PhD, a psychologist at Children's Memorial in Chicago, severe food allergy is a "chronic illness, but it's a hidden illness, so it's misperceived by society." While that neatly summarizes the underlying issue, misperception is one thing but terrorizing allergic children is shocking even if extremely rare.

Though our being aware of these scenarios makes our daughter safer, I actually wish I never read that article.

Airline Policy

This week Qantas followed the NoPeanuts airline theme and announced a new peanut policy. As regular readers know, after our West Jet experience this week I have had a bee in my bonnet with respect to airline peanut policy. It was interesting to read the Qantas policy and see the same verbage all over again. Like West Jet, Qantas will no longer serve peanuts and will also try to avoid serving foods with peanut ingredients. The airline also included the standard wording about the inability to provide a peanut free plane.

To me the ‘cannot-provide-a-peanut-free-plane’ concept misses the mark. People often assume that peanut parents are expecting peanut-free environments. We’re not. We know that’s often impossible. All I am looking for is a quick announcement to other passengers to let them know that a severely allergic child is on board and that it would be appreciated if they did not eat peanuts.

I am left wondering why airlines and other passengers might deem this announcement unreasonable … here are the standard points of contention that I come across online:

Contention #1: Peanut dust inhalation does not cause anaphylaxis

In 1998 the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed that airlines provide peanut-allergic passengers with ‘peanut free’ seating areas. The proposal was denied by congress due to the lack of evidence demonstrating that peanut dust inhalation causes anaphylaxis. Many studies have shown that inhalation of peanut dust can cause a reaction for those allergic to peanut, but the reaction is typically restricted to skin and upper-respiratory symptoms and does not usually result in anaphylaxis. That being said, it has been shown that when >25 people are eating peanuts together on an airplane the reaction can be sufficiently serious to require epinephrine. That risk supports the current ban on peanuts being served in-flight as followed by many airlines.


Contention #2: It’s only 1% of the population … why should we cater to them?

The incidence is higher in young children and has doubled in the past five years. Furthermore, 50% of the cases involved oral ingestion of the allergen and the median age of those who suffered a reaction was two years!! Thus it is reasonable to infer that the most common reaction resulted from a young child eating a peanut … ie: not from inhalation!

It also appears that young children were disproportionately represented in the sample of in-flight allergic reactions. Young children do not know they are allergic. Young children also end up crawling around the floor of the plane (not exactly the cleanest of places). If a child finds a peanut on the floor it will likely end up in their mouth. You know what happens next.

Since it appears that children are the most at risk, it is worth taking the necessary precautions. Making a quick announcement to other passengers is a simple way to create a safer environment for peanut allergic children.

Contention #3: People with a peanut allergy should travel in the morning

It is common for airlines to suggest morning travel for the peanut allergic as people are less likely to eat peanuts and the planes are cleaned overnight. I think that this provides a false sense of security.

Per my Air Peanut article, we flew at 8am and the planes were far from clean. Also, though it is less common for people to eat peanuts early, it does happen. Recently I traveled to the USA and the gentleman directly behind me ripped into a large bag of peanuts at 7am.

Though traveling early is perhaps a good idea, the courtesy announcement I seek would have a greater impact on passenger safety. What happens when the gentleman behind me nods off due to the early flight and drops his bag of peanuts on the floor? He did fall asleep but I am not sure where the peanuts went …

Contention #4: Peanut-allergic passengers should just be prepared

Any parent of an allergic child would be prepared with EpiPens and Benadryl but that is not enough. The contention that passengers should be prepared makes sense for adults but remember that peanut-allergic children would likely not understand their allergy.

Furthermore, this objection requires the underlying assumption that people know they are allergic in the first place. We found out on Boxing Day that our daughter is severely allergic to peanut. Though we suspected an allergy we did not know it was this severe until we saw the anaphylaxis first hand. Unfortunately, that is commonly how severe food allergies are discovered.

There is a first time for everything and though the risk is remote, it is possible that a child could have her first anaphylactic reaction on an airplane. In many ways that would be a worst-case scenario.

Contention #5: Airlines cannot provide a peanut free plane

While this is true, it is also not what I am asking for or expecting. I know that expecting peanut-free is Utopian; however, in addition to not serving peanuts it would be very helpful if the flight crew could let other passengers know that there is a peanut allergic child on board. This will create a safer environment.

As a parent I would still not let my guard down should such an announcement be made. Even better, other passengers would now be aware. In the case of my 7am trip to the USA, I had the aforementioned passenger eating peanuts directly behind me. That would pose a significant risk to my daughter if she had been on the flight. Obviously the passenger would not know where every peanut from every hand-full ended up. Our daughter’s anaphylaxis is triggered by a fraction of a peanut and one breakaway peanut could prove fatal. Is it really worth the risk?

I contend that it is reasonable for the airline to announce, as a courtesy, that there is an allergic child on board and that it would be best for people to not eat peanut.

I have to believe that most people, upon hearing that announcement, would forgo their peanuts to ensure the safety of an unsuspecting allergic child?

West Jet told me that they could not make the courtesy announcement due to legal exposure. I feel that not making an announcement is a bigger legal risk … a carefully crafted announcement would reduce legal exposure and also make kids safer.

This is a no-brainer.

To Ban, Or Not To Ban

I came across a question at ABCPeanuts that stirred up some debate. I thought I would add my two cents. The site posed the following question:

What Is Peanut Free?
Peanut free means peanut safe. Does that mean an entire lunchroom must eliminate peanuts to be safe, or is a peanut free section sufficient? What is your opinion?

As is commonly the case with online peanut debates, posted comments ranged from practical to extreme. Here are two of my favourites:

Lilly (CA): I do not agree that we need to cater to the few that have this allergy. I do understand that it can be severe but we need to educate not ban. We live in a democratic society. All this banning of various items is becoming more of a dictatorship.

Kirsten (NY): I agree that we cannot become a dictatorship. If parents are so worried about the allergies they should home school their children and not go out in public.

I actually agree that a peanut ban does not solve the issue of overall food-related anaphylaxis but to compare a ban to the country sliding toward dictatorship is over the top.

I posted the following comment, directed in part toward these two posts but trying to discuss the overall situation:

It does not make sense to take such an extreme stance against a peanut ban. Claiming that it encroaches upon your participation in a democracy or that a child should be home-schooled due to peanut allergy is sensational and just serves to fan the flames of the debate. I will make the assumption that you would not want that for your child? That being said, I do not think that an outright peanut ban is absolutely necessary for a number of reasons … there are more reasonable solutions.

My blog (www.nopeanutsplease.com) chronicles our journey in dealing with our daughter’s peanut allergy. I take a moderate approach and one of my core concepts is that ‘It Takes A Village’ to manage severe food allergies. Peanut parents need the support of many people to ensure that their child is safe during the day and we need to support and educate those who help. While a peanut ban indeed helps my daughter avoid an anaphylactic reaction, there are several severe food allergens and banning them all is not feasible. Furthermore, a ban creates a false sense of safety and while it is helpful it does not make the school 100% peanut free.

Schools should have an emergency plan in place. They should also ensure that the contents of cafeteria food are clearly identified and that food-related activities are restricted in settings where allergic kids are involved.

Parents of other children should make sure that their children know not to share their food with other kids due to the risk of allergic reaction. It is also helpful when other parents ensure that allergic children are not left out of activities such as birthday parties just because they have an allergy. Parents of allergic children are eager to help in these situations and it is important that their kids be able to have normal social lives with other children.

Our role as ‘peanut parents’ is to make sure that the school is aware of our child’s peanut allergy and that they have a plan in place to deal with anaphylactic reactions. We also have to make sure that our daughter is fully aware of the allergy and all of the precautions that entails. We understand that sometimes we will have to make an extra effort to manage the allergy and we accept that.

It truly takes a village to manage these allergies, especially where children are involved. We all have a role.

NP.

Catering To The Allergic

On the heels of the Cadbury labeling recall and Peter Pan peanut butter's salmonella recall, I was understandably concerned over who was ensuring quality and safety of our food.

Then I read this article.

Seems that 17% of catered food provided to (known) peanut-allergic government officers in Northern Ireland contained peanut protein. Furthermore, over half of the samples that tested positive for peanut protein had incorrect allergy warnings. On top of this, 10% of the serving staff showed no knowledge of peanut allergy at all. I guess the silver lining is that 90% of caterers had at least a basic or passing interest.

It is tougher to manage our daughter's anaphylaxis to peanut and egg when you realize that catering (and buffets) may be a source of hidden allergens and cross contamination.

Clearly the caterers above require education as to the risks associated with food allergies and what they should be doing to help manage those risks. When 17% of the people who declared a peanut allergy are getting peanut protein in their food, that's a problem. It is reasonable for a politician who is having food prepared on a very frequent basis by a single caterer to expect an allergy-free meal when declaring the allergy well in advance.

There should perhaps be a component to the health certification for restaurants and caterers that considers their management of the most serious allergies. That doesn't mean the whole menu is without wheat, egg, peanut, tree nut, shellfish, soy, sesame seeds and wine (sulphites), it just means that the restaurant is able to offer allergy-free meals when given advance notice and time to prepare. It would also consider whether restaurant used financially-feasible precautions such as the restaurateur I referenced in a post earlier this month (his name is Chris Woodyard of Australia).

The good news is that there seems to be a changing of the guard. While I am still concerned that the mislabeled Cadbury eggs made it through safety checks, I was impressed that they went public quickly once they found out. That is progress irrespective of whether the corporate giant did this altruistically or out of fear of reprisal.

I also think that over the next few years many more restaurants will publish their menus online just like Damon's Grill. I am going to start calling into some local restaurants in an attempt to spread this idea.

The Perfect Roommate

Each day I read a variety of articles from the mainstream media on food allergy and anaphylaxis. Today I stumbled across one article that was disappointing.

In an article entitled 'What To Look For In The Perfect Roommate', the author included the following item for a roommate screening checklist, under a section called 'Habits' no less:

Habits: Living with someone who loves rock and roll at midnight might not jive with a devotee of Mozart at noon. Food choices also play a vital role when sharing space. Whether you're a vegetarian or a fan of junk food, seek someone who shares or at least respects your food preferences. Food allergies should also be discussed and ruled out, especially if severe. Peanut butter in the pantry can be fatal for some people.

So apparently food allergy is a bad habit and those with such a trait should be avoided when choosing a roommate? Wow. Forget that this may exclude excellent candidates - it is much more important to keep that jar of peanut butter on the shelf!

Anaphylaxis is not a 'habit' and it is disappointing to see food allergy trivialized in this fashion.

My 22 month old daughter has a great little spirit and I am sure she'll make somebody a wonderful roommate some day! It would be the author's loss to avoid selecting her due only to her peanut allergy.

Furthermore, there is also minimal responsibility for the author in helping to manage a roommate's severe peanut allergy. Learn how to use an EpiPen. No peanuts in the home.

It is irresponsible to advise people to discriminate against the food allergic, especially when the one is without the facts. Though there are people with multiple severe allergies, and that might prove to be a challenge, I would hope that people would select roommates based on their merit and the personality fit, not based on their food allergy.

It takes a village to manage an allergy ... and the food allergic need roommates too!