School Allergy Scare Leaves Mom Upset

I'm so thankful my daughter is extremely diligent about checking everything she eats to make sure it doesn't have peanut butter. She tells me the cafeteria makes mistakes all the time.

I volunteer in the school cafeteria and have witnessed the mistakes myself. But this is scary if your child is still too young to check every food item served to them.

School Allergy Scare Leaves Mom Upset

Is there a test to predict serious peanut allergies?

The only sure way to know if your child is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts is to have a blood test.  It will also reveal how severe the allergy is.

Is there a test to predict serious peanut allergies?

Families Today: Food-processing contact can harm allergic kids | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

As a mom of a daughter who is anaphylactic to peanuts, this is always a concern of mine.

Families Today: Food-processing contact can harm allergic kids | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

Title: Soul Surfer Review: Soul Surfer

This is a really great movie. I highly recommend it!

Title: Soul Surfer Review: Soul Surfer

Tributes paid to Liverpool region teen killed by nut allergy National News News | Click Liverpool

This is my absolute worst nightmare! My heart goes out to his family. This is so tragic because he did what I do with my 11 year old daughter who is also anaphylactic to peanuts, we eat at the same places and eat the same thing. But there is always a chance of cross contamination or worse - that the restaurant changes their ingredients unbeknownst to the person who is severely allergic to peanuts. Even doing something like changing from Canola oil to Peanut oil when frying foods can put a PA person at risk.

This is just so scary to me and what I live with every day.

Please see story below:

Tributes paid to Liverpool region teen killed by nut allergy National News News | Click Liverpool

Food allergy risk poorly grasped in restaurants - Health - CBC News

I totally agree with this article that restaurant workers are not educated when it comes to food allergies. I had my own experience with this not too long ago at Red Robin. My daughter who is allergic to peanuts inquired about the cheesecake bites and the waitress did not know whether they contained peanuts or not. She went to ask the kitchen. They told her no. Went sent her back a second time because she had forgotten to ask about tree nuts. She came back and said no, again. Apparently the manager was alerted and came to our table with the label from the packaging in which they were shipped. Right there on the label was the warning, "may contain peanuts or tree nuts". She can't take that risk.

As a safety precaution, we rarely venture outside of the restaurants we know as "safe". Otherwise we just eat at home.

Please see article below:

Food allergy risk poorly grasped in restaurants - Health - CBC News

Elizabeth Davies: Food allergies tricky for mom

Elizabeth Davies: Food allergies tricky for mom

Girl in coma after eating peanut cereal

Girl in coma after eating peanut cereal

Cheesecake bites are Red Robin are not safe for a peanut allergic child

We went to Red Robin after church on Sunday and ordered the cheesecake bites after asking the waitress to check with the kitchen to see if they use peanut oil or peanut products.  She came back and told us no.  Then the manager came up and gave us the label from the packaging.  Apparently the cheesecake bites are not made at Red Robin.  They are shipped in.  The label revealed that this dessert is made on equipment that also processes peanuts and tree nuts, so we turned the dessert down to be on the safe side.

I have noticed through the years that some parents let their peanut allergic child eat foods that say "made on equipment that processes peanuts.  I don't take that chance.  It's not worth it.  My daughter's life is too precious to me.

Families Today: Rise in peanut allergies tough nut for scientists | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

Families Today: Rise in peanut allergies tough nut for scientists | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

My child dying from accidentally ingesting peanuts is my worst nightmare.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/20/katelyn-carlsons-family-s_n_838110.html?just_reloaded=1

On the last day before winter break at the selective Edison Regional Gifted Center school in Albany Park, 13-year-old Katelyn Carlson died after going into anaphylactic shock in school. The cause: Chinese food ordered as a celebration for her class.

Now, ABC reports, the Carlson family is suing the restaurant that provided the food, the Chinese Inn in Niles, for using peanuts in its preparation despite explicit requests not to.

According to the lawsuit, Chicago Public Schools officials were aware of Katelyn's acute allergy to peanuts. When teacher Jack Matsumoto ordered from Chinese Inn, he asked to be sure that no peanut products would be used in the food's preparation, the Chicago Tribune writes.

But lab testing on the food after the fact revealed that it did indeed conain trace amounts of peanut products, the Associated Press reported Saturday.

The wrongful death suit, which seeks an undisclosed amount above $100,000 in damages, was filed last Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court. 

My daughter who is allergic to peanuts would never agree to this!

I am so thankful that there are children that participate in these type of experimental treatments for Peanut Allergies where you give the child a small amount of peanut flower to get the child's immune system built up to eventually tolerate peanuts and peanut products.   I hope they come up with a cure, but I know my daughter will never take part in the study because she is so afraid of anaphylactic shock.  You can read about the experiment at the link below:

http://www.courant.com/health/connecticut/hc-weir-peanut-allergy-20110130,0,5838599.story

We even have to read the label on candy!!!

This innocent bag of candy that Amanda found while waiting in a Doctors office had on the back in product information that this product may contain peanuts.

Great article on bullying from Foodproductdesign.com

Approximately 35 percent of children aged 5 and older who have food allergies reported to have experienced bullying, teasing or harassment as a result of their allergies, according to a new study from Mount Sinai Medical Center.

According to the findings published in the October issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, of the children who were teased or harassed, 86 percent were reported to have experienced repeated episodes. Classmates were the most common perpetrators; however, more than 20 percent reported harassment or teasing from teachers and other school staff.

You can read the full article here

http://www.foodproductdesign.com/news/2010/09/kids-with-food-allergies-bullied-at-school.aspx

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My Name May be Peanuts, but I Say Nay to PB&J

My latest children's book about peanut and tree-nut allergies is available for purchase.

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002M9LBTG

Please check it out.  It is a must have for any child dealing with food allergies.

Have a food allergy? This article says it might be time to re-check.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/health/11brody.html?_r=1

Disney Channel show mentions Peanut Allergies!

So tonight I was watching a show on the Disney Channel (will let you know what show later as I can't think of it now) and there was a boy in a theatre with a girl who told her that he has peanut allergies.  She asked what happens if he ingests peanuts and he says he gets hives and he throat closes and he can't breathe.  And she says, well I don't like cilantro! Haha.  Yea very funny.  His look was like you did not understand me at all and then the show went on.  Such is life in the world living with peanut allergies.

If you are not allergic to peanuts then chances are you don't understand the severity of it.

A story I dread hearing about peanut allergies

If you have a child who is anaphylactic to peanuts or tree nuts, then this article is your worst nightmare.  Children and adults alike die from accidents like this which is the scariest thing to a person who lives with life-threatening peanut allergies.

Recall on Quaker Chewy Granola Bars - This is the stuff that scares me!

he Canadian Press

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Quaker Canada is urging consumers who are allergic to peanuts to check their granola bar packages.

It's because the company received a report that someone had an anaphylactic reaction from eating one of the snacks.

Quaker said in a release Friday that the person who became ill ate a granola bar that potentially came from a mislabelled Quaker Chewy Granola Bars Value Pack.

Quaker said the individual was treated in hospital and is recovering at home.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Quaker Canada said earlier this week that some Quaker Chewy Granola Bars Value Packs may have been mispacked with Quaker Dipps granola bars that contain peanuts.

A voluntary recall was announced Wednesday.

There are concerns that people with peanut allergies could have a life-threatening reaction if they eat one of the bars.

The affected product is the 364 gram Quaker brand Chewy Granola Bars Value Pack containing 14 bars and carries the UPC Bar Code 55577 10742. Consumers with the product should inspect the contents of the carton to ensure it contains the correct product -- Chewy Chocolate Chip and Chewy S'mores bars.

Quaker Canada said it is investigating how the cartons were mislabelled. It is also notifying school boards across the country and working with Anaphylaxis Canada and other health groups to reach Canadians with peanut and tree nut allergies.

For more information, consumers can contact Quaker Canada toll-free at 1-800-267-6287 or visit www.quakeroats.ca.