Food Allergy Awareness

Let me introduce myself.  My number is 12 for the great Joe Namath (J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!). My name is Angela, better known as CPA Mom.   

So let's talk about my biggest soapbox issue:  food allergies.  The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America has a great summary of what allergies are, which I've excerpted here:  Allergies are diseases of the immune system that cause an overreaction to substances called "allergens." Allergies are grouped by the kind of trigger, time of year or where symptoms appear on the body: indoor and outdoor allergies (also called "hay fever," "seasonal," "perennial" or "nasal" allergies), food and drug allergies, latex allergies, insect allergies, skin allergies and eye allergies. Allergies reflect an overreaction of the immune system to substances that usually cause no reaction in most individuals. These substances can trigger sneezing, wheezing, coughing and itching. Allergies are not only bothersome, but many have been linked to a variety of common and serious chronic respiratory illnesses (such as sinusitis and asthma). Additionally, allergic reactions can be severe and even fatal. However, with proper management and patient education, allergic diseases can be controlled, and people with allergies can lead normal and productive lives.

So why am I talking about this issue here, on Soccer Mom Votes?  Because of important legislation making its way through Congress.  And because my 4 year old son (and one of my nephews) suffers from life-threatening food allergies.

More than 11 million Americans – including 3 million children – suffer from food allergies.  There is currently no cure for food allergies, so avoiding any and all products with allergy-causing ingredients is the only way to prevent potentially life-threatening reactions for children like my son.  And I can tell you, this is extremely difficult to do because even tiny amounts of foods on a cooking utensil or as a minor ingredient in a product can cause a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction in a person with an allergy (source: The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network)

I never even thought about allergies before my son was diagnosed. I never thought about how easy it would be to lose this child if he so much as has a morsel of food exposed to peanuts, tree nuts or cinnamon.  And as I researched and learned and stepped up my own vigilance, I became aware of how little the general public knows about allergies.  And how little they care to know if their own family is not affected.  While we have had great successes (my son's pre-school is a "peanut-free zone" and his gym put steps into place to keep out peanuts and peanut residue just for his benefit) we have also had failures (a church nursery that served peanut crackers as a snack and refused to stop even when advised they were in violation of the Virginians with Disabilities Act, and parents at soccer who brought snacks that clearly say "exposed to nuts" even when advised multiple times to bring safe snacks for all).  So when I get an opportunity to educate the public and to take steps to help my child not only survive but thrive I take it. 

The most important piece of legislation to pass on this issue was the new U.S. Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) which took effect in 2006, mandating that foods containing milk, egg, fish, shellfish, peanut, tree nut, wheat, and soy must declare the allergen in simple language on the ingredient list.  I cannot tell you how important this Act was in helping to protect our food-allergic citizens.  But this was just the beginning.  Still ahead:

1.  FAAN (The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) has been successful in getting new laws passed in several more states this year on both epinephrine availability from Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and allowing children to carry their life-saving medications in school. Every state should have these laws! Go to those links to find out how you can help.

2.  As far as I know, this bill is still stuck in Congress: the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act of 2005 (H.R. 4063) (FAAMA) which seeks to provide schools across the country with uniform guidance on how to create appropriate management and emergency plans for children with food allergies.  The bill would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a policy for schools to voluntarily implement measures to prevent exposure to food allergens and assure a prompt response when a child suffers a potentially fatal anaphylactic reaction.   Read more about it here. Go here to see how you can support the bill.

3.  Ask Congress to Increase Federal Funding for Food Allergy Research  (source: FAAN) :

Over the past decade, the budget of the NIH has more than doubled—reaching nearly $28.5 billion. Yet during that budget doubling period, the funding for food allergy research is still less than $10 million. Only $3 out of every $10,000 of NIH budget is devoted to food allergy research—while at the same time, the prevalence of food allergy has doubled among young children.

Over the next several months Congress will be considering the FY 2007 budget that will determine how much money is allocated to the NIH for diseases such as food allergy. You can help by contacting your U.S. Senators and Representative, and asking them to increase Federal funding for research on food allergy and anaphylaxis.

To find your U.S. Senators, visit http://www.senate.gov and utilize the “Find Your Senators” feature in the upper right-hand corner.

To find your U.S. Representative, visit http://www.house.gov and use the “Find Your Representative” feature at the top of the page or you can email your Representative directly by using the “Write Your Representative” feature on the left-hand side of the page.

Tell the legislators how food allergy affects your entire family, friends, and classmates. Ask them to make finding a cure for this public health issue a funding priority. Send FAAN a copy of your letter so we can follow up with legislators.

4.  Other legislation regarding Restaurants can be found here.  Please check it out to see if your state is on board. 

I hope you are still with me after all those links!  As you can see, this is a subject I am passionate about.  I hope you will be too! 

Comments

[Amy W]

Great post and great info, thanks!

[Steph.]

Fellow Soccer Mom here---I have a neighbor whose son has food allergies. It is very frightening and dangerous as all sorts of nut oils are in stuff and there's the whole cross-contamination issue. I hope the legistation goes through for the labels. Interesting topic!

[Colleen]

Angela, this is a topic near and dear to my own heart as my daughter (20 months) is allergic to milk/dairy, egg whites, beef and cinnamon. Her pediatrician hopes she'll grows out of these allergies in the next few years but we have no way of knowing if she will. While these allergies are currently not life-threatening (she gets hives if she ingests or touches these foods) the fact that she has them predisposes her to the possibility of other, more serious allergies to peanuts, tree nuts and other foods.

Thank you for writing about this, including the information from the The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America and providing these links. I'll follow up with all of them!

[sandy]

Angela, follow Soccermom here with a allergic child. My two-year old is allergic to peanuts/tree nuts. To date we've had nothing but good luck and cooperation - but she is only 2 so the future can certainly hold more than we wish to face. This post is a great step towards educating people not touched by allergies.

[Amanda]

Thank you great post. I think I am dealing with a Milk allergy with my 1 year old.
I think I need to get more involved.