Watch Your Food Labels Closely - Episode #15
This week coming up I have an interview with Linda Coss whom was mentioned in our last show. I also talk about food labeling when dealing with food allergies and anaphylaxis. You have to be ever vigilant with checking the labels. And even then you have to keep your guard up.
Keep sending me your emails, it’s great to hear from you.
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Talk soon
Aaron
You make a great point about the importance of being vigilant about food labels. Here’s the “new food item” policy in the Coss house: There are certain brands that have clear cross-contamination labeling policies that I personally feel comfortable with (such as Kelloggs). If I buy a new product from one of these companies I let my son try it right away. But if I buy a new product from any other manufacturer we call the company first to inquire about the cross-contamination risk before he eats the product. Also, we only try new products at home, and any time my son tries a new product he always starts with a small bite and waits a few minutes to see how he feels before continuing.
Hi Aaron,
Thanks for your ongoing commitment to food allergy awareness.
We had a similar experience with a reaction to a product that was not labeled as containing anything that my child (nut allergy) should have been sensitive to. In this case the product was cheese “snackabouts”. They don’t have a may contain warning. On the two occasions my son ingested the product he suffered severe hives. I emailed the manufacturer (who, incidentally, called me within minutes) and they explained that they did not feel that there was a cross-contamination risk as while shared equipment was used (they also have a peanut butter version of the product) it was sanitised for 8 hours in between.
It just goes to show. Perhaps we put too much faith in the presence or absence of the may contain warning. I allow my child to eat products labeled may contain but exercise caution (for example, products with a ‘history’ of incorrect labeling/packaging mix-ups are avoided). I find it ironic that the only thing he has reacted to since his original reaction (before diagnosis) wasn’t labeled as may contain.
On another note, a support community can be found at http://z6.invisionfree.com/Anaphylaxis_Talk/index.php for anyone interested (feel free to omit this address if you do not wish to publish it here).
I often ring up/e-mail manufacturers and ask them , before trying a new product.
My son does the e-mail thing as well, ( he is 12)esp for sweet type products.
As he is old enough to buy his own treats at this age.
I consider us informed and lucky in the fact that we have had the opportunity to let our son grow up aware about food, labeling and manufacture.
However, I feel this is because our son is one of many children now growing up with food allergy, certainly a larger group of parents are allergy aware these days.
But for todays adults with either adult onset allergy, or growing up with allergies, there experience is not exactly a happy or safe method of knowledge!!
Lots of allergic adults today take many risks with their food choices, and have little idea of what ‘may contain’ really means.
There is certainly little medical support for those people in the UK.
I have met young adults who having been given a prescrition for epi pens, somehow miss out on the instructions on how and when to use one.
The food areas are complete blanks for any sort of medical advice.
When my son was young our immunoliogist had little idea of how to provide safe food.
That has changed, recently.
So we forged ahead with support and advice only from the two main UK allergy charites.
Lots of focus is put on children and parents, because of the massive rate of children with allergies, but with that are an increaseing amount of onset allergies in teens and early adult hood, not forgetting woman.
Who , if they come from an atopic background are more likely to develop life threatening food allergies during the menopause ( I am SOOOO not looking forward to that part of my life!)
the biggest areas of concern for young allergic adults are ,
sharing home when at uni.
going to resturants/ clubs
kissing , sex, contraception ( dairy products in condoms, latex allergies etc)
telling employers/safety at work.
Add food labeling to that list , then you can see the massive difficulties!
These are all issues that will effect our children one day, so its worth bearing in mind!
In a way we are the lucky ones, my son growing up with these alleriges has time to develop his confidance and the life skills required to cope.
Adult onset allergic are abandoned, with a huge learning curve stretching before them.
Good points. Here in the U.S., “may contains” statements are voluntary. Not seeing one on the label doesn’t mean a thing, then. A prduct can be run on shared lines but the company doesn’t have to disclose that and they don’t have to say something may contain an allergen because of it. The safest course, then, is to call the company and ask questions. And what a dissapointment when you’ve already purchased something because the label looks fine, but the CSR tells you it’s run on dairy lines and may infact, contain dairy.
Thanks all for your great comments. I think there is about 4 or more different shows I could expand on just based on your comments. It’s great to get such wonderfull feedback, I’m glad that there are people enjoying the show.