O's, not X's

Are you a Careful Kisser?

How to Smooch Safely with Food Allergies This Valentine's Day

DOYLESTOWN, Pa., Feb. 11 (AScribe Newswire) --

For most parents ofteens, Valentine's Day may evoke over-protective thoughts regarding their child. "I've got two daughters and I think they should never kiss anyone!"exclaimed Roger Friedman, MD, Clinical Professor of Allergy, Immunology, andPediatrics at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

All joking aside, parents of food-allergic children have even more cause to be wary of smooching. Today, 3 to 4 million children are affected by food allergies, and allergic reactions can be triggered not just byconsuming food firsthand. Kissing - ranging from passionate to a peck on the cheek - can also prompt a reaction.

"You're pretty unlikely to have anything severe happen from a kiss. But it can happen and you need to be smart," Dr. Friedman advised.
A common form of affection on Valentine's Day, kissing becomes a problem when a grandparent or date consumes an allergen before smooching afood-allergic child or teen.

"A peck on the cheek from a parent or relative will almost always only result in a local reaction such as a welt or hive; it's very unlikely to cause any severe reaction that you'd be worried about," Dr. Friedman explained.

Short of suggesting kissing be prohibited this Valentine's Day, Dr.Friedman recommends teenagers, especially, play it safe. "If you're in a committed relationship that involves passionate kissing, tell your date 'I'm allergic to nuts, please don't eat any before you kiss my face!'" he suggested.

Todd D. Green, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, agreed.

"If a date cares enough about their Valentine to kiss her or him, hopefully they'll care enough to refrain from eating the food theirValentine is allergic to that day," he said.

Kissing (and even sharing utensils, straws and cups) causes exposure to food allergens through saliva, which can contain enough allergen to cause local and systemic allergic reactions. In a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, participants ingested two tablespoons of peanut butter to establish how long the peanut allergen stays in saliva. Researchers collected the saliva of the participants at different times, and also evaluated mouth-cleansing techniques (brushing teeth, rinsing and chewing gum).

According to the study, "the most effective way to avoid causing an allergic reaction, if you're going to eat the food to which your partner is allergic, is to eat the food several hours before a kiss and have a mealf ree of the allergen before you kiss - although not eating the food at all would always be the safest approach," said Dr. Green. Though the risk of having a severe allergic reaction from a kiss is small, there is always a slight possibility, said Dr. Green. "Unfortunately you can't predict the amount of protein that will be transferred during kissing, and it is difficult to predict the reaction," he said. That said, it is better to err on the safe side.

Online support group Kids With Food Allergies offers these tips for safe smooching on Valentine's Day:
- Remind your kissing partner about your allergies;
- Suggest your partner avoid eating serious allergens, if possible;
- Ask your partner to minimize allergen exposure, such as by washinghands and face, or brushing teeth thoroughly, before kissing;
- Carry appropriate medication and know how to use an injectableepinephrine kit;
- Wear emergency medical identification (such as a MedicAlertbracelet).

For more tips on staying safe this Valentine's Day, visit http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org .

Our little Flynn's milk allergy is very much like a peanut allergy in that she's so sensitive to contact (& she even has had an airborn reaction a time or two).
Even to a kiss from Papa on the cheek, after he's drank coffee w/ cream in it. Or once when daddy ate ice cream & only 'rinsed' his hands (didn't use soap) -- everywhere daddy touched Flynn, there were burn-like marks.
If you ever want to show our girl affection, first we suggest you just give her a hug; but if you feel compelled to kiss her on the cheek, please wash your hands & face after eating the unsafe food.
Her little cheeks appreciate it!

Snow Cream

Snow Ice Cream II (SUBMITTED BY: Mylessa part of GATEWAY FEast Allergy Group)

PREP TIME 20 Min

READY IN 20 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING Original recipe yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS
1 gallon snow
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups milk (or milk alternative)

DIRECTIONS
When it starts to snow, place a large, clean bowl outside to collect the flakes. When full, stir in sugar and vanilla to taste, then stir in just enough milk for the desired consistency. Serve at once.

Lee's - thumbs up (a slow thumb, but a thumb nonetheless)

This one took a while, I had to go through his wife/assistant, a few times, then didn't hear from him for almost a month, etc.
But it sounds like he's busy & at least he's bothered.

Again, below, find our emails back & forth.

Amy –
Please find attached the information you requested. Please let me know if you require any additional info.
I apologize for taking so long, but I am a one man department for Purchasing, Research & Development as well as Quality Assurance, so I’m a little swamped. If I can be of further assistance, do not hesitate to e-mail or call me (850-534-0913).
Thank you.
Don

From: allergy mom
Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2007 3:22 PM
To: Don Kupski
Subject: Re: Allergy Information

Hi Don,
Just waiting for that info.
Thank you!
allergy mom

Kupski wrote:
Amy –
I have been the one working on determining the presence of potential allergic ingredients in our food products. I am waiting for one last supplier, our largest, to send in their information. I am expecting it later this week, but unfortunately I will be out of town the rest of the week. I will do my best to get back to you early next. Should you have any questions, please feel to contact me at your convenience. My contact info is below.
Thank you.

Don

Don Kupski
VP Purchasing/R&D
Lee’s Famous Recipes, Inc.
25 Central Square Suite B-2
PO Box 4808
Santa Rosa Beach , FL 32459
850-534-0913 (office)
850-534-0917 (fax)
513-293-2889 (cell)


Menu Item
With Ingredients of concern below each menu item
Famous Recipe Chicken
Wheat, soy lecithin, egg whites
Crispy Plus Chicken
Wheat, soy lecithin, egg whites
Roast Chicken
Wheat
Jumbo Breast Strips
Wheat, soy lecithin, egg whites
Jumbo Boneless Wings
Wheat, soy lecithin, egg whites
Corn on the Cob
None (liquid margarine is only “ingredient”)
Rice
Natural butter flavor
Red Beans & Rice
Wheat gluten, soy protein
Potato Wedges
Sodium caseinate, buttermilk solids, powdered cream
Natural Applesauce
None
Brown Gravy
Sodium caseinate, Lactose, lactic acid, natural cream flavor
Green Beans
Soy
BBQ Sauce
Caramel color, soy derivatives
Coleslaw
Eggs
Potato Salad
Egg, caramel
Buffalo Sauce
Milk products, caramel, nonfat dry milk, whey protein concentrate
Biscuits
Buttermilk, buttermilk flavor, buttermilk powder
Mashed Potatoes
Milk proteins (whey and caseinates) and lactose
Ranch Sauce
Buttermilk powder, buttermilk flavor, lactic acid
Spicy Pepper Sauce, Honey Mustard Sauce, Sweet & Sour Sauce, Mustard, Mayo, grape jelly, strawberry jelly, honey, hot sauce packets, lemon juice
None

Amy,Thank you for forwarding the link. I will send it to Don right awayand print it myself so that we can start looking at some of the mostobvious products. Don told me he has ingredient sheets on most of ourproducts and what he doesn't have, he will get from our vendors. Wewill get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you also for your kind comments. Our family has been in thechicken business since 1972 and we strive to provide a quality productat a reasonable price to our guests. We feel this includes letting ourguests know nutritional values and now we can maybe add ingredientlisting thanks to your request. KimKim Griffith, SecretaryFRFC Springfield, Inc. - dba Lee's Famous Recipe Chickenph: 937-845-2142 ext 5 - fax: 937-845-1705


Date:
Wed, 18 Jul 2007 15:04:00 -0400
From:
"Kim Griffith"
To:
allergy momma
CC:
"Kim Griffith" , "Scott Griffith"
Subject:
Re: allergy info

Dear Amy,
Thanks for contacting us regarding your daughter's allergies. As a
mother of two boys (now grown and on their own) I can only imagine what
you must go through to make sure she doesn't consume anything harmful.
I am forwarding your request on to our research and development person
at Lee's corporate. He is the one who did the nutritional chart and
I'm hoping that he can help us out on this request. If you could send me a
list of the 50, I would be happy to look at individual packaging
labels, but I am concerned that if the ingredient is less than a certain
percentage, it does not have to be listed. These are questions that I
hope to get answers for. I will be back in contact with you as soon as
I get a reply back from him, but in the meantime, you can let me know
50 items and I can do a visiual check of our labels.
Thank you for your interest in Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken.

Kim Griffith, Secretary
FRFC Springfield, Inc. - dba Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken
ph: 937-845-2142 ext 5 - fax: 937-845-1705

>>> allergy parents' email address> 07/17/07 05:05PM >>>
My daughter has a severe allergy to the protein found in milk-based
ingredients...there are approx 50 of them, none of which we expect
anyone else to know.
Before we visit a restaurant, we normally check the ingredients
online to see what she can have; however, your website does not list
the
ingredients, only the nutritional facts.

Is that something that could be mailed to us?:

[our info]

Lion's Choice - BIG thumbs down

I will copy/paste my email from/to Lion's Choice.

BIG thumbs down & altho it's a favorite of Jeff's, we haven't been back since seeing their lack of care. Basically, they don't give a rip whether or not we return.

Mr. Tobias - NO, that doesn't help. Not at all. Thanks for nothing.


Dear Ms. allergy mom,

We do not publish our ingredients for a few reasons, but I can tell you that our roast beef sandwich and fries do not have milk as an ingredient. But I can't tell you that trace amounts of a specific protein are not present. The reason we don't publish our ingredients is because although we have very strict specifications for the foods we sell, sometimes the food distributor substitutes items without our knowledge, and because some of our products are prepared in facilities that may prepare other products, and some cross-inclusion could occur. If someone has a mild allergy, I have no problem indicating which products are safe and which ones to avoid. But in the case of a sever allergy, I can't guarantee that trace amounts of allergens are not present.

I hope this is of some help.

Sincerely,
Jim Tobias
PresidentLion's Choice Restaurant Corp.
12015 Manchester Road, Suite 118
St. Louis, Missouri 63131
314.821.8665
314.822.7144 FAX


-----Original Message-----
From: the allergy parents
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 4:13 PM

To: jtobias@lionschoice.com
Subject:
My daughter has a severe allergy to the protein found in milk-based ingredients...there are approx 50 of them, none of which we expect anyone else to know.
Before we visit a restaurant, we normally check the ingredients online to see what she can have; however, your website does not list the ingredients, only the nutritional facts.

We have visited twice in the last month, each time requesting ingredient info from the management, but no one could give that to us.

Is that something that could be mailed to us?:

AMY ****
*************
**** MO 63****
636.********
Thank you!

Restaurants

Over the summer, the kids participated in a library summer reading program. For every 16 hours of reading, they got prizes.
They ended up getting a few coupons, for local restaurants.
All the restaurants happened to be ones we'd never visited with Flynn.
Which meant doing some research.

I'll be posting some of the responses we got. Who was kind enough to figure some things out for us, who didn't seem to give a rip.

This LADY Has Gone Nuts

If you're an allergy parent, you might not want to read this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v75/Neomom/Food%20Allergy/GoneNuts1-1.jpg

Just like the comment I posted on the NYT's blog,
Us allergy parents work SO hard, so hard, to make everyone (at least the people coming in contact with our kids) aware of the severity of the allergy.
One step forward.
Then, someone (who is NOT an expert nor has any REAL knowledge) like this comes along...
Two steps back.

Help Us in Passing an Important Act

This is the letter I sent our senators...

This will only take a second, you can use my letter below (just sub in your info for mine), & I'll include the important links....

This tells about what FAAN would like you to do:
http://www.foodallergy.org/Advocacy/FAAMA.html

This gives your senator:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

This tells more about the act:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:s1232is.txt.pdf


December 27, 2007
The Honorable Kit Bond United States Senate Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Bond,
I was excited to learn that Senator Christopher Dodd asking is a sponsor of S. 1232, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act. I am confident Recently, you received a letter from asking you to join him as a sponsor & I am writing to ask that you would please consider co-sponsoring and supporting enactment of this bill.
I’m sure you’re aware that an estimated 2 million school-age children suffer from food allergies, for which there is no cure. Avoiding any and all products with allergy-causing ingredients is the only way to prevent potentially life-threatening reactions. Reactions often occur at school, including severe anaphylaxis, which can kill within minutes unless epinephrine is administered. Deaths from anaphylaxis are strongly associated with delays in the administration of epinephrine.
[My husband & I are both educators & have seen the growing trend of allergies among children. In the schools we’ve taught at, we’ve never seen an efficient system put into place. This is a scary feeling for both the eductor and the parent.]
The importance of managing life-threatening food allergies in the school setting has been recognized by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Association of School Nurses, and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
[Our 4-year old daughter suffers from a life-threatening allergy to milk. Had it not been for the fast acting epinephrine injection she received after a reaction this past summer, she might not be with us. I hate to think of when she begins school, unless some guidelines are set in place.]
Unfortunately, there are no consistent, standardized guidelines to help schools safely manage students with the disease.
S. 1232 would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and make available a voluntary policy to manage the risk of food allergy and anaphylaxis in schools. The bill would create a small program of incentive grants to assist local education agencies with adoption and implementation of food allergy management guidelines in the schools.
Passage of S. 1232 is critically important to ensure the safety of my child and the other 2 million food-allergic school-age children across the country. Please co-sponsor the bill and work for its passage.
I will be happy to talk with your staff about this important legislation and can be reached at [***-***-****].
Thank you for your consideration,
Amy Perry