Food Allergies: November 2006 Archives

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - Nov. 29, 2006) - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Euro-Excellence Inc. are warning people with allergies to almond protein not to consume the Swiss Delice Classique Noisettes brand Fine Milk Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts described below. The affected product may contain almond protein which is not declared on the label.

The affected product, the Swiss Delice Classique Noisettes brand Fine Milk Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts, is sold in a 100 g package bearing UPC 7 616501 012478. All lot codes are affected by this alert. This product has been distributed in Ontario and Quebec.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

Scientists have identified a new gene in peanuts that codes for a protein with no apparent allergic effects, research that opens up the possibility of allergen-free GM nuts.

The identification of the new gene, called ara h 3-im, by researchers from the University of Florida offers some hope for estimated 2.5 million people in Europe and the US now vulnerable to the food allergy.

"If it is true that Ara h 3-im has lower allergenic properties than other Ara h 3 proteins, this study may provide the information necessary to produce a hypoallergenic peanut through silencing of the major allergens and selecting for the reduced allergenic polypeptides via mutational breeding and/or genetic engineering," wrote authors I-H Kang and M. Gallo.

JAPAN - More than 300 cases of allergic reaction to food served in school lunches occur annually, according to the first nationwide survey conducted by Sagamihara National Hospital and the School Dietician Conference of Japan.

Though the survey found no fatal cases, 4.7 percent of students who suffered were hospitalized, with 59 percent of primary and middle school students who had allergic reactions treated in hospitals.

The results illustrate the importance of measures to prevent allergic reactions to food in school lunches, the national hospital organization in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, and the Tokyo-based conference said.

The dietitian conference also decided to make a pamphlet about points to remember when providing school lunch to students with food allergies in the next fiscal year.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning people with allergies to peanut or almond proteins not to consume certain Café Tasse Noir Praliné chocolate bars.

The agency warns some of the chocolate bars may contain peanut and almond proteins that are not declared on the label.

The importer is voluntarily recalling the affected product from stores, the agency said Friday.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of the product, it added.

1. Keep finger food—candies, crudités—well out of reach of little hands.

2. Avoid serving nuts and using nut oils—sesame, peanut, etc.—while cooking because for children with severe nut allergies, oil traces left on countertops can set off a reaction, even without eating the food in question.

3. Know your ingredients. Be sure that you and whoever is serving food know the ingredients—all of them—of what's being served. They're not always obvious - milk can be hiding in veggie dogs and soy is contained in many prepared foods. if you're serving catered foods, be especially vigilant about ingredients.

DURHAM, N.C., Nov. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say a pilot study suggests children allergic to eggs can overcome the allergy by gradually eating increased quantities of eggs.

Researchers at the Duke University Medical Center and theUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences said study participants who took a daily dose of egg product during a the two-year period were able to increase their bodies' resistance to the point where most could eat two scrambled eggs without a reaction.

"Egg allergies cause a significant decrease in quality of life for many people, so this study is exciting in that it brings us a step closer to being able to offer a meaningful therapy for these people," said Dr. A. Wesley Burks, chief of Duke's division of allergy and immunology and a senior member of the research team.

• What is cows' milk protein allergy? A reaction to one or more milk proteins.

• What are the symptoms? Rash, wheezing, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation and distress. However, these symptoms have many causes.

• What is the most common cause of food allergy? Milk. It affects a minimum of two to three per cent of infants. Other common food allergens are egg, peanuts and tree nuts.

The growing number of people suffering from allergies is due to changes in European diets over the past 30 years, says a new review from the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA²LEN).

But by targeting several key areas, particularly how children are fed early in life, including breastfeeding, their early diet and increasing the use of pre- and probiotics could have a direct positive effect on the subsequent development of asthma and allergies.

According to the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations, an estimated four per cent of adults and eight per cent of children in the 380m EU population suffer from food allergies.

The majority of family doctors are missing cows' milk allergy in babies despite it causing serious health problems, claims a new survey.

Four in five GPs are failing to make a correct diagnosis and even when they do spot it, more than half are wrongly recommending soy-based milk instead - which can pose a risk to long-term health.

The survey of doctors found most don't trust their own colleagues to make the correct diagnosis of cows' milk allergy - the most common allergic condition.

Most young children who develop an allergy to cow's milk eventually "outgrow" it within a few years. Experiencing respiratory symptoms with the allergy, however — such as wheezing or runny nose — strongly predicts the likelihood that the allergy will persist considerably longer into childhood. That was the finding of a study presented here at the 52nd annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

"We have known for a long time that food allergies can cause respiratory effects," said researcher Alessandro Fiochi, MD, from the University of Milan Medical School in Italy. "This is the first study that shows these symptoms can actually predict which children are most likely to have a longer-lasting problem with cow's milk allergy."

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 12 -- Infants who are put on food-elimination diets to avoid allergens could be inadvertently robbed of the proteins and nutrients they need to grow, researchers warned here.

Children taking allergen avoidance diets may develop malnutrition due to the severe protein and caloric restrictions involved, said Michael B. Levy, M.D., of the Medical College of Wisconsin, and colleagues.

In a presentation at the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology meeting, the investigators reported on two patients in which the diets robbed the children of so many calories and nutrients that they developed failure to thrive.

A CARLISLE mum became so fed up with the “tasteless, overpriced rubbish” offered to coeliac sufferers that she launched her own gluten-free café/takeaway.

Claire Singleton-Browne, who was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance 12 years ago, opened Claire’s Kitchen, on the Kingstown Industrial Estate, last month.

She came up with the idea after she and her son Matthew, 12, who is also a coeliac sufferer, found it virtually impossible to find good, gluten-free café and takeaway food in Carlisle.

Gluten is the protein found in wheat. Similar proteins which are harmful to coeliacs suffers are present in rye, barley and possibly oats.

by Roger M.Grace

There are various foods which, to the vast majority of people, can be enjoyed without ill-effects…but can cause havoc to the body of anyone with an allergy to them. Among these foods are milk, eggs, soy and wheat—as well as fish and shellfish, to which U.S. District Court Judge George Schiavelli of Los Angeles can personally attest. (Fortunately, his wife, Holli, is quite fond of him and does not slip cod liver oil into his oatmeal.) And, yes, the peanut, subject of this current batch of columns, is also a common allergen.

Peanuts have been consumed for centuries, and been a popular snack in the U.S. since the mid-19th Century, devoid of controversy. But they’re now in the news—and are being described by some as “dangerous.”

The Wall Street Journal reported last week:

“An estimated 1.5 million Americans, including some 600,000 children, experience allergic reactions to peanuts, ranging from hives to nausea to sometimes-fatal anaphylactic shock. With most of the annual 150 food-allergy deaths blamed on peanuts, many schools have created peanut-free zones or gone totally ‘peanut free.’

Whole Foods Market is recalling ice cream bars that may contain undeclared almonds and could be harmful to people with certain food allergies.

Whole Foods said no illnesses have been reported. The recall is for packages of Whole Treat Organic Vanilla Ice Cream Bars Dipped in Chocolate with a best by date of August 2007.

The time stamp is greater than 21:25.

source 

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - Nov. 3, 2006) - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Les Aliments Dang Ngoc Inc. are warning people with allergies to egg protein not to consume the Corn-O-Dog, a frankfurter on a stick, described below. The affected product contains egg protein which is not declared on the label.

All packages of the following product which do not declare the presence of egg are affected by this alert:

Corn-O-Dog, Frankfurter on a stick in a batter blanket, sold in 900 g size (12 x 75g) packages, bearing UPC 7 74981 80218 1.

This product was distributed in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.

The state Agricultural Commission has recalled a batch of breads from Newburgh’s Maizteca Bakery on Washington Street because the bread was sold without an ingredients list.

The 1.5 pound packages of “Maizteca Mexican Bread” sold from the bakery at 215 Washington St. do not contain a label alerting consumers they contain milk, which could cause illness in people with food allergies.

No illness has been reported in connection with the bread, according to the state. The labeling problem was discovered during a routine sampling of breads by the Agricultural Commission.
Maizteca was previously cited for the same problem in March.

he state asks customers who bought the bread to return it to the point of purchase.

source 

Research, good advice and those strong instincts that kick in after a child is born often guide a mother's choices for what she feeds her baby, but experts say new parents still have much to learn about how the foods they give their kids can affect their health.

Infant nutrition can be complicated and local pediatrician Dr. Nessa Bayer said the vast majority of new moms feel confident about their knowledge on the subject, but there is still confusion as to how some foods can aid in allergy prevention and development and can decrease digestion discomfort.

"Over the last 15 years, the rate of 40 percent increase of allergies in new babies," Bayer explained.

I don't like posting Press Releases. I believe that many of them may not contain full information on the advertised product. However, the food allergy  and intolerance topic is very important in my opinion. And there are many people who are taking the fight against this allergy seriously.

"Safetoeat products aim to exclude ALL common sources of food allergens so everyone can enjoy delicious, good quality pre-prepared food that is suitable for ALL allergy and intolerance sufferers."

I let you read the article below. 

A new booklet aimed at New Zealand's 90,000 food allergy sufferers provides information that will help them make better choices when it comes to managing their allergy, says Food Safety Minister Annette King.

Ms King and New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) Executive Director Andrew McKenzie launched the booklet at the NZFSA conference in Auckland today.

Eating Safely When You Have Food Allergies explains the symptoms and diagnosis of food allergies, includes information on what to look for on food labels, and has tips for maintaining a healthy diet, says Ms King. The full-colour 24-page booklet has been written by NZFSA food allergy dietitian Amber Parry-Strong, with input from Allergy New Zealand.