FARE is a Great Name for the Recently United Food Allergy Organizations

The Wedding of FARE

DJ Announcer: ..."Now, may I please have your attention as we welcome the new couple, F.A.R.E.! Please join me in congratulating the happy reunion!"

Vigorous applause erupts from the crowd.

A sniffle or two can be heard from the crowd as guest realize that things will never be the same again.

We will know longer refer to FAAN, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, or to FAI, Food Allergy Initiative. They are no longer single, but have joined together to form a bond to transcend what either was before.

I really like the new name, although I'm sure I'll slip a time or two and use the maiden name of one of the organizations. F.A.R.E. stands for Food Allergy Research and Education. I am pleased with the emphasis on research and education. As the rate of food allergies continues to increase, there are more people, restaurants, food manufacturers, schools, hospitals and other organizations requiring education and support. Those of us closely connected to food allergy need better answers about treatment and cures, so I hope to see that in the near future.

You can read all the details of the merger here. The new logo will be revealed in early 2013 and the new website will reside at www.foodallergy.org.

I just want to know who got to wear the beautiful gown...



 

Food Allergy Friendlier Busch Gardens and Sea World

Sea World Orlando

Disney has taken the lead in trying to make traveling to their parks easier for food allergies. I've written about dining at Disney in the past and you can find some helpful information in planning your Disney vacation at My Magic Journeys . I'm thrilled to see that SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Sesame Place, and several other amusement parks owned by their parent company, have taken steps to make their parks food allergy friendly. By partnering with FAAN, the parks now have over 6000 trained culinary team members available to ensure that guests with food allergies can dine safely while visiting. Divvies has even created a chocolate shaped Shamu so people allergic to dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts and tree nuts can enjoy a safe treat at the park.

Love that!

Read all about theses new allergen-friendly initiatives.

Food Allergy Recalls

Sample Food Label

 Are you getting timely recall notices from food manufacturers when a product ingredient label is incorrect? The food allergy community counts on those labels to be right and I continue to be amazed at how many recall notices I get in my email box each week. If you haven't signed up for a recall service, here are a few options:

• FAAN's Special Allergy Alert Notices
• Food Safety's Allergy Alerts
• Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• The Food Allergy Foundation
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Check them out, choose the one you like and get those email alerts so you're aware of label errors.

Food Allergy Awareness Week Plans

Food Allergy Awareness Week begins May 13 and I hope that everyone will choose just one thing to help educate and spread the word about food allergies. Here's what I've got planned so far:

Welcome Home Magazine article

• On Monday May 14, my article, Challenging Journey: Food Allergies will be posted on the Family and Home Network's Facebook page.
• On Tuesday, May 15, I'll be part of the Food Allergy Twitter Party which starts at 8 pm Eastern. Food Allergy Buzz has posted some easy-to-follow information about participating in a Twitter party. I'll be using Tweetdeck that evening. Let me know if you have any questions.
• I plan to communicate with our school district's head of food services about their plans to have a Food Show at the beginning of next school year. I want to make sure they have cafeteria food ingredient information on-hand and can talk about cross contamination so our food allergy families can make safe and informed choices. 
• I'm also going to sit down and craft a letter to my representatives concerning the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act. My school district does stock epinephrine, but it's not a law in my home state.

What do you plan to do next week to spread the word about food allergies. It doesn't need to be huge. I've always appreciated the acronym TEAM- Together Each Accomplishes More. Let's all work together next week to bring food allergy awareness to the forefront.

Still need ideas? Check out FAAN's suggestions.