February 21, 2012
The Allergy/Asthma
Information Association
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 National Office in Toronto
 AAIA Atlantic
 AIAA Québec
 AAIA Ontario
 AAIA Prairies/NWT/Nunavut
 AAIA BC/Yukon
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 A = Allergy
 A = Asthma
 A = Anaphylaxis
A = Awareness
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A = Avoidance A = Action
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 Information
 Education
 Support
 Advocacy
 Partnership
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Most AAIA members are parents of children with severe food allergies, e.g. peanut, nuts, milk, egg, shellfish….
A significant proportion have more than one food allergy
Many have persistent milk and egg allergies
Most find avoidance measures stressful
Brand loyal consumers
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Teaching the essential “food rules” and a risk management approach
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 An immune system reaction to a normally harmless substance (allergen)
 A ffects 7.5% (2.5 million) Canadians
 Results from interaction of genetic tendency and sensitization
 Cannot be cured but can usually be controlled
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 One in 13 Canadians suffer from a significant food allergy
 1.93% with peanut allergy
 2.36% with tree nut allergy
 0.99% with fish allergy
 3.02% with shellfish allergy
 0.19% with sesame allergy
Dr. Ann Clarke, Allergy Researcher, McGill University, 2010
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 Potentially life-threatening allergic reaction requiring immediate treatment
 Affecting about 2% of Canadians
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Involving more than one body system
(“systemic”)
Typical triggers include insect stings, medication, food, natural latex
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Trace amounts can cause a severe or even fatal reaction
Cannot be cured – avoidance is key
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 Peanuts
 Tree nuts
 Shellfish / Seafood
 Eggs
 Mustard
 Milk
 Wheat
 Soy
 Sesame
 Sulfites *
*Sulfites are a food additive
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 Milk: casein, sodium caseinate, whey, lactose, lactalbumin, cream, butter, other
“lact” words ...
 Eggs: albumin, conalbumin, globulin, livetin, lecithin, lysozyme, ovalbumin, other “ovo’ words …
 Wheat: kamut, spelt, triticale, semolina, farina, bulgur, couscous, durum, einkorn, emmer, seitan, bran, flour, germ, starch, gluten …
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 Not an allergy, actually a lactase enzyme deficiency
 Symptoms involve digestive system only
(abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea)
 Symptoms do not occur if lactose-free dairy product is ingested or if the person takes lactase tablets at mealtimes
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Celiac disease is a specific form of allergy
(immune-mediated, but not IgE-mediated)
Treatment involves following a strict gluten-free diet (approx. 1% of population affected)
Digestive system and skin adversely affected by even a tiny amount of gluten ingestion
Gluten is the protein found in cereal grains; wheat, barley, rye, oats
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 Alcohol with nuts : eg. Amaretto (almond);
Bombay Sapphire Gin (almond);
Frangelico (hazelnut); Kahana Royale
(macadamia); Nocino (walnut); Southern
Comfort (nut derivative); some vodkas mixed with nut ingredients.
 Alcohol with eggs: Bols Advokat
 Alcohol with milk: creamy liqueurs, Baileys
 Alcohol with wheat/gluten: beer, whiskey, gin
 Alcohol with sulphites: beer, wine, cider
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 Understanding food labels and assessing risk are complex tasks
 Different levels of risk tolerance
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Many patients demand 100% certainty, but
100% risk-free is impossible
Brand loyal consumers – consistency important for risk avoidance
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Much progress has been made - peanut allergy is now relatively well understood by the public
Some allergens harder to avoid than others, e.g. milk , soy
More information available today – but increased awareness of minor risks may bring more stress
Allergic consumers, manufacturers, retailers and food servers share the responsibility
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The transfer of an ingredient (food allergen) to a product that does not normally have that ingredient in it. A food that should not contain the allergen could become dangerous for someone who is allergic. It can happen:
during food manufacturing …shared production/packaging equipment
at retail through shared equipment…deli slicer for cheese/meat during food preparation … equipment, utensils, hands
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Prevention is key. Food safety for consumers depends on safe and reliable manufacturing practices.
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Work with suppliers to ensure they have stringent allergen management processes
Develop and maintain good manufacturing practices
Understand food labelling regulations
Clear and accurate info on food labels is essential
Avoid using alternative names for food ingredients
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“May contain” phrasing
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Is it overused in Canada on products with low risk?
Clear criteria and standards needed for the use of the various formats of this phrasing
Don’t eliminate it totally; better to have a warning than not.
Make it consistent and relevant; use for real risks
Such warnings suggest this product may not be the best choice for you - ultimate decision is still up to the consumer
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Allergen Claims on Front
 Danger that people will rely on this and not read the ingredient list
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Negative versus Positive claims
What does “peanut free” mean – this may not be obvious to caregivers who may assume it includes all nuts
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Brands …which version is it?
 When a brand is marketed as being allergen free in one format but not in another, allergic consumers and caregivers are confused
(eg. chocolate bars)
 This is increasingly an issue in the marketplace and needs attention
 Frequent changes lead to confusion
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Crowded Labels
 With more nutrition information on the label there is not a lot of room
 Important to keep allergy info in an easy- to-read and easy- to-find format
 Make sure allergen info is on outside as well as individual packaging
 Grocery shopping is already very time consuming for allergy sufferers – clarity is important!
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Limited products that are available and safe, especially when multiple allergens need to be avoided
Many allergic consumers ignore “may contain” disclaimer as many foods that should be “safe” will have warning
Confusing label – peanut free symbol does not mean nut free
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 Clear & accurate ingredient labels
 Readily available and reasonably priced food products that are “safe”
 Need to avoid bulk food items (cross contamination & labeling concerns)
 Peanut free diet - usually need to avoid tree nuts as well
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SunButter (sunflower seed spread)
NoNuts Golden Peabutter (golden brown peas spread)
Chapman’s Ice Cream
Guardian Angel Foods chocolate
Dare cookie products
Quaker granola bars
Peak Freans LifeStyle biscuits
Fleischmann’s Lactose-free margarine
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 Greatest demand for products free from: peanut, tree nut, milk, egg & soy
 Milk free, egg free & nut free breads
 Ice cream free from peanut/nut/egg/soy
 Chocolate chips free from milk, soy, peanut/nut
 Coconut free from peanut/nut
 Milk free/soy free margarine
 Frozen fruit dessert alternative to ice cream for milk allergic consumer
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Create new allergy friendly food products
Reformulate existing products for allergic consumers
Dedicated facilities for allergen free products
Provide ingredient list as clear and readable as nutrition facts table
Avoid “may contain” disclaimer statement except when valid or needed (not as a generic legal disclaimer)
Disclaimer overused on low risk products-difficult for consumer to accurately assess risk
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 Allergen avoidance is a shared responsibility among consumers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and food servers
 Opportunity for Alberta food producers to capitalize on “free from” market
 Readily available and reasonably priced safe food products – an achievable goal benefiting the allergic consumer
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Connecting Canadians with Allergies,
Asthma & Anaphylaxis from Coast to Coast
Lilly Byrtus
AAIA Regional Office
16531-114 Street
Edmonton, AB T5X 3V6 prairies@aaia.ca
1-866-456-6651
AAIA National Office
295 The West Mall, Suite 118
Toronto, ON M9C 4Z4
1-800-611-7011
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