1. + FOOD ALLERGIES TFJ3E/4E

2. + Food Allergies… There is much confusion and often the terms Food Intolerance, Food Sensitivity, Hyper Sensitivity and Food Allergies are used interchangeably. They are not the same but there is little agreement to differentiate the terms.

3. + Intolerance – sensitive or allergic to a food, drug, etc. Sensitivity – having an unusually adverse reaction Allergy – an unusual sensitivity to a particular substance, manifested by a rash, puffiness of the eyes, indigestion, etc.

4. + 90% of food allergy reactions are caused by 8 foods: milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, soy, tree nuts, fish and shellfish only 2% of the population is affected by food allergies or sensitivities

5. + 7.5% of Canadians report having a food allergy (more than 2 million people) 36,000 school aged children in Ontario have peanut allergies

6. + food allergies can be developed as a child or can be adult onset food allergies do not go away nor does one outgrow them Exception: some children who have sensitivity to milk as infants may be able to consume milk once they are older than 3

7. + ANAPHYLAXIS is … an immediate life threatening allergic shock

8. + Someone who suffers from anaphylactic shock experiences the following: body goes into shock, blood pressure drops, throat closes and breathing stops.

9. + Anaphylaxis is fatal unless treated immediately – emergency treatment is an injection of adrenaline and immediate transfer to a hospital. People who are in danger of anaphylactic shock should carry an Epipen for an emergency adrenaline injection

10. + SABRINA’S LAW passed into legislation in January 2006; requires all school boards to have and maintain an anaphylaxis policy that includes: Risk reduction strategies to minimize exposure to allergens in schools Regular staff training on dealing with life- threatening allergies Individual emergency plan for each at risk student

11. + Law was named after Sabrina Shannon, an Ontario teen who died from an anaphylactic reaction in 2003 while at school – her epi-pen was locked in her locker and no one had access to it Food allergies can result from cross contamination of knives, equipment, straws, drinking glasses, using same cutlery, etc.

12. + More… Symptoms of intolerance or sensitivity occur when antibodies in the immune system trigger the release of histamines that set off a reaction – it could be hives, tingling in fingers, toes or tongue, rash, swelling of throat, wheezing, breathlessness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, drop in blood pressure, dizziness – symptoms will differ depending on severity of allergy and how much has been ingested

13. + Treatment includes avoidance of food item, taking an antihistamine (examples - Benadryl, Claritin, Reactine), drink fluids – preferably water, get fresh air

14. + Safety procedures include an emphasis on food labeling (now required by law in Canada), critical safe food handling to prevent cross contamination and respect for allergy alerts

15. + Source: MediaPlanet insert – Toronto Star, October 2010 www.anaphylaxis.com

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