By Gina Mennett Lee, M.Ed.
FoodAllergyConsulting.com
It
Yesterday, Food Allergy Research and Education released “Creating a Food Allergy Safety Zone At Home” and I jumped for joy but not for the reasons you would expect. While I think this is a fantastic resource for the newly diagnosed, I believe it should be used to reach a much wider audience. This is the perfect tool to use to teach others about how to safely host someone with food allergies.
A few weeks ago, I took an informal poll on facebook. I asked, “What is the one aspect of food allergy management that you wish others understood?” By far, the area people wished others knew more about, was the concept of cross-contact. I find cross-contact to be the one of the most misunderstood concepts as well. People think that the only way to have a reaction is to directly ingest the food. When, in my personal experience, it’s much more difficult to avoid cross-contact. This is also what poses the greatest risk when people with food allergies eat away from home.
It’s the nuances of food allergy management that often are the most difficult to communicate.
Recently, a very kind mother offered to have my 9-year-old daughter over her house for dinner. She assured me that she would only serve safe foods. I was so thankful for her generous offer. I felt awful having to then engage in an awkward discussion about the fact that it’s not as easy as only serving safe foods. I told her about all the precautionary measures that would need be in place in order for my daughter to eat safely. Thankfully, she took it in stride and seemed willing to take on the responsibility (with help from me). She even went so far as to offer to host a few parents at her house for a “training” on how to safely host my daughter. I thought, “What a wonderful person!” Then, “That’s a great idea, but where do I begin!”
This guide is my answer. Although many of the tips are specific to the home of the food allergic person, there is a wealth of great information that could be used to educate those that wish to host a person with food allergies.
I love the kitchen dos and don’ts and the examples of direct and indirect cross-contact. This is exactly what I was looking for. It is straight-forward, easy to understand, and gives specific tips that can be immediately implemented. I recommend sharing this with family members, friends, coaches, PTA leaders, and school personnel as a way to communicate the precautions that are necessary to keep a child with food allergies safe when preparing or serving food.
Thank you Food Allergy Research and Education and Chef Joel Schaefer for making a valuable and effective resource! Now to begin preparing that parent training….
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