State government takes the lead in highlighting the risk of food allergies
By: Jessica Emili
For many people, a trip to the grocery store is simply a matter of routine and visiting a restaurant is a special treat.
But either activity could have deadly consequences for 15-year-old Madeline Glickman and 8½-year-old Frankie Yandrisevits, who suffer from food allergies and must carefully monitor every piece of food they eat.
"His allergies affect all of us," says Frankie’s mother, Maureen Yandrisevits, who must ensure there are no peanuts, tree nuts or milk in any of his foods. "Our house is completely dairy- and milk-free."
Same goes for Madeline, who must be extremely careful when eating out because she’s allergic to casein, a milk protein present in all dairy and dairy-derived products, including cheese, yogurt, butter and whey.
"Going out to a restaurant is never casual," says Elyse Pivnick, Madeline’s mother. "There’s lots of preparation we have to do. We have to talk to the servers and the managers. A lot of people think that she’s just lactose-intolerant, but it’s not the same thing. In Mady’s case, it’s life-threatening."
In an effort to raise awareness about the dangers of food allergies, the Legislature passed a bill in 2005 that mandated the Department of Health and Senior Services establish the "Ask Before You Eat" public-information campaign.
The department launched the campaign this spring in conjunction with the Rutgers University Food Policy Institute and Department of Nutritional Science. Since then, the groups have created and distributed fact sheets detailing how restaurant owners can accommodate customers with food allergies and serve safer meals.
New Jersey is the only state to mandate such a program, and nutrition experts are hoping the campaign will help those in the restaurant business as well as parents understand food allergies and how to prevent reactions.
"Over the next year as inspections are done, we expect to see an increase in knowledge and safety, and establishments that are better able to respond to food allergies," says Dr. Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, a Rutgers professor of nutrition who’s working on the campaign.
Nearly 11 million Americans including approximately 327,000 New Jerseyans suffer from food allergies. Those numbers continue to climb, with food allergies accounting for 30,000 emergency room visits, 2,000 hospitalizations and 200 deaths nationwide each year, according to an "Ask Before You Eat" fact sheet.
While there’s no single reason that explains why food allergies are on the rise, pediatric allergist Helen Skolnick, M.D., of Princeton Allergy and Asthma Associates cites the "hygiene hypothesis" as one possible cause.
"The hygiene hypothesis basically says that we are too hygienic as a society," she says. "Food allergies are primarily a Western disease. We don’t see high rates of allergies in Third World countries. Australia has similar rates as the U.S., but allergies aren’t nearly as common in China and Thailand, even though they use peanuts in everything."
Eight foods peanuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat and tree nuts, such as walnuts and cashews account for 90 percent of all food allergies, according to the "Ask Before You Eat" fact sheet.
Even a trace of these ingredients could trigger an allergic reaction, so those with food allergies must thoroughly study food labels and menus. However, that is becoming an increasingly difficult chore, especially with the multitude of food options available to consumers, according to Dr. Skolnick.
"Today there’s a special ingredient in everything," she says. "People might not think to look at a Stouffer’s Swedish Meatballs frozen dinner, but it has fish in it because it contains Worcestershire sauce, which has anchovies. You need to look at everything even if you wouldn’t expect it."
That goes for restaurant dishes, too.
To be safe, diners should "consult a manager as soon as they walk into a restaurant, or even before. Call ahead and alert the staff of your allergies. Give them specifics about how they need to accommodate you," she says, adding managers should also understand how cross-contamination of ingredients can lead to a serious allergic reaction. "You can’t protect a food-allergic person in your restaurant if you don’t know they have an allergy."
The "Ask Before You Eat" campaign, with its focus on education and communication, will certainly make eating out a whole lot easier for those with food allergies. And it will help ease fears for many parents, including Ms. Yandrisevits and Ms. Pivnick, who constantly worry about what their children are eating, particularly at restaurants.
"There’s a lot going on in the kitchen. If they can make a safe meal, that’s great for us," Ms. Yandrisevitis says. "The more restaurants that can do that, the better."
"It’s good just to have a restaurant that can communicate their ability or disability in accommodating us," she adds. "I would rather hear, ‘Sorry, we can’t accommodate you,’ than having them prepare an unsafe meal." Ms. Pivnick agrees, adding she is hopeful the "Ask Before You Eat" campaign will change the way people statewide view food allergies.
"It’s really about education all of the time," she says. "The campaign is going to be a great help because it’s raising awareness. I’m hoping people will now rise to the occasion of labeling food well and helping people understand."
For more information about the "Ask Before You Eat" campaign, visit www.foodallergy.rutgers.edu.

