Kids Food Allergies Blog

Food Allergy Awareness Week is May 11-17, 2008.

Get involved here.

It’s sponsored by The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.

Here’s what Virginia Governor Tim Kaine said last year about Food Allergy Awareness Week:

WHEREAS, hundreds of Americans die each year as a result of food induced anaphylaxis, and these deaths generally occur when individuals unknowingly consume a food item containing or prepared with an ingredient to which they are allergic; and

WHEREAS, anaphylaxis is a sudden, severe allergic reaction simultaneously affecting several of the body’s major organs and, in highly allergic individuals, it can cause death in a matter of minutes; and

WHEREAS, researchers estimate that approximately 12 million Americans have food allergies, with children being the largest group affected, and symptoms of food allergies can include hives, vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory distress and swelling of the throat; and

WHEREAS, shellfish, fish, milk, eggs, nuts, peanuts, soy and wheat cause approximately ninety percent of food allergy reactions; and

WHEREAS, the majority of anaphylaxis cases occur in restaurants and in school cafeterias when customers are unfamiliar with the ingredients used in preparing a meal; and

WHEREAS,  it is important for people with food allergies to take precautions when dining out, such as asking servers and chefs about their meal’s contents and preparation in order to avoid a potentially fatal allergic reaction; and

WHEREAS,  there is no cure for potentially fatal food allergies and strict avoidance of the offending foods is the only way to avoid a reaction; and

WHEREAS,  the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about food allergies and anaphylaxis, a potentially life threatening allergic reaction;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Timothy M. Kaine, do hereby recognize May 13-19, 2007, as FOOD ALLERGY AWARENESS WEEK in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.