Transcript AAIA Living with Food Allergies AB Agric Feb 21_12

Exploring the Allergic and
Gluten-Free Marketplace
Living with Food Allergies
February 21, 2012
The Allergy/Asthma
Information Association
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The AAIA across Canada
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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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Our focus  3 A’s
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A = Allergy
A = Asthma
A = Anaphylaxis
A = Awareness
Our motto 3 A’s
A = Avoidance
A = Action
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We provide services across Canada:
Information
 Education
 Support
 Advocacy
 Partnership
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Our members
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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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Our approach to food allergy
Teaching the
essential “food
rules” and a risk
management
approach
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What is food allergy?
 An immune system reaction to a normally
harmless substance (allergen)
 Affects 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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Allergy Statistics
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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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What Is Anaphylaxis?
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Potentially life-threatening allergic
reaction requiring immediate treatment
 Affecting about 2% of Canadians
 Involving more than one body system
(“systemic”)
 Typical triggers include insect stings,
medication, food, natural latex
 Trace amounts can cause a severe or even
fatal reaction
 Cannot be cured – avoidance is key
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Ten Most Common Food Triggers
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Peanuts
Tree nuts
Shellfish / Seafood
Eggs
Mustard
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Milk
Wheat
Soy
Sesame
Sulfites*
*Sulfites are a food additive
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Recognizing Ingredients
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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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Lactose Intolerance
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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/Gluten-free
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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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Alcoholic Beverages
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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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Risk Management
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Understanding food labels and assessing
risk are complex tasks
 Different levels of risk tolerance
 Many patients demand 100% certainty, but
100% risk-free is impossible
 Brand loyal consumers – consistency
important for risk avoidance
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Managing food allergies
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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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Cross-contamination
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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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Preventing Allergic Reactions
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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Current Issues
“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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Current Issues… continued
Allergen Claims on Front
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Danger that people will rely on this and
not read the ingredient list
 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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Current Issues… continued
Brands …which version is it?
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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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Current Issues…continued
Crowded Labels
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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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Issues facing someone with allergies
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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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Specific needs of someone with
allergies
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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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Allergy friendly products
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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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What products are on the wish list?
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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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How can food industry help?
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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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Summary
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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
[email protected]
1-866-456-6651
AAIA National Office
295 The West Mall, Suite 118
Toronto, ON M9C 4Z4
1-800-611-7011
www.aaia.ca
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