Do you ever wonder why you never see the words allergy free on our products or website?

I began using the term allergy friendly about 6 years ago and ever since then have been correcting those who refer to Nonuttin’ products as allergy free.  While I can understand that like “gluten free”, it’s a quick and easy way to refer to products that are designed for those with food allergies, it doesn’t communicate the true reality of food allergies. Read more »

Mustard has become Canada’s 11th priority allergen after a review by Health Canada as announced last week.

Health Canada had been reviewing several different foods including garlic and onions but only mustard made the list.  This is because while mustard allergies are not exactly rampant, they are more common than you might think and the severity of the recorded reactions has prompted concern.  Garlic and onions were considered but the evidence of recorded reactions shows less severity and more intolerance as opposed to an anaphylactic response.

If you’ve been following my blog, you’re aware that I had a cousin react to mustard in the spring which shocked everybody in the family except me.  Given what I do, I’ve been aware for several years that Europe labels for the top 12 food allergens (plus lupin) which includes Canada’s top 10 with the addition of mustard and celery.  Since November of 2008, I’ve been adding mustard, celery and lupin to the list that I send my ingredient suppliers to document.  The results prompted me to add celery to the list of allergen declarations on the Nonuttin’ website.

Like prior allergen labeling laws before it, this new regulation will require  food manufacturers to plainly list mustard if it is an ingredient.  Currently, if you’re allergic to mustard, you must avoid any product that simply lists “spices” as a food ingredient.  If you take a look at any of the products in your food cupboard, particularly savory items, you’ll find a lot of products that only indicate “spices”.

It would appear at first glance that this must be a huge relief for mustard allergy sufferers.   My hope is that the amount of products they can eat will increase with better labeling.   Unfortunately, as many of you with other food allergies can attest, food allergen labeling can backfire when manufacturers put all of the priority allergens on their label.

In any case, the review has prompted Health Canada to put into place review procedures for the priority allergens as the prevalence of food allergies grows and more data is documented.  It’s not easy for food manufacturers but it really is necessary as we battle with increasing immune system issues.

I’m glad to know that I’m not going crazy; well, not in one sense at least.  It had seemed to me that we’ve fielded many more sesame questions over the last couple of years and it seemed that sesame was an allergen that was present with 1 or more other food allergens, such as peanut or dairy.  My hunch has now been proven right.

At John Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Robert Wood has indicated that their evidence shows that sesame allergies have grown the most of any food allergy in the last 2 decades and is now in the top 6-7 food allergens.  This statistic, gleaned from patient files over 3 years, was presented at the recent American Academy of Asthma and Immunology annual meeting.  You can read more about this article at:  http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=98576 

Sesame is already listed in Canada as one of the top 10 food allergens and in the UK and Europe as one of the top 12 but the FDA is reviewing whether sesame should be declared in the US (it’s currently not in their top 8).   In my limited experience, I’ve found that many US parents of sesame allergic children aren’t aware of where sesame might be lurking beyond the obvious crackers and hamburger buns simply because manufacturers aren’t declaring it.  As the use of sesame becomes more common due, in part, to the growing ethnic food availability, it will be very difficult to avoid, particularly when used as a whole as opposed to paste.  Sesame testing for such tiny particulate matter can literally be hit and miss.

If these numbers are accurate, it would appear that sesame should be added to US declarations sooner rather than later.