ILLINOIS FOOD ALLERGY  & ANAPHYLAXIS NETWORK (FAAN) CONFERENCE - 17th Annual Food Allergy Conference in Oak Brook, IL on May 22, 2010. Additional information and registration capability is available on our website at www.foodallergy.org or by calling the office 800-929-4040.

504 Sample plans and guidelines - POCA OF DUPAGE   If you care to receive POCA's CD with sample 504 plans and guidelines, please email Kristin Miller (kamonmiller@sbcglobal.net) with you name and mailing address.  The CD are $10 (including postage).  The check can be sent to PO BOX 23, Clarendon Hills, Il 60514.

HB0281 - Illinois School Food Allergy Policy for all IL Schools Big News – HB281 was signed by Gov Quinn on Aug 13, 2009 about 8:10am.  Public Act 096-0349 (HB0281) The committee to establish the guidels for managing life-threatening food allergies in IL has been established. The first committee meeting is on January 20, 2010 at ISBE building in Lombard, IL. Chairperson for committee: Kristin Miller Committee Members: Christine Szychlinski, Vyki Jackson, Pam Strunk, Shelley Derousse, Denise Bunning, Doug Drexler, Ray Lechner, Rep Roger Eddy, Paul Mikulcik, Troy Hickey, Kimberly Small, Emily Dawson, Gina Cone, Conny Moody, Elizabeth Watkins, Jayne Nosari, Bill Beaty, Chris Schmitt, Stephanie Hinds and Shawn Rotherham. The bill became law on August 13, 2009.  State guidelines will be avaiable no later than July 1, 2010 and schools should have their policies in place by January 1, 2011. This means that the State Board of Education and Dept. of Public Health will develop and make available guidelines for the management of students with life threatening food allergies no later than JULY 1, 2010. Each school board shall implement a policy based on the guidelines no later than Jan 1, 2011.

Steps for an allergic reaction to a mislabeled food item (www.ELLfoundation.org) Save the remaining product by securing it closed in its original packaging and wrap in plastic wrap or a zip lock baggie. It will be important to secure the embossed or stamped product code for reference. This code will translate to the batch date/plant location. Be sure to keep any perishable product frozen or refrigerated. Contact the manufacturer to inform it of the incident and the suspected allergen ingredient. It may request for you to submit a report. Record the date, time and details of the conversation. IMPORTANT. Do NOT deliver or send the product to the manufacturer if requested! Many times consumers are asked to return the product to be tested by the manufacturer and never hear of “results” of “ingredient testing”. Contact your local FDA office to file a complaint. Record the date, time and details of your conversation. You will be given a complaint number to document. To report problems, including adverse reactions, related to any food except meat and poultry, contact the district office consumer complaint coordinator for your geographic area by clicking HERE. If the problem involves meat or poultry, which are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, call the USDA hotline at 1-800-535-4555.   For ingredient analysis, contact the University of Nebraska’s Food Allergy Research & Resource Program (FARRP), the leading independent food allergy testing laboratory in the US.           FAARP           402-472-4484           143 H.C. Filley Hall           University of Nebraska           Lincoln, NE 68583-0919 Please note, testing is FREE of charge only when an allergic reaction resulted from a mislabeled food product. FARRP will test the mislabeled food item for suspect allergen ingredients. Submit an Allergic Reaction Incident report to Eat, Learn, Live by clicking HERE.. ELL will disseminate all pertinent information to its members and follow-up with the manufacturer. Your personal information will be held strictly confidential. See More

2010 FAAN CHICAGO WALK Date:        Sunday, October 17, 2010 Time:        Check-in begins @ 11AM, Walk starts at Noon Location:  Lincoln Park – 3 miles FAAN's Walk for Food Allergy depends on volunteers like you to recruit walkers and sponsors, as well as organize the event and help it run smoothly. By volunteering, you can touch the lives of family, friends, co-workers, and anyone else in your community who lives with food allergies.  We need people both to serve on committees to prepare for the event and to volunteer on the day of the event. If you are interested in volunteering please send an email to chicagochair@foodallergy.org or visit click here! Berenice Lagrimas & Mary Lenahan Chairs, 2010 Chicago FAAN Walk chicagochair@foodallergy.org

FOOD ALLERGY INITIATIVE CHICAGO FAI Chicago is gearing up for its 3rd annual benefit on Saturday, November 13, 2010. The kick-off meeting was held Thursday, April 8.  Below are links to the meeting summary and a one-page fact sheet.  If you were unable to attend the meeting but are still interested in getting involved, contact elizabeth@givingtreeassociates.com and one of the event chairs will be in touch.   Summary of 4/8/2010 meeting   FAI Chicago Fact Sheet

CHILDREN’S MEMORIAL FOOD ALLERGY STUDY   This study is in response to the rapid rise in childhood food allergy and the lack of effective prevention and treatment. It is designed to find answers to some fundamental questions: What are the causes of food allergy? How can food allergy be predicted and prevented? Are there alternative or better treatments for food allergy? To date, the research team is gaining momentum and has just surpassed the 700 family benchmark! With only 300 more families left until reaching its goal of having 1,000 families enrolled in the study, the team is working hard to increase awareness of the study and reach out to the food allergic community of Chicago and across the country. Once the Food Allergy Study has 1,000 families enrolled, it will be able to study over a million genetic markers and environmental influences that potentially affect food allery. Obviously this has great significance for food allergic kids and their parents because we know how important it is to find out why the prevalence is increasing and how we can better care for children who suffer from food allergies. If you have not already joined the groundbreaking study, it is more important than ever that you do so now. With the end in sight (only 300 families needed), we can reach our 1,000 family goal sooner than expected and allow the research team to start getting answers about food allergy. Summer is a great time to come to Children's Memorial and be part of this important research. If you have already enrolled, THANK YOU for being one of the 700 families that already have done so.  But you can continue to support the study by spreading the word and telling other families that you know.  Do you have friends or family with food allergies coming to visit over the summer? Can you tell your preschool, playgroup, allergist, pediatrician, or neighbor about the study?  Principal investigator: Xiaobin Wang, MD, MPH, ScD Eligibility This is a family-based study. An eligible family includes both biological parents and at least one food allergy-affected child (age 0-21 years). Both parents and affected children must be willing to participate. If both biological parents are unavailable to participate in the study, individual children who (ages 0-21 years) that meet our case or control criteria also are eligible. What would participation involve? You will be asked to complete a questionnaire about each participant's environmental exposures, diet, lifestyle, and specific allergies. A clinical evaluation will be conducted to measure each participant's height, weight, blood pressure, and lung function. A small blood sample (2 tsps) will be taken and allergy skin tests administered. All evaluations will be done by a qualified nurse or research associate. Each participant will receive a $25 gift card to Target, free parking, and additional gift card(s) to cover travel expenses. This study is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Chicago Community Trust, the Food Allergy Initiative (FAI), and generous donors. To participate or for more information, contact: Phone: 1-888-573-1833 (toll-free) E-mail: allergystudy@childrensmemorial.org Fax: 312-573-7825 www.childrensmrc.org/allergy

FOOD ALLERGY & ANAPHYLAXIS MANAGEMENT ACT – S. 1232/H.R. 2063   H.R. 2063 passed the House and Senate. It is being held up on details, which should be addressed at the Oct/Nov Veto Session and the concurrent session. Thank you to everyone who contacted their Senators to support this effort for uniform school guidelines for food allergy management! Please, however, continue to let your voice be heard! Thank your legislators and continue to inform them of your experiences of living with food allergies at school.

Change in Food Allergy Recommendation From the American Academy of Pediatrics: This clinical report reviews the nutritional options during pregnancy, lactation, and the first year of life that may affect the development of atopic disease (atopic dermatitis, asthma, food allergy) in early life. It replaces an earlier policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics that addressed the use of hypoallergenic infant formulas and included provisional recommendations for dietary management for the prevention of atopic disease. Summary: “The documented benefits of nutritional intervention that may prevent or delay the onset of atopic disease are largely limited to infants at high risk of developing allergy (ie, infants with at least 1 first-degree relative [parent or sibling] with allergic disease).” “Current evidence does not support a major role for maternal dietary restrictions during pregnancy or lactation.” “There is evidence that breastfeeding for at least 4 months, compared with feeding formula made with intact cow milk protein, prevents or delays the occurrence of atopic dermatitis, cow milk allergy, and wheezing in early childhood.” “In studies of infants at high risk of atopy and who are not exclusively breastfed for 4 to 6 months, there is modest evidence that the onset of atopic disease may be delayed or prevented by the use of hydrolyzed formulas compared with formula made with intact cow milk protein, particularly for atopic dermatitis.” “Comparative studies of the various hydrolyzed formulas also indicate that not all formulas have the same protective benefit.” “There is also little evidence that delaying the timing of the introduction of complementary foods beyond 4 to 6 months of age prevents the occurrence of atopic disease.” “At present, there are insufficient data to document a protective effect of any dietary intervention beyond 4 to 6 months of age for the development of atopic disease.”