Still in the Dark ... Food Allergies

A recent Wall Street Journal survey reported that a lack of information still persists about potential food allergens which results in more than half of those with food allergies experiencing allergic reactions because they were inaccurately informed or failed to get the proper information from food servers. While only several hundred people will die from severe allergic relations, some 30,000 individuals require emergency room treatment each year according to the National Institutes of Health.

The Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive survey is part of an ongoing dialog among media and medical organizations who are aiming to increase awareness of food allergies, the need for people with allergies to be on high alert, and the importance of food servers to help inform patrons when commonly known food allergens are on the menu.

Some 20% of all American households include those who suffer from food allergies, and a third of them are categorized as "serious" and the numbers of people suffering from food allergies continues to rise each year.

The questionnaire was posed to 2,853 adults under the Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive survey during July 2007. Respondents were asked whether they inquire regularly about prepared foods, reveal their allergies to servers or food managers, or take other precautions, among other questions, and the majority do.

While consumers are becoming more aware of the dangers of food allergens, a dangerous percentage of people with allergens still fail to inform employers or teachers (24%), fail to carry emergency medication such as Benadryl or an EPI pen (23%), or wear a medic alert emblem (8%), and others still fail to query waiters at restaurants (22%). Most respondents agreed that kitchen and front-of-the-house staff should be better trained (70%) about making patrons aware of those dishes on the menu made with potential food allergens.

Reading labels at the supermarket has become a boon to consumers with allergies since Congress passed a law in 2004 that requires foods sold at supermarkets be labeled with major food allergens noted.