Below I have put my first draft of a Guide for Selling to Customers with Food Allergies. I am looking for feedback and suggestions to make it complete for all allergies. What’s missing? What needs to be added? What needs more detail or less? I’m especially interested in feedback on the cleanliness and manufacturing process sections. Dealing with a corn allergy has made me sensitive to ingredients but since it wasn’t anaphylactic I’m weak on things like cross contamination in the air. Please make comments below and I’ll update the draft to be a reflection of what we all need. Just please keep in mind the following goals:

• Safety - Everything we need to keep people with allergies safe
• Simplicity - Keeping the safety goal how simple can we make it so manufacturers and restaurants aren’t too scared to even try.
• Inclusive - The rules need to be broad enough so they apply to all food allergies.

Once we have the draft sufficient to meet allergy needs I’ll be submitting it to review to some small scale food producers and/or restaurants. Once we have their feedback we can publish a final copy. I already have interest in the project from Idaho’s Bounty, a local food co-op with many small scale producers.

Thank you everyone for your help. Here is the draft:

Selling to Customers with Food Allergies

Why?

There are several excellent reasons to take the extra steps required to sell to customers with food allergies:

• Loyalty - The number one reason to care about customers with food allergies is loyalty. There is a limited selection of products that are safe for people with food allergies to eat. Experimenting and trying new products always comes with the risk of having a reaction. If you can create a safe product you will have a very loyal customer base.
• Word of Mouth Advertising – If you earn the loyalty of a food allergy customer you’ve most likely earned some free advertising. With so few options out there many people with food allergies share the safe foods they’ve found with each other. Winning over one customer can translate into many.
• Price – It can be hard for small-scale producers to compete with the price of large-scale producers. Customers with food allergies are used to having to pay a premium for quality food that meets their requirements. They will be more willing to spend extra dollars for a quality product then look for a cheaper and less safe substitute.

What’s the Big Deal?

Selling to people with food allergies is not as simple as adding a label that says no nuts. Even the smallest amount of an allergen accidentally transferred from one surface to another can be enough to cause a reaction. What is perfectly safe for most people can be deadly for others. One way to view it is someone’s allergen is the equivalent of arsenic to everyone else. If someone had just mixed arsenic in a bowl in your kitchen what would you need to feel safe eating food made there?

What’s Important?

Complete Transparency

The number one key thing people with food allergies need is knowledge. Ideally we want to be standing in your facility watching the entire process from start to finish. Since that isn’t practical we need complete transparency in the process, enough knowledge to feel like we are standing over your shoulder. It’s less important what you are doing then what you are explaining. Assume your food allergenic customer will know more about their allergy then you. If you give them enough knowledge they can tell if your food is safe.

One of the biggest dangers is when a manufacturer learns enough about allergens to think they know everything and so they try to think for the customer. For example a product labeled “Allergen Free!” because it doesn’t contain the top 8 allergens as defined by the FDA is useless for any of the many people allergic to something totally different. My daughter who was allergic to corn would have been sick all night if I’d served most “allergen free” food to her.

Cleanliness

The biggest worry after ingredients is cross contamination. It is critical that manufacturers follow strict cleaning procedures when switching from one product or flavor to another. Steps include:

• Completely cleaning all equipment and surfaces when ever switching ingredients

What to Share

To provide complete transparency customers need the following information:

Complete Ingredients List

Government regulations for ingredients lists are NOT sufficient for people with food allergies. Important elements of a complete ingredients list are:

• All ingredients listed – There is a very large loophole on ingredients lists. Foods used in the manufacturing process often do not have to be listed even if they end up in or on the food. For food allergies ingredients used in the manufacturing process count. The corn meal the bread was cooked on is an ingredient to the corn allergic person eating it. So is the oil used to shell sunflower seeds.
• No vague ingredients like spices, natural flavor, etc. - If you can’t read an ingredient and tell the exact plant it came from the list is too vague.
• Ingredients list for compound ingredients like mayonnaise, mustard, etc. - This is the same as the above point. It needs to be broken down to base plant. It matters a lot if that mayonnaise is made with soy oil, canola oil or olive oil.
• Full ingredient description – I have lost track of the number of foods I have not purchased because the ingredient list says “salt”. Is it iodized salt, kosher salt, sea salt? It may not seem like much but for someone avoiding either iodine or corn those distinctions make the difference between safe and not. If an ingredient can come with variations list which one.
• Ingredient brand or source – It matters how the ingredient manufacturer has processed the ingredient. For example using rice flour does not guarantee a food is safe for someone with a wheat allergy. It depends if the manufacturer ground that flour in the same mill as wheat. Even if you don’t know your customer may.

Manufacturing Process & Facility

After detailed ingredients the next most important step is what happens to the ingredients. Imagine again the analogy of someone working with arsenic. You would really care if they were using it in another building, another table, another bowel or the very same things that are touching your food. Details needed about manufacturing include:

• Shared equipment – What other foods are processed on the same equipment. This includes but is not limited to counter tops, grills, deep fryer, pans, mixers, etc. For each major piece of equipment like a grill or deep fryer it is important to maintain a list of all foods that come into contact.
• Cleaning procedures – When and how is equipment cleaned. Is the spoon used to stir the pecan chip cookies cleaned before being used to stir the regular cookies? How is it cleaned?
• Shared space – What other foods are made in the same area. Do you control the entire area or share it with other people? Is this a home environment, a private manufacturing facility or a shared manufacturing facility? Are there any foods that are banned from the facility.
• Special allergy precautions – Do you take any special precautions to prevent spreading general or specific allergens? For example some facilities that specialize in nut free have employees change clothing or put on protective gear before entering.

How to Say It Clearly

It would be impossible to meet the above requirements only on the ingredient label. To fully transfer the information there needs to be a two-part system. The first gives general details on the ingredient label. The second provides a source for more detailed specifics. Ideally a website with the details but alternatively an allergy information book located in the physical store or restaurant selling the product.

On the Label

The following information needs to be available on the label:

• Complete ingredient list with enough details to specify the source food. For example “citric acid from citrus”.
• Foods used in the manufacturing process. For example “May contain corn meal”
• Source of detailed information. For example “Please visit www.ourcompname.com for more details”
• Clear statements about specific allergy free claims.  Acceptable statements include:
  • Manufactured in a facility free of
  • Manufactured on a line free of
  • Tested to be free of
  • Detailed cleaning after handling ?

Detailed Allergen Information

• Contact information for asking specific questions
• Complete label information for each product produced (as described above)
• Ingredient brands or sources
• Ingredients that can be substituted or left out. (For restaurants or other custom food producers.)
• Lists of products produced on each piece of shared equipment
• Description of cleaning procedures
• Description of employee training in allergies and cleaning procedures
• Description of special allergy precautions or testing
• Description of type of manufacturing facility, in home, shared or private facility.

What Precautions are Needed

Who to Target

The previous steps will allow your customers with food allergies to know if your food is safe for them to eat. What if you want to take it one step further and actively cater to specific allergies to gain more customers? Who should you focus on?

First, the most important step is to let your customers know you are open to food allergy requests. A nice notice of “We are open to changes to meet our customers dietary needs. Please contact…” can start the dialog with your specific customers.

Second there are some allergies that are more common then others. Those include the top 8 allergens defined by the FDA:

• Dairy
• Egg
• Wheat
• Soy
• Peanuts
• Tree nuts
• Fish
• Shellfish

Many people believe several allergens are missing from that list. Other allergens that often make top lists include:

• Seseme
• Corn
• Gluten (Celiac Disease)

How to Manage Your Child's Life-Threatening Food Allergies

“How To Manage Your Child’s Life-Threatening Food Allergies: Practical Tips For Everyday Life” gives you the detailed, step-by-step information you need to create a safe and enjoyable home, school and social life for your severely food-allergic child.

Alison, Please check your email. I sent you a message requesting details to send your prize to you.

Thank you to everyone who entered! It was fun to host my first contest.

Winner’s choice of one of Linda’s Three books personally autographed from her and shipped directly to the winner.

The books you get to choose from include (The descriptions are from Linda’s promotional material. I wish I could give a more personal description but I haven’t read them.):

What to Eat	“What’s to Eat? The Milk-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free Food Allergy Cookbook” is the must-have classic in the world of food allergy cooking. Contains recipes for everything from soups and salads to main dishes, side dishes, breakfast foods, and baked goods.
What Else to Eat	“What Else is to Eat? The Dairy-, Egg-, and Nut-Free Food Allergy Cookbook” was created for your busy lifestyle, with an even greater emphasis on “fast and easy” recipes. No time to cook? No problem!
How to Manage Your Child's Life-Threatening Food Allergies	“How To Manage Your Child’s Life-Threatening Food Allergies: Practical Tips For Everyday Life” gives you the detailed, step-by-step information  you need to create a safe and enjoyable home, school and social life for your severely food-allergic child.

For your first entry in the contest please leave a comment saying which book you would like and why. For up to two additional entries please do any of the following and leave a comment with a link. (Please make one comment for each entry. Multiple entries in one comment will not count.):

• Twitter about the contest
• Blog about the contest

The winner will be selected using www.random.org based on comment number from all comments recieved by Midnight EST Thursday June 4th. I’m sorry but the contest is only open to people in the US. Good luck everyone!

Her reaction has motivated my latest project, finding out what baby food is actually safe for what allergy. Parents should be able to safely feed their babies without worry. For this I will be contacting baby food manufacturers and getting the following information:

• Ingredients and what they are derived from
• Foods and food grade products used in the manufacturing process and not listed on the label
• Other foods produced in the same facility and on the same line
• What baby foods share the same line with each other
• What cleaning is done between batches to prevent cross contamination
• What other allergy precautions they take

Here are the current and upcoming posts in this series:

• Baby Food Allergy: Making Your Own Baby Food
• Baby Food Allergy: Review Bella Baby Food

Are there any other questions you think I should ask? Do you have any experience good or bad with baby food? Are there any brands you are interested in hearing about first. Please leave a comment and let us know. Please include your allergens in the comment. Thank you!

• You are invited to the food allergy twitter party
• Food allergy twitter party

I’m looking forward to it.

People with food allergies and intolerance’s just got one step closer to that dream in Massachusetts. The government just passed Bill S 2701, the food allergy bill. The Passionate Foodie posted a great overview of the new law.

There are two parts of the bill that I think will make a big difference. First, the mandatory food allergy training for restaurant staff. I can’t think of the number of times I’ve asked about ingredients and been given “guess” answers where the server is obviously not taking my concern seriously. Hopefully this will at least make staff aware of the importance of guests concerns.

Second, and my absolute favorite part, is the optional ability for restaurants to get a “food allergy friendly” label. As part of the requirements they must publish a master list of all ingredients in the food on their menu. That way a customer could skim over the ingredients and know for sure if the items are safe. I can not stress how important this requirement is for people with food allergies. For many allergies it’s very hard for restaurant workers to recognize all the places the food can sneak in. For example I’m avoiding nightshades including all peppers. Yet I was served a salad with some dried cayenne pepper sprinkled on top of the dressing! I’ve seriously limited my eating out because I can’t trust the food to be safe with out all the details.

Btw.. for any restaurants reading this, publishing all ingredients are just good business sense. People with food allergies are desperate for a chance to eat normally. Not to mention usually overloaded by having to make sure everything that goes in us or our kids is safe. Any restaurant that provided all the details to be safe and publicized that would get a huge following.

On that note if you are in Boston please check out Blue Ginger. The owners have a son with food allergies and have worked hard to make it a safe place for peple to eat. They have a Food Allergy Reference book to help people check on ingredients. I haven’t eaten there but I’m suddenly very interested in taking my daughters to Boston. (The owner Ming Tsai was the primary driver behind the food allergy bill.)

General Food Allergy Blogs

• Allergy Moms
• Allergy News Blog
• Aprovechar
• Be Free For Me
• Boys Rule My Life
• Breakfast Lab
• Every Day With Food Allergies
• Food Allergies Blog - About.com
• Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Information - Blog
• Food Allergy Assistant
• Food Allergy Buzz
• Food Allergy Family Fun
• Food Allergy Woes
• Funky Food — Feeding Kids Allergic to Food
• Kids Food Allergies Blog
• Living Healthy in the Modern World
• Liz is Allergic
• My Kids Allergies
• Modern Allergy Mom
• Mom’s Food Allergy Diner
• Mom To Food Allergy Kid
• Must Follow Recipes
• Nourish This
• Our Ducks in a Row
• Our Story: The Good, The Bad and The Food Allergies
• Parenting a Child with a Food Allergy
• Peanuts in Eden
• Please Don’t Pass the Nuts
• Reluctant Vegetarian
• Speedbump Kitchen
• SPEWD Free
• Sure Foods Living
• The Allergic Kid
• The Food Allergy Queen
• The Food Allergy Mama
• Yummy Allergen Free

Corn Allergy Blogs

• Corn Allergic: What I Reacted To Today
• Corn-Free Foods (& Products) List
• Cornless
• Joey’s Cooking Corner
• Maybe It’s Just Stress
• MLO Knitting
• News for Corn Avoiders - Corn Allergy and Intolerance
• The World of V
• Vermont Country Living

Dairy Allergy Blogs

• Ashley’s Dairy Free Cooking Blog
• Avoiding Milk Protein Blog
• No Whey, Mama
• Planet Lactose

Egg Allergy Blogs

• Go Eggless

Gluten / Wheat Allergy Blogs

• Book of Yum
• Celiac Family
• Ginger Lemon Girl
• Gluten Free Optimist
• Life, Gluten Free

Nut Allergy Blogs

• Allergy Apparel Blog
• Comments From the Peanut Free Gallery
• Eat Nut-Free
• Gravity of Motion
• Peanut Allergy Kid
• Peanut Free Mama
• The Nut-Free Mom Blog

Other Food Allergy Blog Directories

• Best Allergy Sites
• Must Follow Recipes General List
• Boys Rule My Life Dairy Free List

A special thank you to the following twitter friends for contributing to the list:

• @foodallassist
• @bestallergysite
• @FoodAllergyBuzz
• @reluctantveggie

Should I Be Avoiding Corn?

Here are some good reasons to avoid corn:

• Positive reaction in an allergy test
• Positive reaction in a food challenge
• Symptoms of food allergy but having trouble narrowing a cause. (Everything seems to make you sick.)
• Symptoms of food allergy and you have a suspicion it’s corn. (Never under estimate your gut intuition. That’s what helped me figure out my daughters corn allergy.)

Here are some things to consider when deciding:

• Can you figure this out with a food log instead of avoiding? If your symptoms are sporadic and not life threatening try logging everything you put in or on your body (including any scents you might breath, anything the mom eats for nursing baby) and symptoms.
• Allergy tests are not 100% accurate. Do some research in how accurate yours are and talk to your doctor. They should be a guide and not the law. My daughter never tested positive but I guarantee it will be a long night if she eats any.

What’s the Big Deal?

At this point the world can be divided into two groups of people, those who think corn is easy to avoid and those who realize it is everywhere! I don’t want to scare you but corn is very hard to avoid. If you want the details I recommend reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. It explains how the entire US food system is based on cheap, subsidized corn. The hard part is US allergy labeling laws only require labeling for the top 8 allergens. Depending on who you ask corn is 9th or 10th. (Or there’s the study by the corn refiners association which claims it’s very infrequent… bias anyone ) Basically corn does not have to be clearly labeled. In fact if it’s use can be described as “part of the manufacturing process” it doesn’t have to be labeled at all. For example pick up a baguette at your local supermarket and look at the bottom. See those nice grains of corn meal it was cooked on and are now embedded in it? They probably aren’t on the ingredients label.

What Do I Avoid?

Let me start this list with a warning. By the time you are done reading it you may feel a bit overwelmed. In the words of the Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy “Don’t Panic”. You can do this. At first it will take some work but once you get used to it avoiding corn is doable and there are lots of helpful resources listed in the next section. Here is a general overview:

• The obvious (corn, corn starch, corn meal, corn syrup, etc)
• Corn Derivatives (Here’s a great corn allergen list by Jenny Connors. I recommend printing it out, reading it a lot and carrying it everywhere. It’s especially useful when explaining to airport security why your food is a medical necessity… that and a doctors note. )
• Basically any ingredient that doesn’t specify it’s food source. (For example malt can be from corn or barley. Vinegar… guess what the cheapest source is.)
• Scented things like perfume, candles, air freshener, etc
• Cleaning supplies including laundry soap
• Fruits and vegetables (Many are coated with corn wax or oil or washed with water and citric acid. This includes many organic.)
• Peaches (Corn and peach have a similar shaped protein. Often the two allergies go hand in hand.)
  
• Iodized salt (Corn is the glue that makes the iodine stick)
  
• Dairy products (Any milk with vitamins use a corn derivative to help them “stick”. Plus most US milk is fed corn and it does pass through with the protein intact.)
• Meat (Most wrappers are dusted with corn to prevent them from sticking. Also any added colors or flavor solutions often contain corn.)
• Eggs (Corn oil rubbed on the shells, which are porous)
  
• Bread (Besides the obvious they can be cooked on corn meal so it sticks to the crust… and not labeled as containing corn)
  
• Medicine
• Gasoline (A lot is now 10% or more ethanol.)

How Do I Eat?

Ok, this is the good news part. There are some awesome resources out there for those avoiding corn.

• Delphi Forums Avoiding Corn BBoard - These are the experts! (Not to mention incredibly nice and friendly.) If you have a corn related question or just need a corn free shoulder to cry on here’s the place to go.
• Corn Free Food Blog - A list of what even the ultra sensitive corn allergic are safely eating. When I made this post the gluten free/corn free list was 6 months old and the corn free list a year old… but still very, very useful for find safe food.
• Jenny Connors Corn Allergy Site - Think of my article as the cliff notes. Her site gives lots of great details for the ultra sensitive.
• Vishniac’s Corn Allergy Site - This site is for people who are not sensitive to all derivatives. I recommend starting out assuming you are sensitive to everything. Once you have gotten rid of all corn this site might help you find things you can try adding back to your diet.
• Local Harvest - Your best source for safe fruit, vegis, meat, dairy and eggs my be just around the corner at your local organic farm. Get to know your local farmers and start asking questions.

Ok, any questions or comments? If you have experience with corn allergy and you see I’m missing something from the guide please leave a comment. If you are new and confused ask any questions about things that are unclear. Good luck!