Follow By Email: FAACT's April e-Newsletter

The Voice of Food Allergy Awareness

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FAACT Can Help You Raise Community Awareness About Food Allergies in May!

Gratitude, pride, and awareness will be at the heart of our work next month as we will be 'Celebrating TEAL Moments' during Food Allergy Awareness Week and Month. Start planning today how you want to celebrate, educate, and raise awareness in May! Could you provide educational materials to your child's school or sports team? Create heartfelt notes of gratitude for teachers, friends, and family? Reach out to local media to inspire a segment about food allergies? Or raise funds to expand awareness in your community?

To get started, head over to FAACT's website to find inspiration for Food Allergy Awareness Month. One simple goal we can all set is to educate one person in our lives. A phone call or email with a video link could have a lifelong impact. Whatever you choose, your FAACT family will be cheering you on!

Please #ShareTheFAACTs on Social Media too:

1. Share ONE fact from FAACT's website each day in May on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

2. Ask family and friends to participate by sharing your status.

3. Include FAACT's website after each fact to encourage followers to learn more: www.FoodAllergyAwareness.org.

Visit our website for more ideas and activities – and #KnowTheFAACTs!

Join Us for FAACT's Camp TAG Summer Program

It's time to start thinking about summer camp!

Spring is here, which means it's time to start thinking about summer camp!

Camp TAG provides a place for children (ages 4-13) with food allergies, eosinophilic disorders, FPIES, Celiac disease, eczema, and asthma – and their non-allergic siblings – to enjoy the summer camp experience with no worries about allergic reactions. Teens with food allergies and teen siblings ages 14+ can apply to be counselors and receive community service hours for their time during the week.

For teen counselors: Teens receive community service hours for their time, which averages about 35-40 hours for the week. There is an application process. Teen counselors will be notified once applications are reviewed. There is a $125 activity fee for teen counselors.

Register today for the Camp TAG nearest you:

Lebanon, OH: June 5-9, 2023, at YMCA Camp Kern
Nashville, TN: June 26-30, 2023, at YMCA Camp Widjiwagan
Huguenot, NY: July 31-August 4, 2023, at YMCA Camp Huguenot

Can't make one of the in-person camps? Join FAACT's Virtual Camp TAG July 17-21. All details are on our website.

We hope you can join us for a fun-filled summer.

Don't miss out – spots are filling up fast!

Your Input Needed on Epinephrine Nasal Spray

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing a new drug application for neffy^® – a new epinephrine nasal spray to treat patients with allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Patient feedback is an important part of this process.

Would a non-injectable form of epinephrine help your family? Let FDA know!

Share your comments online through the regulations.gov website.
Submit written comments to Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD, 20852.

FDA needs to hear from you before April 27, 2023. Please take a minute to share your family's food allergy and anaphylaxis story with FDA and tell them how you would benefit from alternatives to injectable epinephrine. Content you might include:

How food allergies affect your daily life
Your experiences treating allergic reactions
Your experiences using epinephrine auto-injectors
Any experiences in which you avoided or delayed administering epinephrine
What a needle-free epinephrine option would mean for your family

You can read more about this medication under development on the ARS Pharmaceuticals website.

Start Planning Today for the 2023-2024
School Year

Every child has the right to safely and equally participate in school activities alongside non-allergic children. One of the best ways to make this happen is to advocate for your child's rights well before the start of the next school year – in other words, now!

Visit FAACT's Civil Rights Advocacy Resource Center for resources and documents to help you get started. FAACT's Civil Rights Advocacy Resource Center staff are also available to answer your questions FREE of charge and assist you in seeking accommodations for your child at school.

Because laws vary by jurisdiction and agency policies vary by state and locality, local professionals are often the best experts on these varying laws and policies. FAACT can help you find local civil rights professionals as well.

For questions or more information, please contact FAACT Vice President of Civil Rights Advocacy, Amelia Smith at Amelia.Smith@FoodAllergyAwareness.org.

Passover and Easter Crossword Puzzles and
Word Searches

You won't want to miss FAACT's festive and educational Passover- and Easter-themed crossword puzzles and word searches. These are fun puzzles to do at home with your family or share with your child's classmates and friends.

Download our free Passover and Easter crossword puzzles and word searches!

Enjoy!

Springtime Is Teal Time
by Caroline Moassessi, FAACT's Vice President of Community Relations

Snuggled in my old but favorite blanket, sipping my morning coffee and gazing out the window at the snow-covered mountains, I noticed a small tulip plant fighting its way out of the earth. Determined to announce Spring, the tiny plant is working brightly on waking my yard with spring color and new life. At first glance, my yard looks conflicted with snow on the mountains and dormant rose bushes rooted deep in soil while our elm trees bloom. This doesn't dampen my spirit at all. I know new life, color, and serenity will be coming to me and my yard soon, and I'm excited and ready for this spring season to unfold.

Our teal life with food allergies mimics Spring. Like the tulips, we push through to awaken our teal skills as we emerge into exciting teal days ahead full of sports, picnics, and outdoor gatherings. Springtime is the perfect time to hold Back-to-School and college accommodation meetings for the upcoming school year; brainstorm Food Allergy Awareness Week and Month plans; and refresh personal or family protocol for food allergy management. It's time to water the teal garden and reap the benefits of a successful teal life waiting to burst out in full color.

Read our full blog here...

FAACT's Roundtable Podcast: Where the Latest Conversations are Found

Stay up to date on the most talked-about news and tips for living with food allergies. Discover the latest information, including back-to-school accommodations from legal experts, Covid-19 vaccinations and food allergies, mental health, and much more.

ICYMI, our recent podcasts include:

Ep. 155: FPIES Basics
Ep. 154: What is Eosinophil-Associated Disease?
Ep. 153: Prior Authorization for Patients with Food Allergies and Related Conditions

Download FAACT's Roundtable Podcast here. You can also find FAACT's Roundtable Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, Podcast Chaser, Deezer, Tune-In, Alexa, and Listen Notes.

Subscribe, share, and leave us a review!

Inclusion Matters

The DEI Slowdown and You
by Aleasa Word, FAACT VP of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

There is a saying many of us have heard so often that it has become cliché. The term "keep it pushing" is used when people want to get past something (or someone) that may drag them down or if they feel like their motivation is slowing.

Working in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) space, I have heard quite a bit of buzz about "diversity work" slowing down – as if the idea of a diverse world is something you can put on a shelf. According to a recent story in the Washington Times, available DEI jobs dropped 19 percent in 2022. What does this mean for us in the food allergy community? It means we CAN'T STOP, WON'T STOP, fighting for inclusion!

We are stronger together, but we must do the work, and it starts as well as continues with people like you and me.

Read the full blog in FAACT's 'Inclusion Matters' section of our
DEI Resource Center.

Chef Diego's Corner

Chef Diego Baraona is an executive chef and culinary instructor and formerly the Culinary Manager of the Bionutritional Kitchen at Mount Sinai Health System in the Clinical Research Unit for Pediatric Allergy Research. Chef Diego has created hundreds of allergy-friendly recipes for families – like this one!

Check out his latest recipe!

Spicy Pineapple with Red Cabbage

I love this salad. It has a blend of spicy, sweet, and acidic flavors. Roasting the pineapple adds another dimension of flavor to the salad.

Ingredients:

1 pineapple, peeled. (I truly recommend buying an organic pineapple because most pineapples are full of pesticides.) Remove the core and cut the pineapple into small, bite-sized pieces.
1/4 of a head of red cabbage, shredded thin
1 serrano pepper or jalapeño, minced (if you want to make it less spicy, remove the seeds and white veins)
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Lay pineapple pieces on a baking sheet.
Lightly coat pineapple with a bit of olive oil. Roast pineapple until it begins to brown – around 20 minutes.
Let the pineapple cool.
In a bowl, combine the pineapple, cabbage, and all other ingredients.
Using a spatula, mix all ingredients.

Enjoy!

Chef Diego contributes an allergy-friendly recipe each month in our e-newsletter. You can follow Chef Diego on Instagram at @chefbaraona to see more of his amazing, allergen-friendly recipes.

FAACT Partnership with MedicAlert Foundation

Safety and preparedness are at the heart of each food allergy emergency plan. During an anaphylactic emergency, immediate access to contacts, insurance, and information about other health conditions are often needed. Services linked to identification jewelry are top choices for many people living with food allergies.

FAACT partnered with the MedicAlert Foundation to help raise food allergy and anaphylaxis awareness. Our partnership includes collaborating on educational resources, internal call center training with MedicAlert staff, webinars, and more.

As a special gift to FAACT families, new MedicAlert subscribers will receive 20% off their new subscription service order. Use promo code: FAACT20. Visit MedicAlert to subscribe today!

Subscribe for FAACT's Alerts and Recalls

Sign up for FAACT's Alerts and Recalls to receive the latest information on food allergen-related recalls of FDA-regulated products. You can also search our recall archives by specific allergens at any time.

FAACT will only post recalls and alerts reported by FDA, USDA, and manufacturers regarding the top 8 food allergens recognized by FDA (soon to be top 9, including sesame). FAACT will not post non-food items, with the exception of medications, under the advisement of our Medical Advisory Board.

Subscribe today on FAACT's Alerts Page.

More About FAACT

Food allergies affect as many as 32 million Americans, including 6 million children. The prevalence of food allergies appears to be increasing among children under the age of 18, and there is NO cure! FAACT's mission is to educate, advocate, and raise awareness for all individuals and families affected by food allergies and life-threatening anaphylaxis. FAACT is also your voice for food allergy awareness, from keeping children safe at school to dealing with workplace issues or simply taking the family out for a bite to eat. Managing a food allergy on a daily basis involves constant vigilance. FAACT is here to support you in managing your food allergies – today, tomorrow, and into the future.

For more information, please visit us at www.FoodAllergyAwareness.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Contact us directly via Email.