Private MD News

Organization to raise food allergy awareness

Category: Allergy Testing

A national nonprofit organization has collaborated with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in an effort to warn restaurant workers about possible food allergies they may not realize they have.

The Food Allergy Initiative, which is dedicated to finding a cure for life-threatening food allergies, will create an educational poster, which will be displayed in restaurants citywide.

City council member Jessica Lappin sponsored the bill, which was signed into law this week.

"This poster will be a simple, cost-effective resource that will help servers and preparers detect hidden ingredients and prevent cross-contamination - the number one cause of food allergic-reactions in restaurants," Lappin said.

According to the organization, food allergies affect more than 12 million Americans, many of which can suffer deadly reactions from a small amount of food.

One way to combat such a reaction is to get food allergy testing, which can determine if a person is allergic to such foods as fish, peanuts and wheat.

There is no cure for food allergies, suggesting the best line of defense is to determine what foods may be dangerous for some people through a lab test.