Managing FA’s During Covid-19

[GoingNuts]

Join Us for FARE's First Virtual Symposium
Managing Food Allergies During COVID-19

Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET

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Co-Chairs
Denise and Dave Bunning
Talia and Andrew Day
Louise Matthews and Tom Flickinger
Antoinette and Michael Griffith   
Kim and Alan Hartman
Helen and David Jaffe
Rebecca and Sacha Lainovic
Wende Fox Lawson and Jim Lawson
Cari and Michael Sacks
Karin and Dean Teglia


"Alone. Together." That has been used to describe life during COVID-19. But, as part of the Food Allergy Community, you are never alone. At FARE, our mission is to be the voice of the patient – even while we are practicing social distancing.

We are excited to announce our first ever virtual symposium, Managing Food Allergies during COVID-19. In response to the current environment, we have focused our content to help our community best respond to the difficult circumstances. We'll explore:

How to manage anaphylaxis during a pandemic
How to access safe foods when shelves are bare
COVID-19's impact on clinical practice and drug development

Panelists
Giselle Mosnaim, MD, MSc
Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn, MD, PhD
Carina Venter, PhD, RD

Moderated by
Thomas B. Casale, MD

With a Special Welcome From
Lisa Gable
Chief Executive Officer, FARE


Please send questions for our panelists in advance to: specialevents@foodallergy.org.


About the Panelists


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Giselle Mosnaim, MD, MSc

Dr. Giselle Mosnaim is an Allergist and Immunologist in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care in the Department of Medicine at NorthShore University HealthSystem. She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.





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Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn, MD, PhD

Dr. Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the Director of the Pediatric Allergy Program at Hessenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone. She is one of the few pediatricians worldwide who is board certified in allergy and immunology.





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Carina Venter, PhD, RD

Dr. Carina Venter is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Section of Allergy/Immunology at the Children's Hospital Colorado and University of Colorado School of Medicine, where she conducts research in allergy prevention and works with children with food allergies.



About the Moderator


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Thomas B. Casale, MD

Dr. Thomas Casale is Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and Chief of Clinical and Translational Research at the University of South Florida. He is FARE's Chief Medical Advisor for Operations and former president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

[GoingNuts]

From Medscape:

Kids With Food Allergies the Newest Victims of COVID-19?

Gary J. Stadtmauer, MD
DISCLOSURES June 08, 2020
0   ADD TO EMAIL ALERTS
Food insecurity is not knowing how you will get your next meal. This pandemic has led to a lot of it, especially as a result of massive unemployment. Now imagine being in that situation with a food-allergic child. It would be frightening.

There is always a level of anxiety for parents of food-allergic children, but the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-mandated labeling of food allergens has helped to allay some of those concerns. Shopping can feel safer, even if it's not foolproof.
Now, that fear for the safety of food-allergic children is going to be compounded by the FDA's latest announcement, made at the behest of the food industry.
Disruptions in the food supply chain due to the COVID-19 pandemic have created some problems for the food industry. The industry sought—and received—relief from the FDA; they are now allowing some ingredient substitutions without mandating a change in labeling. These changes were made without opportunity for public comment, according to the FDA, because of the exigency of the situation. Furthermore, the changes may stay in effect for an indeterminate period of time after the pandemic is deemed under control.

Labeling of gluten and the major eight allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, soy, wheat, fish, and crustacean shellfish) cannot change under the new guidelines. The FDA also advised "consideration" of major food allergens recognized in other countries (sesame, celery, lupin, buckwheat, molluscan shellfish, and mustard). Of these, lupin is known to cross-react with peanut, and sesame seed allergy is increasingly prevalent. In fact, the FDA has considered adding it to the list of major allergens.
Meanwhile, according to this temporary FDA policy, substitutions should be limited to no more than 2% of the weight of the final product unless it is a variety of the same ingredient. The example provided is substitution of one type of mushroom for another, but even that could be an issue for the rare patient. And what if this is misinterpreted—as will surely happen somewhere—and one seed is substituted for another?
A friend of mine is a pediatrician and mother of a child who is allergic to sesame, peanuts, tree nuts, and garbanzo beans. Naturally, she had grave concerns about these changes. She also wondered what the liability would be for the food manufacturing company in the current situation despite the FDA notice, which seems like a valid point. It is worth noting that at the very top of this FDA notice are the words "Contains Nonbinding Recommendations," so manufacturers may want to think twice about how they approach this. A minority of companies have pledged to relabel foods if necessary. Meanwhile, without any alert in advance, it is now up to patients and their physicians to sort out the attendant risks.
The FDA should have advised or mandated that food manufacturers give notice to online and physical retailers of ingredient changes. A simple sign in front of a display or alert online would be a very reasonable solution and pose no burden to those involved. It should be self-evident that mistakes always happen, especially under duress, and that the loosening of these regulations will have unintended consequences. To the severe problem of food insecurity, we can add one more concern for the parents of allergic children: food-allergen insecurity.
Gary J. Stadtmauer, MD, is an allergist-immunologist in New York City. His areas of clinical interest include asthma, eczema, chronic cough, and sinusitis. He has been a Medscape contributor since 2014.