Dairy Free Kids

Wegmans Food Markets, Inc., is recalling “Wegmans Italian Classics
Seasoned Tomato Sauce” due to undeclared milk.

The recalled product was distributed in Wegmans stores in Maryland, New
Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The product would have been
available between Saturday, November 15 and Thursday, November 20, 2008.

The 24-oz. product comes in a clear pouch with a “use by date” of 11/26/08
and UPC 77890 79010.

Consumers may return the product to the place of purchase for a full
refund. Consumers with questions may call (800) 934-6267, ext. 4760.

Seattle’s Favorite Gourmet Cookies & Dessert Co. is recalling
“Orange Cranberry and Banana Nut Muffin Tops” due to undeclared milk.

The products were distributed nationwide in coffee shops, espresso stands,
and retail outlets.

The products are individually wrapped in clear plastic with a black
printed label.

Consumers can return these products to the place of purchase
for a refund. Consumers with questions may call (866) 203-5588.

PANOS Brands is recalling “Vegan Rella Cheddar Block” due to undeclared
milk.

The product was distributed through grocery and natural stores nationally.

The product comes in 8-oz. packages with UPC 037983 000154
and a “sell by” date of 12/09/2008.

Consumers may return the product to the place of purchase for a full
refund. Consumers with questions may call (800) 494-8839, ext. 425.

Here is a study conducted by Dr. Joshi at the Children’s Hospital in Westmead Australia. The disturbing results of this study were that those individuals with dairy allergies were the most confused about reading labels that contained milk or milk derivities.

I will be posting a printable PDF card that you can take with you to the grocery store or hand out at school that lists dairy ingredients to be avoided. You can read the ingredient list in the related topics at the bottom of this article.

Background: To avoid allergic reactions, food-allergic consumers depend on the ingredient labels of commercial products. Complex ingredient terminology (eg, casein and whey for milk) and label ambiguities (eg, natural flavor and may contain peanut ) might compromise the ability of patients/parents to determine the safety of particular products.

Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to determine the accuracy of label reading among parents of food-allergic children. Methods: Parents of children on restricted diets attending our referral center were asked to review a group of 23 food labels taken from widely available commercial products. For each label, each parent/parent pair was asked to indicate whether the product was safe for the allergic child and, if it was not, which foods restricted from the child’s diet were in the product.

Results: There were 91 participants. Peanut was the most commonly restricted food (82 children), followed by milk, egg, soy, and wheat (60, 45, 27 and 16 children, respectively). Identification of milk and soy was the most problematic: only 4 (7%) of 60 parents correctly identified all 14 labels that indicated milk, and only 6 (22%) of 27 parents correctly identified soy protein in 7 products. Peanut was correctly identified in 5 products by 44 (54%) of the 82 parents restricting peanut. Wheat (10 labels) and egg (7 labels) were correctly identified by most parents (14/16 and 42/45, respectively). Correct label identification was associated with prior instruction by a dietitian.

Conclusions: With current labeling practices, most parents are unable to identify common allergenic food ingredients. These results strongly support the need for improved labeling with plain-English terminology and allergen warnings as well as the need for diligent education of patients about reading labels. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2002;109:1019-21.)

Read the full article at the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Here is some additional information from the ongoing study at Johns Hopkins, which describes the effects of ingesting milk powder to overcome a dairy allergy. Keep in mind that the sample size is extremely small and that these findings are preliminary. However, it does give those suffering with such allergies a possible therapy to overcoming them instead of the current therapy, which is to abstain and hope that at some point in the future the body will not react to cow’s milk protein in the system.

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 5 (HealthDay News) — Consuming increasingly higher doses of powdered milk may help children with milk allergies overcome their condition, a new study suggests.

In the double-blinded, placebo-controlled study of milk immunotherapy, all 12 children receiving milk powder daily significantly increased their tolerance of milk after four months, from no more than 40 milligrams to at least 2,540 milligrams (2.5 ounces). Meanwhile, the seven children receiving a placebo powder showed no improvement.

The findings were published in the Oct. 28 print edition of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The study was conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and Duke University.

“Our findings suggest that oral immunotherapy gradually retrains the immune system to completely disregard or to better tolerate the allergens in milk that previously caused allergic reactions,” study senior investigator Dr. Robert Wood, director of Allergy and Immunology at Hopkins Children’s, said in a hospital news release. “Albeit preliminary and requiring further study, these results suggest that oral immunotherapy may be the closest thing yet to a true treatment for food allergy.”

Link to full article on HealthCentral

Link to abstract/full text of study

If you have a dairy allergy, there is one thing that you desperately need - a milk-free chocolate chip cookie recipie! The following cookie recipie makes not only the most delicious-tasting chocolate chip cookies in the universe, but there are no eggs, so you know what that means - edible COOKIE DOUGH! Yes, you can take this recipie and combine it with your favorite brand of vanilla soy ice-cream and - BLAMMO - you have probably the most delicious cookie dough ice cream in the universe!

These cookies and cookie-dough ice-cream treats are also very tempting to those without a dairy allergy, so be warned. As always, eating the entire batch of delicious chocolate chip cookies can be bad for your tummy, so try to save some for the kids!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips [such as TropicalSource]
• 1 stick soy margerine [such as Earth Balance]
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine margarine with sugar. Add flour, vanilla and baking soda.
3. Combine baking powder, vinegar and water in a separate bowl.
   When this mixture foams up, add it to your mixing bowl.
4. Mix well by hand and add chocolate chips.
5. Drop teaspoons of batter onto cookie sheet and bake for 10-14 minutes, until golden brown.
6. Enjoy!