Discover our advocacy efforts with the National School Food Program and with the foodservice industry. Have your say and share your experiences in navigating safe food choices for you or your child. Find out the latest research that was presented last week at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Plus, check out our mythbuster on oral allergy syndrome (OAS) / pollen food allergy syndrome (PFAS).
Advocacy in action: Championing the inclusion of students with food allergy in Canada’s National School Food Program
Following the federal government’s launch of the National School Food Program last year, several provinces including Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Northwest Territories have chosen to participate.
As part of our ongoing advocacy to ensure students with food allergy can fully participate in the program, we are focusing our efforts on outreaching to each province as they enroll.
We have since met with the Ministry staff in Newfoundland & Labrador, Ontario and Manitoba to offer our support to help educate school staff and foodservice providers on best practices for minimizing risks to students with food allergy.
You can count on us to ensure your voice is at the table. We’ll continue to follow the developments of this program as it rolls out and keep you updated on our discussions.
Advocacy in action: Advancing allergen awareness in foodservice
In February, we launched a groundbreaking pilot project with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health in Ontario and Université Laval to enhance food allergy education within foodservice. This initiative explores how public health inspectors can raise awareness about food allergy during routine restaurant inspections by sharing our Think Food Allergy resources. We’ve also shared the details of this project with the Ministry of Health and Public Health Ontario to enhance awareness.
Through training by Food Allergy Canada on allergen management and communication, inspectors are now equipped to guide food businesses in creating safer dining experiences.
Following the pilot, we plan to engage additional health units nationwide to implement similar initiatives.
We thank Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health for leading this pioneering effort, making a meaningful impact on allergen awareness in local restaurants. We are excited for the broader industry influence and future expansion of this initiative!
Research: Your voice matters: Participate in a research study on navigating safe food choices – Survey ends on March 17th!
We are proud to be part of a global task force with the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) to better understand the challenges faced by individuals and families living with food allergy.
Your voice matters: Take the survey to help us create meaningful change.
By participating in this quick online survey, your insights will be invaluable in understanding the real-life challenges and concerns that families and individuals face when trying to stay safe.
This research will help guide the development of future outreach, and educational and support strategies to address unmet needs. Your experience can help us create meaningful change that will benefit the entire food allergy community.
The deadline to participate in this study is March 17, 2025. Take the survey now and make your voice heard!
Research roundup from the latest medical conference, AAAAI 2025
Below is research that was presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) last week.
New developments in treatments
Omalizumab (Xolair®) is superior to oral immunotherapy in multi-food allergy treatment
Researchers compared omalizumab (Xolair®) and oral immunotherapy (OIT) to evaluate differences in their effectiveness for treating multi-food allergy. Both treatments are to help protect against accidental exposure to foods. Omalizumab is a biologic given as an injection under the skin and OIT is when small amounts of a food allergen are eaten in gradually increasing doses under medical supervision.
Food allergy treatment with omalizumab resulted in better outcomes with fewer adverse effects than OIT according to new research.
Long term use of peanut patch shows increased benefit over time
73% of participants using VIASKIN® peanut patch responded well to treatment. The lead author of the study noted, “I am pleased with the long-term results generated from the PEOPLE open-label extension study with the VIASKIN® peanut patch. It is promising that more than 73% of participants were treatment responders, especially in an adolescent patient population, with two-thirds consuming 3-4 peanuts at month 60. We know that VIASKIN® peanut patch is a well-tolerated product with a promising safety profile, which is further supported by an average treatment compliance of 93% of participants up to 5 years. In line with other allergen immunotherapies, these data show that increased benefit is achieved over time,” said David M. Fleischer, MD, FAAAAI.
Peanut oral immunotherapy using store-bought, home-measured products is effective for children with high-threshold peanut allergy
For children with high threshold peanut allergy, oral immunotherapy using store-bought and home-measured peanut products provided significantly higher rates of desensitization compared to peanut avoiders.
The lead author noted, “Studies for treatment of peanut allergy, such as omalizumab and oral, sublingual or epicutaneous immunotherapy have typically focused on those with a low threshold of reaction, less than one peanut. Our study uniquely addressed those with a higher threshold, representing about half of those with a peanut allergy and conveniently used store-bought, home-measured peanut. We were excited to see incredibly high success rates of participants tolerating a serving size of peanut, even after a period without daily dosing. The approach was safe and very inexpensive and could be applied to select patients with careful allergist supervision,” said Scott H. Sicherer, MD, FAAAAI.
Psychosocial impacts
Food allergies in children associated with risk of anxieties and bullying
According to new research many children with food allergies experience psychosocial burdens associated with food-allergy related bullying and anxiety.
“Our study findings highlight that it is important for allergists and pediatricians to screen for food allergy-related bullying, as it is associated with elevated concerns in other child and parental food allergy-related psychosocial functioning domains,” said Ianthe Schepel, BMBCh, MPhil, MS, senior resident in pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital.
FPIES
Egg and peanut shown to be emerging FPIES triggers
Eggs and peanuts have become emerging triggers in food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) patients according to two new studies. The study notes: “In the sample of 952 pediatric patients with FPIES, the largest multicenter registry to date, 19% were found to have egg-induced FPIES, with a median age of developing the allergy by 8 months old. Of these patients, 51.4% were female, 76.8% were White and 74% of were non-Hispanic. Researchers found that 25.4% of patients eventually achieved tolerance to egg with a median age of 31.5 months.”
Mythbuster: Do oral allergy syndrome (OAS)/pollen food allergy syndrome (PFAS) symptoms only happen during pollen season?
FACT: No, not necessarily. With OAS/PFAS, the proteins in certain fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts are similar to those in pollens, and this “cross-reactivity” can cause allergic symptoms like itchiness of the mouth and throat. Symptoms of OAS/PFAS can happen all year long, although sometimes people notice more severe symptoms during pollen season.
