Be prepared and confident for fall with our 2024 back-to-school campaign. Spread awareness of all allergens through our #MoreThanPeanuts social media campaign and check out our resources and tips to get ready for the new school year. Find out about the changes in ALLERJECT® auto-injector availability. Learn about our “All about food allergy” student program. Plus, register now for upcoming events and webinars and get our end of the summer tips and how to stay allergy-aware in these last hazy dazy days of summer!
Be prepared and confident for the new school year
The new school year is around the corner, and we want to help you and your family be prepared and confident. Check out our 2024 back-to-school campaign for tips, resources, and more for navigating food allergy with confidence.
Plus, help create public awareness for all food allergies with our #MoreThanPeanuts social media campaign. This campaign is all about creating awareness with the public that food allergy goes beyond only peanut allergy. Scroll below to learn more about it.
As the fall brings new routines, ensure you are prepared.
Have you made your annual allergist appointment, do you need to get your auto-injectors renewed? Check out our tips and resources on getting prepared. Plus check out our videos to discover how epinephrine works to treat reactions.
Plus, check out our tips and reminders and get prepared today.
Check out our fun and informative hacks for back-to-school with food allergy.
Share our #FoodAllergyHacks on social media to spread food allergy awareness and education.
Prepare for the new school year with our tools and resources. Watch our educational videos, take a free AllergyAware.ca course, download our back-to-school checklists, tip sheets, and more!
Don’t miss out on our upcoming webinars to help you get confident and prepared for #BackToSchool.
The first one is on August 28th!
Sponsors
Thank you to the sponsors of our back-to-school campaign! With their generous support, we can educate and create awareness around the seriousness of food allergy. Be sure to check out their special offers for our community!
Share our #MoreThanPeanuts social posts
Help create public awareness with our #MoreThanPeanuts social media campaign!
Anaphylactic reactions can occur because people are unaware of other food allergens beyond peanut, and the same precautions may not be taken.
For instance, milk allergy and wheat allergy can be challenging as many foods that you may not expect contain milk and/or wheat ingredients. There is also confusion between milk allergy and lactose intolerance, and between wheat allergy and sensitivity or intolerance to gluten.
Our #MoreThanPeanuts campaign focuses on supporting all food allergies, highlighting the importance of knowing what’s in the food you eat and/or share with others.
Learn more about the campaign, share the social posts, and help us create conversations across the country! Plus a special thank you to EpiPen®, Peanut Bureau of Canada, and Chapman’s Ice Cream for their support of this campaign!
Update: ALLERJECT® auto-injector availability
Drug Shortages Canada has reported a shortage of ALLERJECT® auto-injectors in Canada due to supply constraints. This shortage impacts both the 0.3mg and 0.15mg doses. We contacted Valeo, the Canadian distributor for ALLERJECT, to learn more about the supply constraints and the impact to Canadians.
Unfortunately, Valeo has advised that this supply constraint will not be a temporary issue, and ALLERJECT is likely to be indefinitely out of supply once the current stock runs out. Valeo cannot, at this moment, provide specific timelines for a potential return of normal supply.
Read our full update, including what we are doing, and what you should do if you have an ALLERJECT auto-injector.
Register now for August and September webinars and events
As part of our back-to-school campaign, we have several webinars and events planned to help you and your family be prepared and confident for the fall.
| Session | Date/time | Register |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment of anaphylaxis — removing barriers to using epinephrine | August 28, 2024 12:30-1:30pm EDT | Register now |
| Psychosocial aspects of managing food allergy | September 6, 2024 12-1pm EDT | Register now |
| Food intolerance vs food allergy – what’s the difference between them | September 30, 2024 12-1pm EDT | Register now |
| Allergy Pals and Allies fall sessions | Starts September 21st | Register now |
Visit foodallergycanada.ca/events for more webinars and events, including our newly diagnosed webinars and details on support group meetings!
Share with teachers: All about food allergy student program
“All about food allergy” is our free, medically-reviewed and curriculum-linked program that will help develop the knowledge and skills students need to support the health and well-being of self and others.
When food allergy is a topic in classroom discussions, students gain a better understanding of what it is, how to prevent reactions from happening, and how they can build inclusivity by supporting their classmates living with the condition.
Learn more about our program at foodallergycanada.ca/SchoolProgram and share the information with teachers at your school.
Award winners: Congratulations to the 2024 Sabrina Shannon Memorial Award recipients
The Sabrina Shannon Memorial Award is a Food Allergy Canada sponsored award, made possible through funding from a grant through TD Securities Underwriting Hope Foundation.
Two individuals in post-secondary school who have contributed significantly to the Canadian food allergy community are selected for a $1,000 award. The award is dedicated to the life of Sabrina Shannon.
This year, our winners are Vanessa Gilmore and Sienna Campbell-Appiah. We commend them for their strong commitment to raising allergy awareness and educating others.
Tips for the last days of summer into fall
Check out our tips to stay allergy aware while enjoying the remaining days of summer and heading into fall.
Barbeques
Be sure to clean the grill thoroughly between making meals. It’s a great idea to use foil to wrap food or a clean grilling tray to separate food from the grill to help prevent cross-contamination. It’s also important to read the ingredient lists of marinades, seasonings, and sauces as they can contain allergens – some you may not be expecting! Find other ideas for hosting an allergy-friendly get-together from our tips sheet.
Beverages
While cold drinks can be a refreshing way to beat the heat, it’s important to know what’s in a drink before the first sip is taken. Read the ingredient lists of beverages, including alcoholic ones.
For the adults – be aware that there are liqueurs which contain allergens, such as almond or hazelnut, and some wines are processed using fining agents that may include fish, milk or eggs – ingredients you may not expect! If ordering a drink, ask about its ingredients and how it will be prepared. For a mixed drink, it’s best to have it made in a fresh, clean mixer to avoid cross-contamination.
Keep your auto-injectors handy and temperature controlled
Whether you’re heading to a pool, picnic, party or other summer outing, have your epinephrine auto-injectors handy and kept at room temperature. Epinephrine can lose its effectiveness in extreme heat, so keep devices in the shade to protect them. Additionally, stay current with your auto-injectors and replace them by their expiration dates. Learn more about epinephrine and download our patient sheet.
Keep pollen food allergy syndrome in mind
If you have seasonal allergies, you might find that your mouth and throat become itchy when you eat certain fresh fruits or vegetables. This may be pollen food allergy syndrome (PFAS), also known as oral allergy syndrome (OAS).
PFAS symptoms can be experienced at any time of the year, but symptoms may be worse during pollen seasons, such as ragweed season which occurs in late summer into the fall. Check out our section on PFAS.
Tags: Allerject, Back to school, more than peanuts, PFAS, Sabrina Shannon Award winners, Tips for fall and summer