The average American person eats outside of the house three times a week. American restaurants, including fast food and full-service restaurants generate profits of roughly 558 billion dollars each year. And as of 2010, the job of “food preparation worker,” more commonly known as a waiter, is one of the careers most in demand in the country (Trends and Forecasts). Today, the United Sates is the heart of the world’s restaurant industry. Eating out at restaurants is embedded into the American culture, and this trend is strikingly visible in virtually any public place in any American city. People all over the world are accustomed to the routine of entering a restaurant, being directed to a table, closely examining menus, conversing with waiters, ordering a meal of choice, and, more often than not, enjoying it. For most people, this process is simple; it’s a given. But, for some people, it’s not as simple. For some people, like me for instance, it is necessary to know exactly what is in the food. These people have food allergies. I am allergic to all food items containing dairy, egg, nut, bean, and poultry ingredients. For me, eating at a restaurant is a struggle, to say the least. I have to know what goes into everything that I eat to avoid a reaction. Allergic reactions can range from a mild stomach upset to anaphylactic shock, the most severe type of reaction that causes blood pressure to drop and difficulty in breathing. In extreme situations, allergic reactions are fatal (Types of Allergic Reactions).
On my 10th birthday, I visited a local family restaurant chain, and, despite my parents’ warnings to the wait staff, I was served a meal in which my steak dinner was battered in egg protein. Within minutes, I was sent into anaphylactic shock and taken to the emergency room. It was not exactly how I had pictured my 10th birthday. This is a serious issue that affects a large portion of the population but is something that is overlooked and misunderstood by the general population. In an effort to combat this growing issue, on January 4th, 2011, President Obama signed the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act (FAAMA), a piece of legislation that will result in the creation of national food allergy management guidelines for schools. After five years of pending in the U.S. Congress, this act was primarily created to bring awareness to the severity of food allergies (Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act Becomes Law). FAAMA, while one step closer in supporting this cause, is still insufficient in completely eradicating the fatal potential that this issue has. Food allergies are a growing concern that affect a large portion of the population of the United States, and unfortunately, there is currently no cure (About Food Allergy). For this reason, rules like FAAMA ought to be instilled and expanded to eradicate the severity of the consequences associated with food allergies in public places.
Over 12 million people just in the United States have at least one life-threatening food allergy (Healthy Youth). Food allergies occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks a food protein, triggering the sudden release of chemicals like histamine, resulting in symptoms of an allergic reaction. The symptoms can be very mild or very severe ranging from rashes, hives, and itching to wheezing, trouble with breathing, and loss of consciousness, and potentially fatal (Types of Allergic Reactions). Robert Pacenza, the Executive Director of the Food Allergy Initiative, a nonprofit fundraising organization for allergy research, stated in a recent speech to elected officials in New York, "If a food-allergic child accidentally ingests even a miniscule trace of the wrong food, it can trigger a reaction that can kill within minutes,” An accident in a restaurant kitchen, a school cafeteria, or manufacturing factory could cross-contaminate food, even the slightest bit, and immediately lead to death (Pacenza). Food allergy reactions are the leading cause of anaphylaxis and are responsible for an estimated 150 deaths and 50,000 emergency room visits each year (Healthy Youth). More than any other group of the population, children have the highest risk rate of fatal allergies, as many people are known to grow out of their allergies with age. Millions of children suffer severe allergies, and, understandably, being the age group least capable of caring for themselves, have the most severe reactions. Out of the 12 million Americans that have at least one food allergy, three million are children, under the age of 18, who have two or more food allergies (About Food Allergy). A recent study by the American Academy of Allergies and Asthma indicated that hospitalizations resulting in food allergy diagnoses for children have also increased at a steady rate of eight percent between 1997 to now. Additionally, the number of people with food allergies in the US is increasing steadily. From 1995 to now, the incidence of reported food allergies among children under eighteen years of age has increased eighteen percent (Healthy Youth). To put that in to perspective, that is millions of people who put their lives at risk constantly, just by eating outside of their own house. Disregarding such an impactful issue has the power to kill. And, sadly, before FAAMA, nearly no action was taken to stop it.
Recognizing that food allergies are a growing public health concern, President Obama’s instigation of FAAMA, if anything, is bringing attention to this deserved issue. FAAMA was designed to help schools provide quicker responses to food allergy emergencies and will help teachers better respond to students with severe food allergies. Schools, particularly at the elementary level, will be encouraged to tighten their rules in their school cafeterias, and faculty and staff are encouraged to educate themselves about the importance food allergy care (Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act Becomes Law). A setback with the legislation, however, appears with its inclusion of so-called “voluntary” procedures. The bill calls for “voluntary allergy management guidelines for schools across the United States”; schools are not obligated to incorporate FAAMA’s guidelines, only encouraged. FAAMA has been making its way into several states in the past few years. For example, on May 14, 2009, former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter signed the “Colorado School Children’s Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act.” This act, virtually identical to the FAAMA legislation signed in January, unfortunately has not made any significant progress at Colorado schools in the last few years, possibly because of the open-ended, optional guidelines (Senator Colorado Governor Ritter Signs Bill to Help Kids with Food Allergies). Chris Dodd, upon the signing of the bill in January, said “All of our nation's children deserve a safe and healthy learning environment. The bill being signed into law today is an important step toward providing relief for the children and families of those who struggle daily with food allergies. As a parent of a child who suffers from severe food allergies, I know firsthand the distress this can cause young children and their families.” As the number of children with food allergies continues to rise, FAAMA will establish guidelines for the management of food allergies in schools - protecting the well-being of millions of children with life-threatening allergies (About Food Allergy). At most, FAAMA is currently making an impact solely by creating awareness, which, while still important, is not sufficient.
FAAMA is too constricted as it is limited only to schools. People with food allergies should be able to eat safely in other public places as well. The first restaurant in the United States was opened in 1794 (Trends and Forecasts). Since then, over two hundred years later, there still has been no significant effort to include such a large portion of the population that does not fit in to the current restaurant clientele. Robert Ambrogi, a lawyer and active blogger, told a story via his blog on January 1, 2009, about an unlabeled cookie at a restaurant that nearly killed his teenage son. The waiter at this particular restaurant specifically told Ambrogi the cookie was peanut-free. But, only one bite of this cookie sent his son into an anaphylactic shock and required him to be taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital (Ambrogi). Similarly, on March 18, 2011, a Chicago family whose daughter Katelyn died last year after having an allergic reaction to peanuts at a school party filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Chinese restaurant that provided the meal, claiming the student's teacher told the restaurant to avoid peanut products but was ignored (Hood). The stories are endless. Like my allergic reaction, these reactions resulted solely from the lack of knowledge about food allergies. When the people serving food are unaware of its contents, there are dire consequences. Out of all 50 states in the country, Massachusetts has emerged as the only leader in food allergy awareness outside of just schools, covered in FAAMA. In February of 2010, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed a law for restaurants, one that is not voluntary but mandatory. The law requires all Massachusetts restaurants to one, display a food allergy awareness poster in the staff area that lists common allergies and protocol for serving food to a customer with a known allergy, two, post a notice on menus that reads, "Before placing your order please inform your server if a person in your party has a food allergy," and three, train all restaurant staffers in food allergen safety. In addition, the restaurant manager must watch a training video developed by the National Restaurant Association and must renew the restaurant’s certification every five years (Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act Becomes Law). It is rules like this that make the difference and could have the power to not ruin my birthday, avoid Ambrogi’s son’s reaction, and save the Chicago teenager and the few hundred allergic people who lose their lives each year.
With not much effort, these life threatening reactions can easily be prevented. FAAMA is timely and may help many children with allergies in schools but similar provisions for restaurants and all public places should exist as well. I spent the remainder of my birthday and the following day in the emergency room. Fortunately I recovered relatively quickly, as compared to most allergic people. For others with similar severe food allergies, good luck like mine on this instance is rare. I almost lost my life that day because of the lack of understanding and/or carelessness of the restaurant. Allergies are a serious issue. With so many people suffering, there needs to be a protection around it. Restaurants, school cafeterias, and all public places overlook the growing issue food allergies and fail to understand its consequences. FAAMA is aimed to conquer this issue but must also be accompanied by legislation encompassing restaurants and all public eating places to ensure that any person, regardless of their eating needs or restrictions, can safely eat. Situations similar to mine on my 10th birthday should be viewed as learning experiences. No person should be put in such a situation due to the lack of understanding of another person.
Works Cited:
“About Food Allergy.” Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. <http://www.foodallergy.org/section/about-food-allergy>.
Ambrogi, Robert. “Peanut Allergies and the Law.” LawSites. 23 Feb. 2007. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. <http://www.lawsitesblog.com/>.
“Colorado Governor Ritter Signs Bill To Help Kids With Food Allergies.” Allergy Sense. 25 May 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. <http://www.allergysense.com/>.
“Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act Becomes Law.” Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic. 5 Jan. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. <http://www.atlantaallergy.com/>.
“Healthy Youth.” National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. 31 Jan. 2010. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. <http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/foodallergies/>.
Hood, Joel. “Family sues restaurant over seventh-grader’s fatal food allergy.” Chicago Tribune. 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. <http://articles.chicagotribune.com/>.
Pacenza, Robert. “Everyone’s Gone Nuts.” Harper’s Magazine. Mar. 2008. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. <http://www.harpers.org/subjects/RobertPacenza>.
“Trends and Forecasts.” National Restaurant Association. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. <http://www.restaurant.org/>.
“Types of Allergic Reactions.” Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. <http://www.foodallergy.org/section/types-of-allergic-reactions>.
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