Food Allergy Canada is a nationally registered charity committed to educating, supporting, and advocating for the more than 2.6 million Canadians with food allergy.
October 2018
With two epinephrine auto-injector suppliers currently in Canada, everyone should be able to access devices. Follow our recommendations to help ensure you get access.

Learn more on how you can Shine a light for Halloween by participating in our new Canadian campaign! We also have lots of tips and tricks for you to ensure you have a happy and safe Halloween.

Plus, download the Kung Food app, a brand new game for youth with food allergies.

To help serve you better, we are contemplating some changes to our website. Prior to making any changes, we want to better understand the perspective of users and potential users.

To this end, we have engaged Q30 Design Inc., a third-party website development firm, to conduct a brief survey on potential website navigation to gather your feedback. Please be assured that all your responses will remain anonymous and only aggregate data will be used.
The survey will take approximately 5 minutes to complete. If you have any questions or trouble completing this survey, please email us at info@foodallergycanada.ca.
Participate in a study on the cost of living with food allergy - deadline is October 31. Your input is crucial, please take a moment to complete the survey. The results of this study will inform us and enable us to advocate on your behalf to make positive changes within government and industry. 
Also, if you’re in Kelowna, BC, you can participate in a food allergy focus group next week.

Plus, discover the latest in food allergy research. You’ll learn about how the immune system remembers food allergens, which new gene is associated with peanut allergy, and if fish and shellfish allergies resolve over time.

You can also check out this month's mythbuster about whether eating small amounts of allergens will "cure" food allergy.
 
Attend various allergy-friendly Halloween events throughout the month. 

Register for a webinar from Asthma Canada to learn more about the phenotypes of asthma. Plus, participate in one of our webinars for parents and kids:
  • Webinars on October 13 and October 25: Managing food allergy and anaphylaxis. These sessions are a must for parents of newly diagnosed children.  
  • Webinar on October 28: Allergy Pals Monthly. Topic is managing food allergies on Halloween. Register your 7-11 year old today!
Andrea McDonald and her daughter Rebecca
Be sure to check out the support group meetings happening this month and read up on our latest support group leader profile featuring Food Allergy Support Halifax, Andrea McDonald.
 
Last month, we hosted a webinar presented by Canadian allergist Dr. Julia Upton who is on staff at Toronto’s SickKids Hospital in the Immunology and Allergy Department.

Dr. Upton discussed Oral Immunotherapy (OIT), specifically, what’s involved in the therapy, who it may be suited for, how long treatment generally takes, the possible side effects, and the goals of treatment.
Those that participated in the live session raved about the webinar and noted they had a better understanding of OIT because they attended.

Food allergy entrepreneur, Amanda Orlando, speaks to us about her food allergy blog and her newest venture, an allergy-friendly online store. Learn about her mission to help Canadians with food allergy access allergy-friendly products.

 
We would love to hear from you! Share your stories with us at  info@foodallergycanada.ca
You can raise food allergy awareness and help us educate the public
#ShineATealLight on Halloween and spark conversations on food allergies and how to better support kids who have them!

Please support our GoFundMe campaign, if everyone reading this donated just $5, we would be able to reach our goal and secure a public awareness and education program for next year.

Watch this video to learn more.
Our GoFundMe goal of $50k is to fund national food allergy awareness, education, and a tangible way to show support
1. Showing tangible support
We’re hoping to get 50k teal bulbs created and distributed across Canada.

With those bulbs we would include information on food allergy and how to support kids with this medical condition, essentially, creating ‘Shine a light’ bulb packages. This means we’re asking for $1/bulb package = 1 family Shining a light on food allergies. 
Plus, when you show support for this idea, you are helping us elevate the conversation with a light manufacturer, who is more likely to support this community if they see many of you also supporting the campaign. They may provide their services at a lower cost or match the support given, allowing us to make an even greater impact with the funds raised.
2. Educating the public on the seriousness of food allergies
You have told us one of your greatest needs is to have a more informed public on the seriousness of food allergies. This campaign strives to do just that. We are driving food allergy awareness so people learn more about food allergies and how to better support kids with them.
3. Amplifying our reach with our long-term goal
In the long-term, our goal is to distribute food allergy educational packages, including the teal lightbulbs, to every child in every school. This will help to vastly increase awareness of food allergies and what families can do to support people who have them (plus it will give everyone a tangible way to show that support).
Please help us educate the public and shine a teal light for years to come.
All donations over $20 will receive a tax receipt. CRA Charity Registration Number is 88720 8676 RR0001.