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            15 million people; that’s almost the equivalent of the United States’ four biggest cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston. It’s also the number of people in the United States that deal with food allergies. Every year, approximately 200 people die from anaphylaxis caused by food allergies. Half of those deaths were caused by food from a restaurant or a food service establishment (McLeod, 2017). Those who live with food allergies must be constantly vigilant when even the smallest trace of the allergen could be fatal.

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            An allergic reaction is the bodies’ immune system overreacting to the food that has been consumed. Allergic reactions can result in hives, welts, swelling, coughing, wheezing, itchy/stuffy nose, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, or in severe cases, anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a dangerous combination of the symptoms of an allergic reaction and can be fatal (Facts and Statistics, n.d.).

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            Since food allergies are so common and very dangerous, many groups are advocating for higher standards in food safety and clearer guidelines in how to handle food. The US government has its own safety plans in place to help. There are those who think that food safety could be improved further. Molly Gilliland is one such activist, who is using her Girl Scout’s Gold Award project to help the state of Tennessee have safer food service through education. Molly Gilliland does not think that the food regulations go far enough to protect those with food allergies. Gilliland is junior at Central Magnet School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and the project that Gilliland is seeking to complete requires that she creates a lasting change with at least 80 hours recorded.

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            So, Gilliland chose the subject that was very personal to her. Gilliland discovered that she had a nut allergy at the age of 4. Later, Molly suffered two incidents exposing her to nuts. “The main reason I did this project is because it is personal to me. I am allergic to nuts. A little bit before I had to choose a project, I had two exposures within a three-month-span. The first one was with a peanut butter cookie, and at that restaurant the cookies are in just basic, clear saran wrap with no labeling, so I was accidentally given the wrong cookie. After I realized that, my throat started itching and I got red in the face. The second reaction was at another restaurant with a piece of cheesecake. I told the food worker I had an allergy and asked if it was safe to eat and they said yes because it was just plain cheesecake. Turns out it had pecans in the crust. Once I had finished, I realized that my throat starting to itch a lot, I felt like I had a lump in my throat, and my skin started to itch with hives,” said Gilliland.

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            Because allergies are so prevalent and have such fatal consequences, both federal and state governments work together to create awareness about food allergies, train food workers in how to deal with products to help those with allergies, and to help those with allergies to identify foods that may contain allergens and find foods that are devoid of allergens.

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            One way the government has helped food allergy sufferers is by passing the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA). FALCPA helps those who suffer from allergies easily identify allergens. The law requires that labels warn consumers of potential allergens in multiple food products such as conventional food, vitamins and supplements, retail and food-service establishments, vending machine food, and individually sold food items. The act only covers the eight major allergens which are milk, eggs, peanut, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish, and crustacean shellfish. Other, less common allergens such as molluscan shellfish, seeds, whole fruits/vegetables, and refined oils. While FALCPA has made major allergens easier to identify in certain products, food allergy sufferers still need to pay close attention to labels as ingredients change constantly (Food Labels, n.d.)

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            The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) also provides a Food Code which is guidelines to make food systems more uniform and help make food service safer. The Food Code includes plans to help restaurants accommodate customers who have food allergies and for management to be aware of the seriousness of food allergies. The Food Code specifically provides in Section 2-102.12 that: “The PERSON IN CHARGE shall be a certified FOOD protection manager who has shown proficiency of required information through passing a test that is part of an ACCREDITED PROGRAM.” The accredited program mentioned in the provision is mentioned in an early section (Section 2-102.11.C9) that the person in charge should have the responsibility of: “Describing FOODS identified as MAJOR FOOD ALLERGENS and the symptoms that a MAJOR FOOD ALLERGEN could cause in a sensitive individual who has an allergic reaction.” These managers are then tasked with making sure that information pertaining how employees perform their functions while maintaining practices to protect those who struggle with food allergies (Center for Food, n.d.)

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            That plan, however, is not working. According to a survey conducted by a collaboration of federal agencies and state/local health departments in 2015, only 44% of restaurant managers received food allergy training. Also, only 41% of food workers and 33% of servers received food allergy training. Those who received training said their training focused on preventing cross-contact, major allergens, and how to handle customers with food allergies. Only a few of those trained received information on menu items that had allergens, allergic reaction symptoms, and how to respond to someone having a reaction. The Food Code puts the responsibility on the managers to provide food safety training to the employees rather than force business to make their workers take compulsory food safety classes (McLeod, 2017).

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            Molly has created a petition to help educate food workers on food safety. She also created a Facebook page that links to the petition on change.com. To achieve that goal, Molly is seeking to add 12 words to the Tennessee Food Code. “Within the food code it would be under management, personnel, and the demonstration of knowledge by the person in charge. It would be ‘and preventative measures to help avoid exposure and cross-contact or mislabeling.’ The section I added it in is talking about describing major allergens and the symptoms the major food allergen would cause.”

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            Molly’s proposal has garnered some support. 1,206 people have signed her petition and she has 87 likes on her project’s Facebook page. She has also gained the support of two local lawmakers; Senator Bill Ketron and State Representative Bryan Terry.

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            Molly’s proposal faced some opposition at the state level. The Department of Health fears that her recommended changes would provide “a false sense of security.” They fear that those with food allergies would become less vigilant and would be more susceptible to consuming products with allergens in them. The problem came with the last part of her phrase: “cross-contact and mislabeling.” The Department of Health was concerned that Molly was lobbying to criminalize cross-contact and mislabeling. After several meetings, the issue was resolved and Molly explained that she hoped to prevent cross-contact and mislabeling in regard to allergens through education.

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            Molly’s project is currently undergoing the process of becoming part of the food code and the Tennessee Health Department is enthusiastic to implement the educational material. She even earned her Gold Award.  “Molly did a tremendous amount of work on her Food Allergy project that resulted in a change in our state rules that will impact the safety of individuals with food allergies.  I am very impressed with her passion on this issue and her courage to meet with officials from the Department of Health to have her voice heard.  Hopefully her persistence and dedication to this cause will result in greater awareness of food allergies and better training for food service establishments.  Molly is a great example of hard work really making a difference,” said Senator Ketron in a statement.

 

 

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Work Cited

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. (n.d.). Food Code - Food Code 2017. Retrieved February 26,       2018, from https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/RetailFoodProtection/FoodCode/ucm595139.htm

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Facts and Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2018, from https://www.foodallergy.org/life-food-allergies/food-allergy-101/facts-and-statistics

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Food Code Revisions. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2018, from https://www.foodallergy.org/education-awareness/advocacy-resources/food-code-revisions

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Food Labels. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2018, from https://www.foodallergy.org/education-awareness/advocacy-resources/food-labels

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Food Service Establishments. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2018, from https://www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/eh/eh-programs/eh-foodservice.html

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McLeod, L. (2017, May 30). Better training for restaurant staff may prevent allergy deaths. Retrieved February 26, 2018, from http://allergenbureau.net/better-training-restaurant-staff-may-prevent-allergy-deaths/