To: FDADockets@OHRM-MAIL@FDAOC Cc: Bcc: From: Subject: Food Safety - Children with nut allergies Date: Thursday, August 13, 1998 18:27:44 EDT Attach: Certify: N Priority: Normal Defer until: Expires: Forwarded by: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am a mother of a beautiful five year old daughter. I have done everything in my power to make, and keep her healthy. Although she is very healthy, she does have a nut allergy. a very serious one. We have done pretty good in keeping her away from them, but it's getting harder with the way cereals, cookies, and other store bought foods are prepared. I used to be able to read the ingredients and know if it had nuts or not. It seems that companies are using the same machinery to package nut-foods that they use to package non-nut foods. Their labels now read , "may contain nut particles". I appreaciate this because my daughter has ended up in the hospital three times for coming in contac with nuts - she never "ate" any. But, why can't the two be seperated? I hate going to the store and having Jessica ask me for anything. The answer is usually no. No M&M's, no chocholate chip cookies, no Little Debbie snack cakes, no Cherios, the list goes on and on. Although she understands why she can't, it breaks my heart, and I'm sure I'm not alone. I know there are mothers all over the country in the same. When Jessica was in Pre-School they used to have snacks every day. She never said anything, never complained, but there was always a sad look in her eye, " why do I always have to have something special, can't I have what their having?" On Sunday Aug. 9th Jessica was rushed to the emergency room for eating a cookie from a restraunt, that was made with the same equipment used to make cookies with pecans. When we got the cookie we were assured it had no nuts, contained no nuts, but had oil from pecans from the batch before. As I sat watching doctors and nurses rush around, poking needles into my little Jessicas arm, repeatedly giving her epinephrine injections, having to start an iv line in her tiny little arm, I thought to myself, "Shouldn't there be some kind of law against this? Couldn't someone explaine why this needs to be changed. There needs to be some kind of law to regulate this. " So here I am today hoping that someone is listening, and that someone cares. Thank You for your time!