With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, you might be thinking about what kind of special sweet treats to serve your loved ones. When you have food allergies in your family, many of the “fancy” holiday candies and sweets that pop up in the store aisles aren’t safe. 

There’s no reason to miss out on festive Valentine’s treats, though! You can make these easy, allergy friendly chocolate sugar cookie hearts with simple ingredients. A dusting of powdered sugar and heart shaped strawberries are the finishing touch!

You can be creative if you like - make these cookies into different shapes, or make them into sandwich cookies by spreading some dairy free buttercream frosting in between them.

Author: Kelly Roenicke

Makes about 20 cookies

Ingredients:

5/8 cup vegan buttery spread (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
5/8 cup organic cane sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 ¼ cups gluten free flour blend
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup powdered sugar
10 strawberries

Instructions:
​

1. Place the vegan buttery spread and sugar in a mixing bowl, and mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
2. Add the applesauce and mix until combined.
3. Add the gluten free flour blend, cocoa powder, and salt, and mix on low speed until combined. The dough will be thick. 
4. Pat the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for one hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
6. Unwrap the dough and place on a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper. Dust the dough, the rolling pin, and rolling surface with a little cocoa powder to prevent sticking.
7. Roll the dough out to a thickness of ¼ inch. Use heart shaped cookie cutters to cut out the dough. (The cookie cutters I used were about 2 ½ inches wide).
8. Place the cookies on the prepared cookie sheets, leaving about one inch between the cookies.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
10. Prepare the strawberries: Slice the tops off the berries, then slice in half. Use a sharp knife to gently shape the top of each half into a heart.
11. Allow the cookies to cool fully before dusting them with powdered sugar.
12. Place a heart shaped strawberry on top of each sugar coated cookie.

 ​Recipe Notes:

Your baking time may vary if you use much smaller or larger cookie cutters. Keep an eye on the
cookies as they bake.

If you are not gluten free, you should be able to make these with all-purpose flour. They may
bake a little quicker than the gluten free version. 

If you cannot have applesauce, you can use pumpkin puree, mashed banana, or even pureed
beets instead. 

Strawberries are optional! You can just leave them as is with the powdered sugar, or use a
different fruit that works for you. 

About the Author:
Kelly Roenicke is the mother of two boys with food allergies and sensitivities. She is passionate
about allergy friendly cooking and baking and shares her recipes on her food allergy recipe 
blog, theprettybee.com.

When I first started No Nuts Moms group back in 2011, my son was three years old and I was looking for fellow moms to connect with and have play dates. The group name was just a fun catchy name that I came up with one night while sitting on the couch with my husband. No Nuts Moms Group quickly took off and I was suddenly surrounded by so many wonderful families experiencing the same fears, questions and situations. As my son grew older and I continued to learn more about food allergies, I discovered that I had a true passion for wanting to raise awareness about food allergies and help connect others in our community. I was immediately in the public eye and known as the food allergy mom around town. TV and radio stations were reaching out and I was attending several food allergy conferences. On one occasion, I will never forget when a local fireman had to be called to our house and he immediately recognized me from the local paper. He said, "Aren't you that no nut's mom?" At times it was a lot and I felt judged by some, but I would do it all over again because I felt I was really making a change.

The group started out as just a mom's group and it has totally evolved into so much more. Throughout the years, I have had many people ask me to change the name and I was just not ready to let go of it. The name truly means so much to me because at the time I started the group, I was in a lonely place searching for how to live the life of a food allergy mom. My No Nuts Moms Group was and has been my world for so long.  However, I feel now is the right time to make a change to the name. Since we have many groups and are listed with FARE and FAACT, it may take some time and support from all of the No Nuts Moms Group members and leaders to implement. I know some have expressed concerns about changing the group name and would prefer me to keep it the same.  I know change is never easy, but we will remain the same group and incorporate a new name with a more inclusive feel. In the last several years I have been abbreviating No Nuts Moms Group and referring to it to NNMG, so I believe it is right to keep that part of the original name and integrate it into the new one. I hope you all truly love the new name and logo shown below.

Because my older son had allergies to several different tree nuts, our allergist recommended we begin introducing tree nuts to our younger son when he was 5 months old. We, like all allergy parents, were scared. We’d been through the ER visits, and the hours of sickness, the disruptive courses of steriods. We didn’t want to see another reaction, but we REALLY didn’t want our son to have the same fate as his older brother.
 
So we prepared ourselves to introduce tree nuts into the solid foods he was just starting to eat. I had purchased a ¼ pound of walnuts from our local market... and then I sat and stared at the walnuts. How the heck was I supposed to do this?
 
Finely chopped walnuts are still too big. Was he supposed to eat one walnut? More? Less?
 
It was so hard, I almost didn’t do it. But I did, because I had learned there are two BIG problems with waiting to feed your child nuts.
 
Number One - After decades of telling parents to wait, pediatricians reversed their recommendations and now tell parents to feed your baby allergens early and often. Several studies looking specifically at the effects of early introduction of peanuts (LEAP study), baked eggs (PETIT study), and all foods (EAT study) consistently showed that when babies make allergens a routine part of their diet, food allergies are far less likely to develop.
 
Number Two - The risk of a severe allergic reaction only increases as babies grow into their toddler years. Coughing and wheezing, which is considered a severe reaction, almost never happens in allergic reactions involving babies. In 3 year olds, coughing and wheezing occurs 20% of the time.
 
Like me, tree nut allergy parents would give anything to go back and cut the chance of this life in half. And they wish they found out their child had a tree nut allergy through hives rather than a frantic rush to the ER.
 
That’s why, for tree nut allergy parents having another child, or those who have friends with a new baby, we have to pass on the word about early introduction and the easiest way to do it - Lil Mixins.
 
Lil Mixins takes four tree nuts - pistachios, almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts - and dehydrates and grinds them until they make a smooth powder. The powdered nuts stir into any baby puree, or can be added onto soft foods. It’s so simple to use, and a single jar has 4 months (!) of servings.
 
Eating those 4 nuts has been shown to create a tolerance to all 8 major tree nuts. For those with a tree nut allergic child in the house, Lil Mixins can also be purchased in single-serve packets to minimize contamination of the kitchen.

Early introduction is not fool-proof allergy prevention. Early, sustained exposure to tree nuts has been shown to stop nearly 60% of tree nut allergies before they start. It only works if parents are consistent, include all the foods in a baby-safe form, and if the baby eats enough tree nut in each sitting (about 2g of tree nut protein, or one serving of Lil Mixins).
 
All of that may be overwhelming for any parent. Lil Mixins is so easy to use, parents can actually do it.  

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we all need a go-to pie recipe. Partake created a Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie recipe that’s nut-free and delicious for everyone at the table, with or without food allergies, so you can share with confidence! The​ pie crust is made with their top 8 allergen-free Ginger Snap cookies and the recipe is vegan optional. They’re also offering 15% off at partakefoods.com with the code NNMG15 to stock up for the holidays - offer is valid through 12/31/19. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
 
Break out the mixing bowls, and dust off the pie dish! Holiday baking season is here and we're gobbling up this healthyish pumpkin pie made with cookies!

• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Yields one 9-inch pie

Ingredients:
 
FOR THE COOKIE CRUST

• 2 cups (2 boxes) of Partake Ginger Snap cookies
• ¼ cup organic brown sugar
• 6 tbsp organic melted butter (or vegan butter)

FOR THE PIE FILLING

• 1 can (15 oz) of organic pumpkin puree
• 3 organic eggs (or egg substitute)
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup coconut sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened oat milk (or milk of choice)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ⅛ tsp allspice (or ground cloves)
• ¼ tsp salt

​Directions:
 
FOR THE COOKIE CRUST
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Using a food processor, grind cookies into fine crumbs. Add brown sugar and melted butter. Combine well. Pour crust mixture into pie pan and press firmly into sides and bottom of 9-inch pie pan. Bake at 350ºF for 5-8 minutes.
​
FOR THE PIE FILLING 
In a large bowl, add pumpkin puree, eggs, maple syrup, sugar, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and salt. Stir until mixture is well combined and completely smooth. Pour mixture into pie pan lined with cookie crust. Bake for 50-60 minutes until filling is no longer jiggly. Check pie every 20 minutes, if the crust is getting a little too golden brown, cover pie ​edges with foil or a pie shield. Cool for at least 1 hour before serving, then transfer to the fridge to keep cool. To serve, top each slice with whipped cream or ice cream for some extra yum!

Our friends at Allergic Living have launched their first digital magazine - the Food Allergy Anxiety Guide. This is such an important topic, and this new Guide offers an unparalleled exploration of a phenomenon that impacts so many in the food allergy community.

You will find candid stories of families facing fears and even struggling with PTSD. There are articles on overcoming allergy stress and the "what ifs" of anaphylaxis risk. In an insightful podcast, top psychologists discuss ways to bring food allergy anxiety under control, and they share their best tips.

On the cover is TV and film star Auggie Maturo, whose mother Maha Maturo is a member of No Nuts Moms Group. She discusses how the group has helped to lift her out of anaphylaxis anxiety and into becoming educated and proactive.

Access to Allergic Living's digital Guide may be purchased for $7.95 at: Allergicliving.com/buyissue.

I would like to take this time and remember some of the recent and not so recent deaths that have occurred from food allergies. These are just some of the reported cases. It is very sad that there have been so many and yet we have not heard about most of them.

Thank you for reading and sharing. The more we talk about it, the more others around us will too.  If you scroll down to the bottom of this page, you can view some of their pictures.

 "Make yourself familiar with the angels, and behold them frequently in spirit; for without being seen, they are present with you.”

This list was updated on February 5, 2020.

Food Allergy Deaths in 2020:

Tom Morton (age unknown), suffered from an anaphylatic reaction to food and passed away. Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2019:

Logan E. Lewis, 20, died from an anaphylactic reaction to milk. ​Full Story

Wyatt Michael Polachek, 12, had an allergic reaction to something he had eaten at a party. Full Story

Ava-Grace Stevens, passed away after suffering a severe anaphylactic reaction while on vacation. Full Story

Christopher Trimper, 42, passed away due to complications from a shellfish allergy. Full Story

Rachel Hunger, 21, On April 19, Hunger suffered anaphylactic shock after eating an egg roll she didn’t know contained peanuts. Full Story
 
Tessa Perez, 11, was pronounced dead after suffering an allergic reaction to peanuts and going into anaphylaxis. Full Story

​Raffi Pownal, 11, died of anaphylaxis. The boy was known to have an allergy to milk. Full Story

Denise Saldate, 11, suffered a fast-moving anaphylactic reaction to milk protein from an unexpected source: a new prescription toothpaste. Full Story

Fathimath Hana, 24, died after suffering a severe allergic reaction. She had a Seafood allergy. Full Story

Brandon Cheatham, 17, died after eating some brownies that had walnuts in them. Full Story

Habiba Chishti, 9, passed away after eating an ice cream while on holiday in Spain. Full Story & Full Story

Cameron Jean-Pierre, 11, died from a suspected asthma attack induced by an airborne allergen. (Fish)
Full Story & Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2018:

Shante Turay-Thomas, 18, suffered an anaphylactic reaction after eating food thought to contain hazelnuts. Full Story

Sadie Bristow, 9, died after suffering anaphylaxis. She had a known dairy allergy. Full Story & Full Story

Kelly Ann Moyer, 39, died from anaphylaxis - fatal Anaphylactic allergic/asthma reaction. Full Story & Full Story

Joanna Frances Salmingo-Fontaine, 30, died after suffering a severe reaction to nuts. Full Story & Full Story

Isabel Marrero, 9, died from an anaphylactic reaction in March this year, after her mother gave her what looked like her favorite biscuit. Full Story

NAME UNKNOWN, 6, Perth girl dies from a severe allergic reaction to dairy. Full Story

Alexi Stafford, 15, died from a severe reaction to a cookie containing peanut. Full Story & Full Story

Maximillian McGlinchey, 19, died as a result of anaphylaxis to peanut exposure after eating a meal at a Chinese restaurant. Full Story

Amanda Huynh, 12, died of an allergic reaction after eating a granola bar. Full Story

James Turnball, 15, passed away due to anaphylaxis after consuming a take-out meal. Full Story

George Hodgkiss, 31, died after having an allergic reaction to cashews. Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2017:

Allison Suhy, 18, died after eating a donut that contained peanut. Full Story

Celia Marsh, 42, died after eating a super-veg rainbow flatbread containing a yoghurt that was supposed to be dairy-free. Full Story

Elijah Silvera, 3, died after being a served a grilled cheese sandwich at his preschool. He had a severe milk allergy. Full Story

Justin Mathews, 33, died after being exposed to walnuts during sandblasting. Full Story

Nainika Tikoo, 9, died after eating pancakes topped with blackberries. Full Story & Full Story

Jacob MacDonald, 15, suffered an allergic reaction after eating a cookie containing peanuts. Full Story

Chloe Gilbert, 15, died after eating a food containing yogurt. She had a dairy allergy. Full Story

Khoo Siew Hong, 60, died after eating prawns. She was allergic to shellfish. Full Story

Alastair Watson, 3, suffered an anaphylactic reaction during a baked milk challenge. Full Story

Anthony Lyson, 18, died of an anaphylactic reaction after accidentally consuming nuts. Full Story

Michael Julian, 27, suffered an allergic reaction that caused his brain to swell. Full Story

Georgina Hickman, 24, died after eating a single peanut flavored crisp. Full Story

Karanbir Cheema, 13, died after suffering an allergic reaction to cheese. Full Story & Full Story

Nissan Hayuni, 32, died on board a flight after consuming a specially ordered kosher meal. Full Story &
Full Story

Owen Carey, 18, suffered an allergic reaction and passed away after eating a piece of chicken. Full Story
 
Anthony Maruca, 23, suffered an allergic reaction and passed away suddenly from anaphylactic shock.
Full Story

Megan Lee, 15, dies after suffering an allergic reaction to takeaway food from a restaurant. Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2016:

Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, died of an anaphylactic reaction suffered during a flight. Full Story

Maleek Lawal, 10, died from a severe allergic reaction to an item containing dairy. Full Story

Nasar Ahmed, 14, died after suffering an allergic reaction from a school lunch containing milk.  Full Story

Domonic Prince, 32, suffered an allergic reaction after eating a salad purchased from a deli.

Tanner Sorensen, 14, had an allergic reaction to a cookie containing nuts. Full Story

Oakley Debbs, 11, died from an allergic reaction after eating a cake containing nut resin. Full Story

Ben Scott, 37, died from an allergic reaction to nuts. Full Story

Mariyah Pina, 14, had an allergic reaction to an unknown allergy. Full Story & Full Story

Breyton Horomona, 15, suffered a severe allergic reaction and died after eating calamari. Full Story

Paul Wilson, 38, died after eating a dish that contained peanuts. Full Story

Javier Avina, 10, died from asthma possibly caused by his peanut allergy. Full Story

Victor Lee, 10, tragically died after suffering an allergic reaction. Full Story

Abigail Raye Reiswitz, 13, died from asthma complications triggered by a reaction to milk. Full Story & Full Story

Bruce Kelly, 22, died after eating chocolates containing peanuts. Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2015:

Georgia Murphy, 13, died from an allergic reaction after eating pizza. Full Story

Jermain Bourbon, 11, died from an anaphylactic reaction. Allergic to dairy, eggs and nuts. Full Story &
Full Story

Miles Bengco, 11, died from an allergic reaction to Mycoprotein. Full Story 

Katherine Schaefer, 18, died from an allergic reaction that led to a severe asthma attack. Full Story

Shalev Hazan, age unknown, died after eating a granola bar containing nuts. Full Story

Annie Legere, 13, died from anaphylactic shock after an unknown allergic reaction, likely to something she ate, according to her doctors. Full Story

Lois Tate, 13, died at the hospital while being treated for asthma. Parents suspect it was the food they served their food allergic child. Full Story, Full Story & Full Story

Cody Steven Kimball-Godfrey, 17, died from an allergic reaction. Full Story

Rachel Cole, 18, suffered an anaphylaxis reaction to peanut oil and died 6 days later. Full Story & Full Story

Cameron Wahid, 7, died after eating a dish that may have contained dairy. Full Story

Morgan Elizabeth Crutchfield, 17, died from an allergic reaction. Full Story & Full Story

Simon Katz, 16, died from an allergic reaction to peanut butter. Full Story

Andrea Mariano, 18, died from an anaphylactic allergic reaction. Full Story 

Amanda Thompson, 50, died after having an allergic reaction to a Sorbet. Full Story

Dylan Hill, 18, died after eating at an Indian restaurant. Full Story

Maisie Durant, 21, died after eating a cereal bar containing nuts. Full Story

Shahida Shahid, 18, died from an allergic reaction after eating at a local restaurant. Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2014:

Alice Brooks, 19, died after suffering an allergic reaction. Full Story

Caroline Lorette, 14, died from an allergic reaction to dairy. Full Story

Brandon Dixon, 13, died after eating a candy bar given to him at school. Full Story

Deborah Mary Molloy, 52, died from an allergic reaction to lentils. Full Story

Richard Hugh Goins, 23, died after exposure to a food containing peanut. Full Story & Obituary

Aaron O'Farrell, 11, died from anaphylactic reaction. Full Story & Full Story

Derek Landon Wood, 11, died after eating a cookie from a local grocery store. Full Story

Sergio Lopez, 24, died after eating a mole sauce containing peanuts. Full Story & Obituary

Scott Johnson, 16, died from a milk allergy after eating pancakes at a restaurant. Full Story

Nutan Ajay, 16, died from an allergic reaction to egg. Full Story

Casey Ryan, 29, died from an allergic reaction to peanut oil. Full Story

Edward Alfred Horan II, 24, died after exposure to a food he is allergic to. Full Story

Jaime E. Mendoza, 16, dies after allergic reaction to peanut butter cookie. Full Story

Chandler Swink, 19, dies from an allergic reaction to peanut. Full Story

Joseph DeNicola, 7, dies after suffering an allergic reaction on Halloween. Full Story

Jack Burden, 18, died from a severe allergic reaction. Partial Story

Paul Wilson, 38, died from anaphylaxis. He had a peanut allergy. Full Story

Lydia Lavoshan, age unknown, died after having an allergic reaction to tahini, which contained sesame. Full Story

Edward Debbage, 8, died from an anaphylaxis reaction. Allergies to various foods. Full Story 

Connor Donaldson, 12, dies after eating food containing peanut. Full Story 

Food Allergy Deaths in 2013:

Elin Wahlgren, 16, died from an allergic reaction after eating tacos. Full Story

Ronak Warty, 10, died after drinking a wrongly labelled drink containing dairy. Full Story

Cody Hardy, 17, died from an allergic reaction to milk. See comments section for full story.

Marcus Terranova, 8, died from an anaphylactic reaction caused by an unknown food allergy. Full Story

Dora Mae Coburn, 68, died from an allergic reaction to bananas. Full Story

Abbie Benford, 15, died from an anaphylaxis reaction. Full Story

Emma Slone, 14, died from a reaction to a nut based sauce. She had a peanut allergy. Full Story

Andrew Turner, 35, died from eating bread containing nuts. Full Story

Shimmer James, 6, died after an allergic reaction to peanut. Full Story

Taylor Brown, 11, died from an allergic reaction. Partial Story and Partial Story.

Marcus Sweet, 46, died after an allergic reaction to coconut. Full Story

Connor Donaldson, 12, died from a suspected allergic reaction from nut allergy. Full Story

Giovanni Cipriano, 14, died from an allergic reaction to peanuts. Full Story

Derek Stephenson, 31, died from an allergic reaction after eating a curry dish containing peanut. He had a peanut allergy. Full Story

Ethan Williams, 14, died from a suspected tree nut allergy. Full Story

Natalie Giorgi, 13, died from an allergic reaction to peanut butter. Full Story

Mason Wight, 11, died from an allergic reaction. Partial Story

Jackie Scott, 35, died from an allergic reaction caused by peanut allergy. Full Story

Tanner Henstra, 11, died from an allergic reaction to peanut butter. Full Story

Adrian Gutierrez, 8, died from a possible reaction to milk. Full Story

Maia Santarelli-Gallo, 12, died of an allergic reaction after eating ice cream at the mall. Full Story

Cameron Fitzpatrick, 19, died after eating a cookie that contained peanut oil. He had a peanut and tree nut allergy.  Full Story

Faith Tolbert, 2, died after from an allergic reaction to peanut. Partial story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2012:

Danika Rae, 17, died from complications related to an airborne allergic reaction and asthma attack. Full Story

Myriam Ducre-Lemay, 20, died after kissing her boyfriend that had eaten peanut butter. Full Story

Michael Saffioti, 22, died from dairy allergy after eating oatmeal containing dairy. Full Story

Jack Levee, 17, died from a severe allergic reaction and a asthma attack. Full Story

Jack Irvine, 15, died after eating a cookie containing nuts at camp. Full Story 

William Luckett, 15, died after eating Chinese takeaway. He had a peanut allergy. Full Story

Ethan Thomas, 11, died from an allergic reaction to curry. He had a nut allergy. Full Story

Natalia Green, 17, died from an allergic reaction to chicken satay containing peanut. Full Story

Diallo Robbins Brinson,15, died from of an allergic reaction after eating a cookie. Full Story 

Amaya Seraton, 8, died from an allergic reaction. Details are unknown. Full Story

Ammaria Johnson, 7, died at school after being exposed to something containing peanut. Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2011:

Raymond Cho, 16, died after eating a cookie in class that contained walnuts. Full Story

Efrat Chen, 26, died after eating a dessert at a Tel Aviv restaurant. Full Story

Hayden Wileman, 9, died after eating a cereal. He had an unknown peanut allergy. Full Story 

Jharell Dillard, 15, lost his life after eating a chocolate chip cookie, which unknowingly contained nuts. Full Story  

Tyler Cody Davis, 20, died from an allergic reaction after eating at the KSU Campus Dining Hall. Full Story

Christopher Smith, 17, died after eating takeout food from a Wirral, England restaurant. Full Story

Veronica Cirella, 8, died from allergic reaction. (undisclosed food allergy and cerebral palsy) food fed at home by mother (under investigation) Full Story

Mathew Lee, 26, died after eating a salad that contained nuts. Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2010:

Ashley Frangella, 20, died from an allergic reaction to milk. Full Story

Megann Ayotte Lafort, 6, of Montreal died from asthma attack that is believed to be caused by a food allergic reaction. Full Story

Katelyn Carlson, 13, died after eating Chinese food with her class. Full Story

Yla Aquino, 17, died on prom night after accidentally digesting peanut butter. Full Story 

Poppy Harvey, 19, died after unknowingly eating a cake that contained peanut. Full Story 

Kevin Edouard, 21, died from suspected peanut allergy after eating on a cruise ship. Full Story

Emma Egerton, 18, died from takeaway curry. She had a peanut allergy. Full Story

Darren Taylor, 44, died from unknown fin-fish allergy. Full Story

Charlie Fidler, 8, died after an allergic reaction at a football barbecue. He was allergic to eggs, milk, wheat and certain nuts. Full Story

Molly Giles, 10, died from one spoonful of curry. She had a nut allergy. Full Story

Molly Dyer, 13, died from curry takeout. She had a nut allergy. Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2009:

Danny Macpherson, 21, died from an allergic reaction after eating Indian takeout. Full Story  

Robert Anderson, 15, peanut, tree nut, egg allergy and asthma. Treated as asthma but later identified as anaphylaxis. (unconfirmed report) Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2008:

Mercedes Mears, 10, died after suffering an asthma attack. Food allergies are suspected to have played a part in her death. Full Story & Video

B.J. Hom, 18, died from an allergic reaction while on a family vacation. Full Story 

Andrew Michael Smith, 8, died from an allergic reaction while celebrating super bowl Sunday with family. Full Story

Daniel Sargent, 30, collapsed after taking a bite of a chocolate chip cookie. Full Story

Rodney Hawkins, 35, died from shellfish allergy after being served wrong. Full Story 

Dexter Skinner, 16, died after eating a chocolate bar. He had a peanut allergy. Full Story

Christopher Gould, 14, died after eating a cashew. Full Story 
 
Mark Nicholson, 28, died from peanut allergy after eating chili burgers. Full Story

Angus Myers, 32, nut allergy, died after eating take away curry. Full Story

Elizabeth Hoborough, 39, died days later after eating prawn soup. Full Story

Carol Lynn Winston Kiener, 66, died from a peanut allergy. Partial Story

Deja Vacey Hay, 7, died from milk allergy after drinking juice. Full Story

Paul Anthony Thurston, 30, died in jail when served a sandwich containing peanut butter. Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2007:

Nathan Francis, 13, died after given a lunch of beef satay at camp. Full Story 
 
Karim Oughton, 13, died after eating a Brazil nut. He had never had a reaction before. Full Story

Carley Janelle Kohnen, 13, died from a burrito. She had a peanut, egg and milk allergy. Full Story

Grant  Freeman, 38, Collasped and died after eating a tomato entree. He was allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, seafood and chicken. Full Story

Mohsen Hussain, 9, died after having a sweet from the pick and mix candy section. He had a  nut allergy and asthma. Full Story

Jessica Cordoroy, 10, died after eating a pie at a restaurant. She had a peanut allergy and asthma. (unconfirmed story)

Stephanie Faulkner, 14, died from a dish at a restaurant that unknowingly contained nuts. Full Story

Kylie Lynch, 20, died after eating a dessert at a cafe that contained nuts. Full Story 

Francesca Sanna Mimmy, 19, Collasped and died minutes after brushing her teeth. She had several food allergies. Full Story

Michelle Bray, 21, died from seafood allergy. She had a severe anaphylactic reaction to a dim sim and collapsed. Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2006:

Emily Vonder Meulen, 13, died at the mall after eating a sandwich she had eaten many times before. Full Story 

Amber Norman, 12, died after eating a sweet treat in school. Full Story

Paul Derrick Howard, 16, died from a sesame allergy most likely contained in a cereal bar he had eaten. Full Story

Brent Schivley, 16, died from a peanut reaction after eating a chocolate chip cookie. Full Story
 
Jane McVeigh, 17, died from nut allergy after unknowingly eating chicken satay at a birthday party. Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2005:

Gina Marie Hunt, 14, died after having an allergic reaction after eating Chinese food at the mall with her friends. Full Story

Christina Desforges, 15, died after kissing her boyfriend, who had just eaten a peanut butter snack. Full Story

Thomas Schatten, 43, died an hour later after receiving treatment for his peanut allergy from an alternative medicine practitioner. Full Story 

David Joseph Boutot, 17, died from drinking a protein shake that contained whey. Full Story
 
Kailey Brianna Bowles, 7, died from a taste of hot cocoa in her room. She had a milk allergy. Full Story

Alison Armstrong, 11, died after eating a candy apple at the Grants Pass, OR Boatnik Festival. According to friends and family, Alison tasted peanut right away. The apple had been cooked in peanut oil. She was highly allergic to peanuts. (Can't locate full story)

Matthew Joseph Deluce, 24, died from peanut allergy after eating at a restaurant in Texas. Partial Story

Karen Lynn MacDonald, 27, died from accidential ingestion of peanut oil. Full Story

Chantelle Yambao, 13, died from peanut and nut allergy after eating a store-bought Nanaimo square. Full Story

Beverley Taylor, 37, died after eating a cashew that tasted like a peanut. She was allergic to peanuts, eggs, dairy, wheat and latex. Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2004:

Jonathan Begley, 9, died from an allergic reaction to food while at school. Full Story

Amanda Mills, 19, died days after having an allergic reaction to a sandwich containing traces of nuts. Full Story. 

Alex Baptist, 4, died after being exposed to peanuts at school. Full Story.

Chris Clements, 17, died after eating chocolate that unknowingly contained hazelnut. He had a  tree nut allergy. Full Story
 
Habib Khan, 10, died at school after eating a meal from home. He had asthma and a dairy allergy. He died from an asthma attack, but it is believed to be triggered from the dairy allergy. Full Story

Amy Bauer Topic, 34, died from peanut allergy after accidental ingestion. Full Story

Phillip Heywood, 19, died from a peanut allergy after eating half a portion of curry. Full Story

Emily Givner, 38, died shortly after eating a sandwich wrap. She was allergic to chocolate, nuts, seeds and animals. Full Story
 
Prasad Gajare, 9, died from milk allergy. Partial Story

Sam Pettett, 22, died from eating a curry dish. Allergy unknow, but died from allergic reaction.  Full Story

Raya French, 37, died from tomato allergy after eating spaghetti bolognese for dinner. Full Story

Laura Benson, 19, died after eating a Rice Krispy Treat that unknowingly contained peanut butter. Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths 2003:

Matt Schmauch, 29, died after eating at a Chinese buffet. Full Story

Kate Obertelli, 21, died after eating takeout food containing curry paste. Full Story 

Singh Bhamra, 49, died from egg allergy after unknowingly eating cake containing eggs. Full Story

Sabrina Shannon, 13, died from dairy protein that was still present on some school lunch tongs. The same tongs were used to pick up Sabrina's french fries. Sabrina's Law took effect on January 1, 2006. Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2002:

Trent A. Hankins, 31, died after touching food containing peanut oil at a dinner party. Full Story  

Thomas Egna, 5 months, died from milk allergy after being fed milk in a daycare. Full Story

Richard Sobrino, 38, had an allergic reaction to a candy bar and later died at the hospital. He had a peanut allergy.  Full Story

Hamidur Rahman, 14, died from peanut allergy while on a school excursion. Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2001:

Nathan Walters, 9, died on a class field trip after eating a sacked lunch offered to him which contained a peanut butter sandwich and cookies. Full Story

William Gallagher, 16, died after eating walnuts from his home economics class. Partial Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 2000:

Sarah Hubert, 13, died from Milk Allergy. Partial Story.

Nicola Ratcliffe, 18, died from a nut allergy after eating Indian food. Full Story

Luisa Dennis, 28, died from walnut allergy after eating bread that unknowingly contained walnuts. Partial Story

Patrick Maxeiner, 24, death is suspected to have been caused from a peanut allergy. (unconfirmed)  Partial Story

Food Allergy Death in 1999:

Joseph Murphy, 18, died after eating pistachio nuts. He knew he was allergic to peanuts, but not aware of his nut allergy. Full Story

Food Allergy Death 1998:

Mark Villa, died after eating a sugar cookie containing peanut butter.  Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 1996:

Kristen Wyak Norris, 13, died from anaphylactic shock due to complications from asthma and
allergies. She was allergic to nuts.Full Story

Joshua Ramirez, 21, died from peanut allergy after eating a cookie in a vending machine in his dormitory.Full Story

Food Allergy Deaths in 1991:

Johnny Robbins, 16, died after eating an egg roll containing peanut butter. See comments section for full story. 

Food Allergy Death in 1989:

Cheryl Winegardner, 10, died from a peanut allergy while on a school field trip. Full Story

Food Allergy Death in 1986:

Katherine Brodsky, 18, died after eating chili from a restaurant that was flavored with peanut butter. Full Story

"Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather openings where our loved ones
shine down to let us know they are happy."

This is BIG NEWS!

Hungry Harry's is now available FOR SALE!

By popular demand, we've taken our much-loved FOOD ALLERGY- FRIENDLY Baking Mixes and made them available to ALL our friends and families across mainland USA who juggle food allergies.

The backstory...

We started Hungry Harry's because... well.. because of our son Harry, yes the one in the photo!

Like 32 Million other people across the USA, Harry has life-threatening allergies. He's dangerously allergic to Tree Nuts and intolerance's to Dairy, Gluten, Eggs, Soy, and some Seafood.

So, we developed Hungry Harry's as a range of 5 Baking Mixes free from the Top 14 allergens. This means that 90% of people with food allergies can use Hungry Harry's Baking Mixes and bake to support their own food needs.

Hungry Harry's is making allergy friendly easy.

Our Hungry Harry's Kitchen is full of 💛 and fun and care and laughter and the most amazing allergy-friendly food you have ever tasted.

Now, you can have it in your kitchen too!

Don't miss out.

The winners are: Joshua Martin, Andria Jones, Rania Rammal, Trista Swinson and Kaitlan Leverette. Congrats!!

I recently received some peanut and nut free cookies from Eleni's New York. These cookies are delicious and the company has some really adorable designs on their site. I noticed today that their site has a statement that reads Playfully Unique Cookies and I can see why. They have lots of different themed cookies for all occasions. You can even order personalized cookies with an actual photograph printed onto the cookie. You can get same day delivery in NYC or they are available online and at retailors like Whole Foods, Dean & Deluca, Starbuck’s Manhattan and other fine retailers.

I tried the New York Chocolate Chip Cookies and the Color Me Cookies. The Chocolate Chip Cookies remind me of homemade cookies and are on the crunchy side. I know some people prefer soft and chewy while others like crisp and crunchy. I like both, so I give them a thumbs up. The tin contains 36 cookies and the container will keep them fresh for up to two months. The cost for the New York Chocolate Chip 1lb Tin is $25.00.

I am particularly excited about the Color Me Cookies because I knew my little one and her friend would love them. This is such a cute and unique idea and I was right, the kids love them. They were so easy and mess free. We decorated some at my house and easily traveled to another house for more decorating fun. The box we decorated was called Color Me! On the Go Cookie Gift Set, which included 8 iced sugar cookies with shapes like a car, train, truck, sailboat and submarine. The set also came with 5 edible ink markers in the colors yellow, red, blue, green and orange. The cost for this gift set is $39.99. The other gift set I received was the Color Me! Birthday Cookie Gift Set, which includes 12 cookies with designs of birthday cakes, presents, hearts and 5 edible ink markers. This gift set is being saved for my daughter's upcoming birthday and the kids will love decorating and eating these. I absolutely love this idea and I will totally purchase these for playdates, parties or as a gift.

You can learn a lot more by checking out their website. They have a ton of really cute cookies and it is great that they are nut free. My family and many others really appreciate it! Read Eleni's Nut Free Statement.

Guest Blog by Glynne Townsend, Partner and COO of HD Scores

My son has a peanut allergy and like many allergy sufferers, eating out is a nerve-racking experience. Despite the waitress assurances that the kitchen will prepare a meal diligently you have no real idea how well the kitchen is managed to be able to do so, well, you do now.

Tired of restaurant anxiety, six years ago a group of us got together and started to build a company that would later become HD Scores (www.HDScores.com). The nation’s first hygiene review system of places where we all eat; restaurants, schools, drive throughs, health clubs etc. We provide a simple percentage score, the higher the score the cleaner the restaurant.

We achieve this by utilizing the local health department inspection scores from across the nation, scraping data from their websites weekly and running them through a proprietary algorithm. By doing so we come up with a hygiene score that reflects a restaurants violation history (not just the latest inspection), one that penalizes for repeat offences and critical violations and ranks restaurants within a local jurisdiction, so our users can make an actionable decision of the safest places to eat when they go out.

We now provide inspection data for over 1.3M establishments across the USA and cover 90% of the metropolitan population. In June last year we launched our service with Yelp providing Yelp users either jurisdictional health scores or our hygiene score in its absence for restaurants in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Florida, Dallas and California. The launch was Yelp’s biggest ever site upgrade, generating over 1.3B media hits and a wave of TV reports and news articles from Fortune magazine to Jimmy Fallon. The support for food safety from the public was staggering. This led us to launch our own APP in December that allows everyone to access our database, search establishments based on hygiene and food safety and choose a dining experience that is not only fun but safe. Unfortunately using HD Scores does not guarantee an allergy event will not happen when you eat out. It does however provide you with the peace of mind that where you are eating performs to the highest standards of health hygiene available and when you are told, ‘the kitchen will take care of it’ they probably will.

Like so many holidays, traditions built around Halloween have become pretty important to families and their kids. I am noticing Teal pumpkins being decorated, and allergen friendly treats being used. Even non-food treats and “candy trade-ins” are being adopted!

I figure most parents are thinking “What happened to Halloween? How different it has become!” And there might be an underlying fear that things aren’t “the same” anymore. (read: fun).

All Hallows Eve, Witches Night, Lambswool, Samhain or Summer’s End... Brought to North America by Irish and Scottish immigrants during the late 18th century, Halloween is associated with the Celtic festival of Samhain- the end of harvest season and the start of the “dark season.”

It was believed that during Samhain, a door was opened from the underworld, which let spirits into our world. People would dress up in costumes to disguise themselves from the dead.  Putting out food and drink at the front of their homes, communities would spend the night wandering from house to house enjoying each other’s hospitality.

So yes, Halloween has evolved. First, we shared fruit & nuts; then chocolate & cheezies; and now Allergen Friendly candy & tattoos! But has Halloween actually changed? It seems to me that a happy and very traditional Halloween relies on 3 simple ingredients - and all of them are Allergen Friendly!

Dress up! - Get kids involved in planning and making their costumes. The older they get the more fun the preparation becomes! And parents should always enjoy some silliness too. When else do we get to throw off our stiff, parental demeanor? YeeHaaaah!!!

Engage with your community! - When my family first moved west, I was delighted to find that everyone on our street setup a little refreshment stand on their lawn for the adults. While kids were safely trick or treating, adults were saying hi to neighbors and enjoying some lighthearted visiting… dressed up of course!

Share some hospitality! – I’ve seen everything from Hollywood calibre haunted houses to Fireworks good enough for the 4th of July. But your hospitality doesn’t have to be big, it just has to be thoughtful, warm hearted and inclusive. Most common of course are the carved pumpkins and decorations that everyone enjoys so much! But never forget what you are handing out to the kids. The more mindful we are of our choices; the more kids get to share in the fun!

In the end, as long as we keep in mind our love of community and our desire to share some fun with our kids, Halloween will never change!

Short bio: Sarah Clarke is the founder and president of FreeYumm Foods. Her passion for creating food that is inclusive and yummy has been the driving force for FreeYumm since its inception in 2014. Sarah and her family are based out of North Vancouver, BC.