Lake Forest, California ~ Linda Coss, author of two popular books on food allergies, is the featured expert on the Radio Health Journal’s new food allergy report. In this 6-1/2-minute segment Ms. Coss talks about what it means to have a severe food allergy, the difficulties that parents of food-allergic children face when trying to manage this condition, why peanuts are often singled out in school policies, and more.

Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ When I transitioned my family to natural foods, passing up ilegible ingredients and labels showing any sign of milk products within, I was sure that my coupon clipping days were a thing of the past.  While my scissors are getting less of a workout, many 'healthy" food companies have started to compete with discounts and coupons of their own.  While some are even making their way into newspaper coupon circulars (always give them a look), finding these offers can take a little more work and a few online searches.  Some excellent deals, which I have recently discovered, include a printable coupon for $2.25 off Silk Soymilk, a packet of coupons from Turtle Mountain (dairy free frozen desserts under the So Delicious and Purely Decadent labels), and the Mambo Sprouts coupon book. 

Shabtai Gourmet is a unique Gluten Free bakery line specializing in, Gluten Free, Lactose Free, Soy Free, Casein Free, and Dairy Free cakes & cookies. In 2002 Cindy Fern Itzkowitz established Cinderella Sweets, and started baking her sweet treats. Cindy has brought a fresh and exciting new approach to gluten free & other allergen free cake production & marketing. “All bakers use and have the same ingredients available, and all have very similar recipes,” Cindy says, “but very few bakers have the creativity, patience, and talent to turn an ordinary pound of ingredients into an exquisitely crafted pound of scrumptious cake. We know what it takes to apply a small bakery’s quality control, in a mass production environment ...

Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ Last month we let you know about the new vegan chocolate line-up from Sjaak's, an organic, fair trade certified chocolatier.  Well, these tasty morsels have finally arrived, and are available from Sjaak's online.  You can now order any of the 5 new flavors ~ Mint, Acai, Creamy Caramel, Orange, and Ginger ~ plus, between now and May 15th, the new small bites are 10% off!

Compassion Over Killing ~ Dunkin' Donuts has announced that Thursday, May 15 2008 is "Free Iced Coffee Day" at stores nationwide, so we're asking you to help us turn this promotion into an day of action by declaring it "Ask for Soy Milk Day!" Stop by your local Dunkin' Donuts to get your free iced coffee (hold the cream) and if soy milk isn't already on the menu, ask the manager to join a growing number of locations (see list below) that are offering customers a dairy-free alternative. Be sure to also leave a note in the suggestion box! 

New York, NY ~ Join Sloane Miller "Allergic Girl" for a Kosher Worry-Free Dinner at Mike's Bistro in New York City on May 20, 2008. The event will include coaching around issues of food allergies/food intolerances by Allergic Girl, Sloane Miller, MFA, MSW, LMSW; Group discussion tailored to your concerns; Networking with people who understand your issues; Chat time with Owner Mike Gershkovich; A delicious Worry-Free Dinner at a fantastic KOSHER NYC restaurant; and a Kosher, allergen-free goody bag worth the price of dinner. Read on for details of the event ...

Santa Claus, IN ~ In honor of Food Allergy Awareness Week, Holiday World & Splashin' Safari theme park in Santa Claus, Indiana has announced that several of its restaurants are now offering a menu of pre-packaged foods, which do not contain the eight most common food allergens (wheat, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, milk, soy and eggs).  They are also catering to gluten-free needs with gluten-free breads, buns, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies.  The park President, Will Koch, said that parents have expressed concerns in recent years about what foods their children could eat at the park, so Holiday World’s new food service director took on the initiative.  This week the park’s 500 food employees are receiving education from the Evansville’s Tri-State Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Support Group. Visit the "Restaurants & Food" page on www.HolidayWorld.com for a list of the allergen-free menu items. 

SCHILLER PARK, IL - A single, innocent parent oversight resulting in a child’s anaphylactic reaction to one of its allergy-friendly foods recently prompted one company to voluntarily strengthen the food allergy labeling on all of its products.  “As the U.S. leader in allergy-friendly AND gluten-free foods, we take very seriously our responsibility to our customers,” says Scott Mandell, President, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Enjoy Life Foods.  “So we want to do everything in our power to ensure that what happened with that child doesn’t happen again,” he adds ...