The organization My Kid’s Food Allergies just launched a report to help you and your children navigate the Labor Day celebrations the healthiest and safest way possible.
My Kid’s Food Allergies’ mission is to protect children with food allergies through education, resources and professional connections. They provide families with everything they need to live and to thrive when food allergies affect your family.
When you go to their website and sign up for their FREE downloadable Labor Day report, you’ll get helpful food safety tips like these:
If you’re the party host…
You have the most control over providing safe food for your child and ensuring that there is no cross-contamination when you are the event host. The best way to completely avoid cross-contamination is to have a menu that is 100% allergen-free.
An alternative is to have a mixed menu, but to prepare the safe foods before you prepare the dishes that contain the allergens. You can also label the dishes with a pen and paper and keep foods that may contain allergens out of kids’ reach, only to be distributed by an adult.
If you’re attending an event…
When attending a non-potluck event, contact the host and find out what the menu will consist of. Stress the importance of cross-contamination. Ask them to make the safe food first and keep it stored away from the other foods. Should a grill be used, ask that the grill and brush be thoroughly cleaned to kill all pre-existing protein. Then ask that the safe food be grilled first and put away before the food containing allergens is brought out so that the food does not get mixed up.
Remember, having a child with food allergies is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. Speak up and do what you need to do to keep him or her safe. Here are five tips on dealing with a food allergy diagnosis.