Allergen Bureau

CANCELLED Allergen Bureau Half Day Conference

Allergen Bureau — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:55:00 +0000

CANCELLED Allergen Bureau Half Day Conference, Launceston, Tasmania – Friday 13 November 2009

To assist the Allergen Bureau inform the food industry in regional Australia, the Allergen Bureau had recently organised and promoted a half day conference in Launceston Tasmania. The conference was to have followed the Keep it Real 2009 – the 6th National Food Safety, Quality and Environmental Assurance Conference, 9–12 November 2009.

Unfortunately, however, the Allergen Bureau Management Committee has decided to cancel the half day Allergen Bureau conference due to low numbers of registrations.

First gluten free grocery store opens in Auckland

Administrator (Ray Murphy) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:16:00 +0000

A grocery store dedicated to stocking gluten free products is set to open in Eden Terrace, Auckland, on the 6th November 2009. The store owner, Mitch King, maintains there will be a strong emphasis on the quality of the products in an attempt to counter perceptions that all gluten free food tastes terrible. In addition to gluten and wheat free products, the store also offers dairy free, lactose free, sugar free, egg free, nut free, vegetarian and vegan options.

Study of breastfed infants with atopic dermatitis

Administrator (Ray Murphy) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:14:00 +0000

Some believe that breastfeeding infants confers a degree of protection against the subsequent development of allergy. However, there remains much controversy in this area. Results of a recent study suggest that breastfeeding might not always be beneficial in allergy prevention in some high-risk infants. Researchers reviewed 143 infants (77 boys and 66 girls) with atopic dermatitis who were younger than 6 months and were classified into the following 3 groups based on the type of feeding they received: breastfed, mixed feeding, and formula fed. None of the infants had ever been fed egg or soy. The total and specific IgE levels were then assessed using a commercially available assay.

Food allergy prevalence in United Arab Emirates

Administrator (Ray Murphy) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:12:00 +0000

A study has been conducted to determine the prevalence of food allergy in school children aged 6-9 years in Al-Ain city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study comprised a random sample of 397 school children whose parents completed a self-administered questionnaire designed to assess the presence or absence of physician diagnosis of food allergy and other allergic diseases.

Parental perceptions of egg allergy

Administrator (Ray Murphy) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:10:00 +0000

Australian researchers recruited parents of 167 children with egg sensitization who attended a tertiary paediatric clinic. The parents were questioned to determine the effect of an oral challenge on their perceptions of their child's allergy. Perceptions of those parents whose children had not had an egg challenge were compared with those whose children had either positive or negative egg challenge tests, or no test.

Why families participate in clinical food allergy trials

Administrator (Ray Murphy) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:29:00 +0000

Recent research has investigated a little-studied area of food allergy, seeking to understand the specific psychological factors that affect parents' decisions to allow their children to participate in clinical food allergy trials. Results showed it was those parents who had higher anxiety about negative outcomes from accidental ingestion who were more likely to consent to experimental therapy for their child.

Europrevall review food allergy factors

Administrator (Ray Murphy) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:28:00 +0000

A paper by the international food allergy research collaboration Europrevall looks at the many risk factors associated with allergy, and those specific to food allergy. The following is an excerpt from the paper’s abstract:

Cow's milk allergy not uncommon in India

Administrator (Ray Murphy) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:27:00 +0000

Children presenting to hospital in India between June 2004 and December 2007 with chronic diarrhoea were studied to determine outcome following treatment for cow’s milk allergy. Diagnosis of cow’s milk protein allergy was based on characteristic intestinal biopsy, and confirmed by positive milk challenge. The authors concluded cow’s milk allergy is not uncommon in a developing country such as India, and recommend milk allergy challenge as an option when children present with chronic diarrhoea.

Immunising against food allergy

Administrator (Ray Murphy) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:25:00 +0000

The magazine ScienceNews has published an extensive feature on food allergy and the growing popularity of oral immunization therapy as a means to overcome it. The article re-visits many studies on the topic that have been published in peer-reviewed journals in the past few years, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and Nature Medicine.

Maternal milk protects rat pups from cow’s milk allergy

Administrator (Ray Murphy) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:10:00 +0000

Scientists in South Australia have investigated the immune response of rat pups exposed to beta-lactoglobulin (BLG), one of the main allergenic proteins in cow milk. Different groups of allergy-prone rats were subjected to the following diets: maternal milk only; maternal milk plus cow’s milk protein, or; formula containing cow’s milk protein.