ContentChecked Holdings, a developer of a family of apps for
individuals with specific dietary requirements and preferences, is backed by
strong executive leadership, as well as a team of knowledgeable and qualified
nutritionists. Carving its niche in the broader health and wellness industries,
ContentChecked is growing its reputation as a go-to source of information and
helpful apps for individuals seeking to avoid sugars, foods known to trigger
migraines and other specificities.
The company was recently featured in an article on
www.SmartTravel.com, where one of its nutritionists was a contributing source
to an article discussing the dangers of a particular food allergy and modern travel.
The article also linked back to ContentChecked’s website, providing the company
with considerable exposure to a large audience of consumers and potential
shareholders.
The article is as follows:
When airline employees or passengers ignore protocol around
peanuts, the results can turn tragic. Here’s what you need to know about
bringing peanuts and peanut butter on the plane.
Last year, four-year-old Fae Platten was flying home to
England from a family vacation in Spain. Before boarding, her parents told
Ryanair‘s crew about their daughter’s severe peanut allergy. Flight attendants
made three announcements asking passengers not to eat peanuts. Despite that, a
man four rows behind Fae decided to eat the snack he’d brought onboard: a bag
of mixed nuts, including peanuts. Fae’s face swelled and her lips blistered.
Her mother raced her to the front of the cabin, away from the peanut dust.
Nevertheless, Fae went into anaphylactic shock, stopped breathing, and went
unconscious. Luckily, a paramedic was on board to inject her with an EpiPen.
When the plane landed, an ambulance took her to a hospital, where she
recovered.
This and other horror stories, like that of 13-year-old
Natalie Giorgi, whose last words while dying of a peanut-induced allergic
reaction were, “I’m sorry, mom,” should make those of us who take public
transportation consider whether it’s acceptable to bring peanuts along for the
ride.
When allergic people are exposed to peanuts, “an immunologic
explosion occurs,” says Samuel Friedlander, an allergist at University
Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. “People can have closing of
the throat, coughing, trouble breathing, hives, and swelling. In the worst
case, low blood pressure and death can occur with anaphylaxis.”
It’s rare for peanut-allergic people to react severely from
air on a plane—it’s more common for the smell to make them uncomfortable—but as
evidenced by little Fae’s case, it does happen. “On planes the air is
recirculated,” explains Allie Bahn, a food-allergy advocate, “and peanut dust
can spread easily.”
According to an NIH study, at least 1 in 100 Americans is
allergic to peanuts (which are actually not nuts but legumes). And according to
the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, peanuts represent
children’s most common food allergy (milk comes in second, shellfish third).
“In children, the incidence continues to rise,” notes Devang
Doshi, who heads the allergy and immunology department at Michigan’s Beaumont
Children’s Hospital.
“Your life changes in every way when you or a loved one is
diagnosed with a food allergy,” says Jennifer Kurko, whose two daughters’ food
allergies inspired her to start Kiss Freely, an allergy-friendly line of beauty
products. “Simple tasks become fraught with danger. We’ve made many
accommodations for the safety of others, including no smoking during flights
and the banning of all sorts of objects. Banning peanuts helps to keep a small
but rapidly growing population safe.”
“Most people would never intentionally expose another person
to an allergen that could harm them,” says Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert
whose child has severe allergies. “It’s a courtesy to be cognizant of others in
dire situations, which definitely includes allergies to specific foods, pets,
and smoke.”
Anne Klaeysen, who leads the New York Society for Ethical
Culture, adds, “Given that peanut allergy is the most common cause of
food-related death, following the practice of ‘When in doubt, do no harm’ in
these situations would be ethical.”
Not everyone agrees that peanuts should be banned: Paul
Ehrlich, a pediatric allergist at NYU Langone Medical Center, thinks it’s all
right to bring peanuts onboard if you’re careful about it. “I’m not going to
say that having peanuts on a plane is never a threat,” he says. “However, if
the person with peanuts doesn’t touch the allergic person or spread peanut
butter on the allergic person’s seat or immediate environment, then it’s okay.”
Billie Frank, who owns the trip-planning company Santa Fe
Traveler, was on a US Airways flight when, during takeoff, the crew announced
that, due to a passenger’s allergy, no one could eat any kind of nut. “They
were going to serve peanuts but reverted to pretzels,” Frank recalls. “I’m
allergic to wheat and had brought almonds to snack on. I was unable to eat on
the flight. I thought it unfair that a whole plane was held hostage to one
person’s allergy. I’m sensitive to perfume and allergic to cats and some dogs,
yet I have to ride in the cabin with them.”
As of now, there are no laws against bringing peanut
products onto public or private property, though some schools ban peanuts and
many establish “peanut-free zones.”
Most airlines’ peanut policies seem phrased to protect them
from getting sued (like United was in 2013 when its employees failed to make
the announcement they had promised to a woman with a severe peanut allergy).
Most policies go something like this, from American Airlines: “We cannot
guarantee customers will not be exposed to peanuts during flight, and we strongly
encourage customers to take all necessary medical precautions to prepare for
the possibility of exposure.”
Southwest, one of the few U.S. airlines still serving
peanuts, has this on its site: “We will make every attempt not to serve
packaged peanuts on the aircraft when customers alert us of their allergy. We
suggest that customers with peanut dust allergies book travel on early morning
flights as our aircraft undergo a thorough cleaning only at the end of the
day.”
Some carriers, like JetBlue, accommodate allergic passengers
by creating “nut buffer zones” around the affected person.
Within the allergic community, Delta is known as being the
most accommodating airline. “We choose Delta because other people with food
allergies recommend them,” Kurko says. “They flag your reservation and make an
announcement onboard that there’s a traveler with a nut allergy and that they
won’t be serving nuts. They also request that other passengers refrain from
eating nuts. It isn’t foolproof—the flight attendants can be inconsistent in
making the announcement—so we carry enough epinephrine to get us to our
destination should the need arise.”
Delta also allows people with allergies to pre-board in
order to wipe down their seating area. “Unfortunately, we still can’t guarantee
that the flight will be completely peanut-free,” says Michael Thomas, a Delta
spokesperson. “Flight attendants are of course trained on how to deal with
in-flight medical situations.”
If you’re planning to bring peanut products on a flight, you
should know a few things. First: The TSA will confiscate any jar of peanut
butter containing more than 3.4 ounces, since it’s considered a gel. If you
need to travel with peanut butter, put it in your checked suitcase or stow a
tiny pouch of it in your carry-on.
Second, if you’re eating any food that could threaten
others, clean up anything you spill. “That way, a child with an allergy won’t
accidentally touch or ingest the allergy food,” Friedlander says.
Tara Zamani, a nutritionist for ContentChecked, an app for
people with food sensitivities, adds, “Keep peanut butter in a closed
container. If you want to use it as a spread, prepare your sandwich prior to
coming on to the plane, wrap it in foil, and put it in a Ziploc. It’s best to
ask your neighbors if they have allergies. If so, change seats if you plan on
consuming what they’re allergic to.”
To be an even more considerate co-traveler, heed Doshi’s
advice: “With the continued growing incidence of food allergies, the safest
thing to do is avoid carrying foods which may place other passengers’ health
and safety at risk.” From his medical perspective, it’s dangerous for airlines
to be as lax as they are about having peanuts on their aircrafts. “Emergency
medications may not be readily available. This would place someone experiencing
an allergic reaction at high risk for morbidity and or mortality.”
If you or your child has a peanut allergy, know what you can
do to keep safe and comfortable during a flight. Bahn says, “I always makes
sure to have the following with me: disinfecting wipes for wiping down the seat
and tray table as soon as I board, plenty of epinephrine, an antihistamine like
Benadryl, and my own safe snacks.”
Kurko adds, “We do not allow our girls to use the pillows or
blankets, as they are usually not cleaned between flights.”
Doshi tells his patients that their epinephrine pens and
other remedies should display a prescription label bearing the passenger’s name
to sidestep any trouble with the TSA. He also recommends packing a doctor’s
note listing all allergies and medications.
Other sound advice includes checking the flight menu before
booking and calling to notify the airline about your allergy as soon as you’ve
made your reservation. Tell the gate agent about it as soon as you reach your
gate. And tell the flight attendants about it as soon as you board. Ask them to
make announcements, and to keep nut-containing snacks and meals far from you.
Once you’re settled on the plane, politely tell those seated near you about
your allergy.
“If someone pulls out a bag of nuts,” Gottsman says, “let
that passenger know that you or your child is severely allergic and ask if they
would mind holding off until you talk to the flight attendant about arranging a
seat change.”
Lianne Mandelbaum encourages people to push the airlines to
change their inconsistent policies regarding food allergies. Her site, No Nut
Traveler, offers links for signing a petition, filing a complaint, and
contacting lawmakers. Mandelbaum became an activist after a United manager at
Denver’s airport refused to make an announcement about her child’s peanut
allergy. The employee told her, in front of her eight-year-old son, “If you
think he’s going to die, don’t get on the plane.”
They didn’t get on the plane.
For more information on ContentChecked Holdings, visit
www.contentchecked.com
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