Trigger Talk

As Halloween gets closer, you are sure to spot the traditional orange pumpkins but what if you see a teal pumpkin? These new pumpkins are much more than decoration, and they serve an important purpose.

The Teal Pumpkin Project launched in 2012, as a local activity by the Food Allergy Community of East Tennessee has since become a worldwide event. It encourages folks to place a teal pumpkin in front of their homes to show they have non-food treats available for children with food allergies or necessary dietary restrictions. This simple act promotes inclusion for kids with food allergies and helps keep them safe.

Many popular Halloween treats contain nuts, milk, egg, soy, wheat or sesame, which are among the most common allergens. Additionally, many miniature candy items do not have labels and may be formulated or manufactured differently than full-sized candies of the same brand, making it difficult to determine whether these items are safe.  

To access more information about the Teal Pumpkin Project including suggested non-food treats, the interactive map, and ways to help spread the word, visit tealpumpkinproject.org. We wish you a safe and happy Halloween and encourage you to follow all applicable COVID-19 guidelines in your area.

May is Food Allergy Awareness month worldwide, and Australia has one of the highest rates of food allergies in the world. During May, many buildings and bridges around the world, including in Australia, will light up in teal to raise food allergy awareness; shining a spotlight on allergies, which have emerged as a major public health problem in developed countries.

In Australia, TRIGGER Food Allergy Awareness partnered with
‘Light It Teal’ to light up major landmarks in Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth and Launceston. Sydney was the first city outside North America to participate in the Light it Teal initiative and many Australian cities have followed suit.

This year, Brisbane, which joined the initiative in 2018, will shine again for the fourth consecutive year with both Story Bridge and Victoria Bridge lit in teal on Monday, May 10, 2021.

Perth also joined the initiative in 2018, and will put the spotlight on food allergy awareness by lighting its Council House and Trafalgar Bridge in teal on Saturday, May 29, 2021. The city of Melbourne, which joined the initiative for the first time in 2019, will light up the Melbourne Town Hall on Saturday, May 22, 2021.

Canberra, the nations capital city, will join the initiative for the first time this year; lighting the Telstra Tower in teal Tuesday, May 11, 2021.

While on the island state of Tasmania, the Launceston Town Hall will Light it Teal over four nights, commencing Thursday, May 20 until Sunday, May 23.

The Light It Teal movement was started by a US mother, Stephanie Lowe, who wanted to draw attention to the issue by lighting as many prominent monuments and buildings as possible to highlight Food Allergy Awareness. The Australian partnership with Light It Teal is supported by Australian journalist and TRIGGER Food Allergy Awareness founder, Grace Farah, who also has a daughter with severe allergies; to ‘Light It Teal’ in Australia and beyond.

Ms Farah said the initiative was a great idea, and one she just had to bring to Australia.

“When people see a building or a bridge lit up in teal, it starts a conversation and raises awareness about food allergies. It also shows our children and families who are dealing with food allergies every day that Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra, Launceston and Perth cares…Australia cares.”

“We want to express our heartfelt thanks to all the great people involved who have helped light up some of their city’s iconic structures,” she said.

For more information about the Australian cities turning it teal, or other ways to help raise Food Allergy Awareness visit triggerawareness.org
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Peanut allergies are an ever-increasing social, clinical, and financial burden for society in developed countries. Due to the lack of treatments, avoidance continues to be the standard of care, resulting in economic and emotional burdens for patients and caregivers. Peanut allergy concerns have been compounded in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Intrommune Therapeutics, a New York City–based company,
has started trials of an experimental toothpaste on a small group of people allergic to peanuts. The hope is that by being regularly exposed to small doses of the allergen, these people will build up and maintain a natural defense against it.

Oral immunotherapy, one of the current popular treatments against food allergies, requires users to ingest daily doses of the allergen in their daily meals, which can sometimes trigger relatively strong allergic reactions.

Another treatment, sublingual immunotherapy, is a gentler method that delivers microdoses of the allergen in the form of drops placed beneath the tongue. However, this method can more easily be left out of a daily routine, and it’s believed the best immune cells to target for such allergens are in our cheeks, not under our tongue, say the experts working on the toothpaste therapy.

So, using toothpaste with embedded allergens more quickly and easily targets the immune cells in our cheeks. And as brushing teeth is already a regular daily habit, it’s hard to forget to carry out this therapy, which is also offered in smaller doses, thus not triggering strong allergic reactions.

While there is support for the toothpaste concept, some Allergists worry about dose control and safety. When a patient’s gums are sore and inflamed — for example, after dental work or losing a tooth — allergens may have direct access to the bloodstream, which increases the risk of systemic allergic reactions.

The Cicero Police Department recently awarded 13-year-old Nathan Bustin the CPD Life Saving Award for his actions after his mother suffered a medical crisis while driving.

54-year-old Lisa Bustin from Clay, New York passed out after developing a peanut allergy.

Her son Nathan watched his mother faint behind the wheel and quickly took it after she lost consciousness. Police believe his heroic actions likely helped prevent a deadly car crash or serious injuries.

Lisa explained that she had taken her son to ice hockey practice. While waiting, she was hungry and decided to eat peanuts from a jar that she found in the car.

“I’m not a big peanut eater,” she said. “I almost never do. Just that day they were in the car and I happened to be hungry and I just didn’t think anything of it because I didn’t ever have a peanut allergy.”

While driving home, she said that her feet and hands started to tingle, and her cheeks felt like they were on fire. Suddenly, Nathan saw his mother roll down the window and instantly knew something was wrong.

“ Her eyes rolled up and her head went back to the headrest,” he said. “As soon as she went unconscious, her hands just dropped and totally relaxed.”

Nathan immediately grabbed the steering wheel, but was unable to reach the brake or gas pedals in order to stop the vehicle. Upon taking control of the vehicle, Nathan was then able to grab his mother’s phone and call 911 to report his mother had passed out.

Nathan recalls that the car was going slow at first, but then Lisa’s foot was on the gas pedal, and the vehicle accelerated to about 40 miles an hour but their car finally stopped after it hit a slow-moving truck. Amazingly, no one was injured and Lisa was transported to the hospital.

Doctors have informed Lisa that the cause of her passing out was an allergic reaction to peanuts; which she says she was not aware of.

The Cicero Police Department honored Nathan by awarding him the CPD Life Saving Award. If not for Nathan’s quick thinking, the outcome of this incident could have been much different.

Adult-onset food allergies are considered increasingly common, with a recent study finding as many as 12 million Americans had developed a food allergy in adulthood.

A new study is set to launch looking at why a few rare cases of people have suffered from severe allergic reactions shortly after receiving mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine shots.

The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is planning to launch the multi-center study working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and vaccine makers.

The aim of the research is to find out whether people with allergies are at any higher risk of a reaction than those without allergies. Researches also hope to identify the component of the vaccines most likely to be responsible for these potentially life-threatening incidents, known as anaphylaxis.

The study is expected to include several hundred people who have a history of severe allergic reactions to foods, medications or insect stings.
The vaccine will be injected under close medical supervision and set to begin in a matter of weeks.

Although Halloween looks different this year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, The Teal Pumpkin Project continues in 2020. The Teal Pumpkin Project initiative aims to raise awareness surrounding food allergies by making Halloween safer and more inclusive for all trick-or-treaters while remaining mindful of the challenges presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“As families determine how to safely celebrate Halloween this year, FARE is reminding parents to make these celebrations as inclusive as possible for all children, including those with food allergies,” said Lisa Gable, chief executive officer of FARE.

The Teal Pumpkin Project encourages participants to place a teal pumpkin in front of their homes to show they have non-food treats available for children with food allergies or necessary dietary restrictions. Many popular Halloween candies contain nuts, milk, egg, soy, wheat or sesame, which are among the most common allergens. Additionally, many miniature candy items do not have labels and may be formulated or manufactured differently than full-sized candies of the same brand, making it difficult to determine whether these items are safe.  To learn more about the Teal Pumpkin Project, visit www.tealpumpkinproject.org.

For the third consecutive year, Perth’s stunning Trafalgar Bridge triggered teal for Food Allergy Awareness Month from Friday the 15th to Saturday the 16th of May, 2020.

A very special thanks to all those at Perth City Council for their commitment to making this happen once again, as well as to our good friend Dr. Anthony Chaffee (pictured), who last year took time to visit Trafalgar Bridge. This year, he and all health care workers all around the world are working tirelessly to help keep us all safe during the COVID-19 Pandemic. We thank you and salute you all for your efforts!

TURN IT TEAL was created by Cleveland, Ohio native Stephanie Lowe, who founded ‘Turn it Teal’ in 2014. The aim of which was to light as many prominent monuments and buildings as possible to highlight Food Allergy Awareness Month.
At TRIGGER Food Allergy Awareness we are proud to have helped to make the initiative global with the lighting of the Sydney Town Hall in 2017,
being the first building outside of North America to turn teal in support of Food Allergy Awareness and have since lit Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Tasmania.

For more information about this initiative please visit turnitteal.org or email us at info@triggerawareness.org – Thank you.

As Food Allergy Awareness Month rolled on, Brisbane lit up its beautiful Story and Victoria Bridges in teal to support those with food allergies, and help raise awareness.

Despite COVID-19, the two bridges dazzled and lit a teal beacon for those with food allergies. A special thank you once again to the team at the Brisbane City Council, who made this effort possible!

Another thank you to GlobalAAI.org for your continued support!

TURN IT TEAL was created by Cleveland, Ohio native Stephanie Lowe, who founded ‘Turn it Teal’ in 2014. The aim of which was to light as many prominent monuments and buildings as possible to highlight Food Allergy Awareness Month.
At TRIGGER Food Allergy Awareness we are proud to have helped to make the initiative global with the lighting of the Sydney Town Hall in 2017,
being the first building outside of North America to turn teal in support of Food Allergy Awareness and have since lit Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Tasmania.

For more information about this initiative please visit turnitteal.org or email us at info@triggerawareness.org – Thank you.

Australia is all set to raise Food Allergy Awareness throughout May and will ‘Turn It Teal’ to shine a light on food allergies, which affect millions around the world.

This year, despite the COVID-19 Pandemic, we welcomed aboard Launceston, Tasmania, who was the first city to switch on the teal lights for 2020 and illuminated the stunning Launceston Town Hall from May 1st to May 4th, 2020.

This was the inaugural year for Tasmania to join the initiative and we thank all at Launceston City Council who helped to make this happen.

TURN IT TEAL was created by Cleveland, Ohio native Stephanie Lowe, who founded ‘Turn it Teal’ in 2014. The aim of which was to light as many prominent monuments and buildings as possible to highlight Food Allergy Awareness Month.
At TRIGGER Food Allergy Awareness we are proud to have helped to make the initiative global with the lighting of the Sydney Town Hall in 2017,
being the first building outside of North America to turn teal in support of Food Allergy Awareness, and have since lit Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and now Tasmania.

For more information about this initiative please visit turnitteal.org or email us at info@triggerawareness.org – Thank you.