OTTAWA, Aug 28, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Canadian health officials are asking
parents of children heading back to school to be allergy aware when packing
school lunches.
Parents need to understand severe allergic reactions can occur quickly and
contact with a food can become life threatening for some allergic children, said
officials at Health Canada and Canadian Food Inspection Agency, both based in
Ottawa.
The foods listed as most commonly triggering allergic reactions in children
include those containing: peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, soy, fish, crustaceans,
shellfish, wheat, eggs and milk.
Eating even a tiny amount of an allergen can sometimes cause the symptoms of a
reaction to develop quickly. The most dangerous symptoms of an allergic reaction
-- breathing difficulties and a drop in blood pressure or shock -- can result in
loss of consciousness, or even death.
Some elementary schools restrict certain foods from all students' lunches so
parents need to find out and follow school policies -- even if their child is
not allergic.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International