Hey Diddle, Diddle - Help Solve the Food Riddle!

March 17, 2010 - PRLog -- The Food Allergy Awareness Walk will begin in the Mall of America Macy's Court.  Registration is at 7 a.m.; the walk begins at 8 a.m.; and the entertainment concludes at 9 a.m.  Toronto-based entertainer Kyle Dine will sing food allergy songs, and the walk will feature royalty from various communities, and sports mascots.

The Walk, whose motto is "Hey Diddle, Diddle - Help Solve the Food Riddle!" features incentives, including t-shirts with the walking dish & spoon logo connected to the nursery rhyme.  Online registration can be done at www.minnesotafoodallergy.org

Food allergies affect 12 million Americans - most whom are children.  In Minnesota, 200,000 people have food allergies, including 30,000 school students.

Severe food allergy reactions (anaphylaxis) causes more than 50,000 emergency room visits per year in the U.S.  Alarmingly, food allergies have increased 18% in the past 10 years according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The most common food allergies in the U.S. are milk, egg, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree-nuts (almonds, pistachios, walnuts, etc.), wheat, and soy.

Food allergy reactions can include any of the following: digestive upset, edema (swelling), hives, difficulty breathing, blood pressure drop, and death.  More than 150 people die each year from severe food allergy reactions.  

AFAA is a 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to educate, advocate, and support those with food allergies.  Among its policy accomplishments are epinephrine in Minnesota ambulances; access to epinephrine for Minnesota schoolchildren; elemental formula insurance coverage; and restaurant awareness.

Some of the many events that AFAA hosts are an annual Conference & Expo in conjunction with the University of Minnesota; Food Allergy Awareness Walk; Largest Allergy-Free Halloween Zone at the Mall of America.  AFAA has the most extensive Booth Outreach Program in the U.S. and has received national recognition for its achievements.

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AFAA is a 501(c)3 Non-profit organization whose mission is to educate, advocate, and support those with food allergies.