May 2006            

Dear Health Colleague,

As you know, food allergies are a common, serious—and sometimes fatal--problem.  New Jersey's Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) and researchers at Rutgers University's Food Policy Institute and Department of Nutritional Sciences are advising those with food allergies to Ask Before You Eat! This simple step could save their lives!

In 2005 the New Jersey Legislature directed NJDHSS to conduct the Ask Before You Eat! campaign to help protect New Jersey's residents from the dangers of food allergies. The goal is to help everyone – friends, neighbors, and restaurants – understand why it is so important for people with food allergies to avoid foods that trigger allergic reactions.

To achieve this goal, the Ask Before You Eat! campaign has created a Know Before You Serve factsheet for New Jersey's restaurants with advice on how to serve enjoyable and safe meals to customers with food allergies.  Ask Before You Eat factsheets help families with and without food allergies learn more about this health issue. The campaign website (www.foodallergy.rutgers.edu) provides helpful information for everyone.

 What can you do to help?  Please give the website address to any organization (professional, religious, civic, and so forth) that you think would be willing to place an announcement about the campaign on their website, newsletter, bulletin, listserv, or other venue.  (There are press releases at the website.) 

 If you need more information, please feel free to contact the food allergy team here at foodallergy@aesop.rutgers.edu. 

Thanks so much for your help!

Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, PhD, RD, FADA

Professor of Nutrition/Extension Specialist

Rutgers University

New Brunswick, NJ  08901

732-932-2382

732-932-6522 fax

bredbenner@aesop.rutgers.edu

foodallergy@aesop.rutgers.edu