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Food allergies and restuarants - KVOA Tucson News
TUCSON - Look at this list; wheat, milk, egg, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish.
These are the top 8 food allergens according to the Arizona Food Allergy Alliance. These ingredients can be pretty tough to avoid in restaurants.
With the Food Allergy Walk coming up in Tucson, we wanted to show you what's it's like for allergic kids to eat out and what local restaurants are doing about it.
It's a matter of life and death. Last month a 7 year-old girl died after being exposed to peanuts at school in Virginia.
Restaurant kitchens are busy and full of food which is why Ben Wexler's mom is reluctant to eat out. When Ben was a baby, he tried hummus.
"He had swelling of his airways," says Elyse Wexler. "And we went to the emergency room and they diagnosed him with a severe allergic reaction."
Ben was allergic to almost 90 foods then. Now 4 1/2, he's highly allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, egg, sesame, beef and milk.
Eating out is tricky but Ben and his mom braved a locally-owned restaurant undercover.
The waitress was thorough and, "Even the owner overheard, and came by, to make sure everything was okay," says Elyse. "He even said, 'we take food allergies very seriously.'"
"I think the local restaurants are a lot more conscientious than the national chains," says Ray Flores who just opened a second Sir Vezas Taco Garage. "Obviously it's a lot easier to change if you have one or two restaurants thank if you have a hundred."
Flores also has food allergies. He let us in the kitchen to see the gluten-free areas. There's even something on the menu for kids.
"So it's corn chips, rice flour and a little seasoning that makes our chicken nuggets and chicken strips gluten free."
Flores said he would welcome these.
"To get everyone aware, quickly enough, about the sensitivity to food allergies, something like that is very helpful."
This new effort will be helpful for all allergic kids like Ben. And not just in restaurants.
"I wish that they'd kind of see the big picture," says Ben's mom. "That the whole goal is to keep every kid alive."
If you ask around you might be surprised by how many people have food allergies
For more information click here for the Arizona Food Allergy Alliance.