Hats off to the organizers of 1 in 133, the Gluten-Free Food Labeling Summit. In a matter of weeks, John Forberger, the tweeting, gluten-free triathlete (@GlutenFreeTri) and Jules Shepard (aka Jules Gluten Free) managed to gather hundreds of supporters together in Washington for the impressive May 4 summit. The purpose? To send the message to [...]

This month, Sam finds herself a teary mess facing an uncertain future. Why? Her son’s food-allergy aware principal is leaving his job. Readers who’ve been with me since the start of this blog may remember when it was still referred to in ancient journalistic terms as a column (back in the dark ages of 2006). [...]

[This article was posted Feb. 11, 2012. On Feb. 14, the Health Minister announced the regulations would be passed, with an exemption for beer makers.] Like the guest who finally turns up for dinner just as you’re clearing the dessert plates, Canada’s breweries last month showed up to bellyache about the proposed gluten and allergen [...]

Samantha Yaffe’s opinionated view of motherhood with allergies. This month, Sam has a distressing encounter with Air Canada’s new allergy policy. “Sorry ma’am, but your son cannot board this plane if he hasn’t been cleared by our med desk at least 48 hours in advance,” says the airline employee at the gate in Miami. “It’s [...]

Q. I often need a snack when I’m on the run, but am hard pressed to find something gluten-free when I need it. Do you have any suggestions? Shelley Case, RD: Whether you’re rushing between meetings or getting the kids to music lessons or a sports event, grabbing a snack on the go is all [...]

Samantha Yaffe’s opinionated view of motherhood with allergies. I never post anything on my Facebook wall. Never had a good reason to move past my inherent voyeurism. But on the morning of this year’s Santa Claus Parade in Toronto – the 106th seasonal dose of pre-Christmas spirit in the city – I couldn’t resist telling [...]

Hallelujah, we’ve been heard. If you ask a flight attendant on WestJet, Canada’s second largest airline, she or he will step to the microphone and ask fellow passengers to please not pull out nut or peanut snacks. The attendant will briefly explain that this is because there is a person onboard with serious allergies. This [...]

I just woke up from a dream. In it, I am in a classroom surrounded by children ranging in age from about 6 up to 13, and we are all chatting informally as the new school year starts.  There is a feeling of excitement and happy anticipation. A man walks in and introduces himself as [...]

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our new and fabulous site. Please have a look around, and allow me to be your tour guide to point out a few features. First stop, the green navigation bar. If you pull down under Food Allergy, for instance, you’ll find full sections on the top food allergens, with comprehensive [...]

With gluten-free anything, I think it’s important not to compare the gluten-free item with the wheat-flour counterpart. They truly are different things in every way. Pastry is no exception. The science of the dough is not the same, the handling and the end product are all a little different. So when setting out to make [...]