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Posts Tagged ‘FAAN’

There is an article at Living Without – a pretty good magazine dedicated to those of us living with food restrictions due to immunological issues about corn allergy and FAAN. As some of you are aware, I have major issues with FAAN.

If you suffer from an allergy outside of the Top 8, I suggest you respond to this article – and make whomever you can aware. Munoz and her cohorts are doing more damage than good with their emphasis on the Top 8 allergens. Allergy is a very personal disease, and not much can be generalizable.

This is my letter to Living Without:

FAAN has done more damage than good with their emphasis on the top 8 for anyone suffering from an allergy outside the Top 8. I am anaphylactic to popcorn – and possibly corn oil. The allergy is IgE mediated – not an intolerance.

Before FAAN, it was possible to get companies to work with you if you had an allergy to something outside of the top 8. Today, you will get a pat answer that “corn is not an allergen according to FAAN and the FDA,” from companies. Oh, and if you contact FAAN they will say it is the FDA, contact the FDA, and they say they get their information from FAAN. Also, it would be wise to trace the money that supports FAAN – one of their major corporate sponsors is KRAFT, which is known to put corn in absolutely everything.

The lack of transparency caused by FAAN’s insistence on only focusing on the Top 8 is not exclusive to corn allergy. I have seen it come up with rice (common among Asians), lettuce, and a number of other less common allergens. Again, companies that used to be cooperative quote FAAN guidelines as if they were gospel. They simply are not!

I was also a participant in the very, very flawed study out of Tulane. The placebos used (peaches) are known to have the highest cross-reactivity with corn according to European researchers. I am also allergic to lentils and should have been excluded from the study due to my already diagnosed issues. Despite becoming progressively more ill from the tests – including throwing up on the first challenge – they allowed me to continue until I spent an entire night very, very sick with food poisoning like symptoms. I was told I did not react. I suggest they read the PDR (Physician’s Desk Reference) to learn about allergic reactions.

The Tulane study was underwritten by corn growers and manufacturers. It is nice that they are saying it exists but is rare – but I am running into more and more people who are getting diagnosed with corn allergy in real life – not just in the online community.

Munoz has betrayed everyone who does not fit her definition of what allergy is. The Europeans – because they do not rely on corporate sponsorship – are much further ahead in studying, treating, and recognizing every immunological disease, including allergy. They and the Canadians have long recognized that maize is in the top 12 allergens world- wide.

So, what do you think the real reason largest growing lobby’s main crop not being recognized as a major allergen is? Watch the Farm Bill debate and tell me that there isn’t a lot of money in making sure that corn is never recognized as an allergen within the USA.

I am tired of this fight. But, unlike some other fights I pursue, I don’t have a choice whether to fight it or not. Hidden corn is everywhere. food manufacturing practices allow for its uses without any type of labeling whatsoever. They can inject meats with corn syrup and dextrose (in the USA this is always corn-based) without any labeling because the injection is considered part of the manufacturing process. Same with a corn-based citric acid wash.

As to those who holler “no proteins left”! After the pet food disaster, do you really trust manufacturers? I sure don’t.

The scariest part? Even unprocessed organic and “natural” foods can be “minimally” processed with corn-based substances.

I rely on the farmer’s market, Whole Foods, Kroger’s Organic, and Trader Joe’s for most of my shopping. Even with those trusted companies, I have, on occasion gotten very ill from accidental exposure.

I don’t even want to go into the issues around medication! No ingredients have to be labeled and almost all medications have corn-derived fillers.

But, the Farm Subsidies to one of the most soil-damaging crops around (seed corn – not sweet corn) keeps increasing each and every time a new Farm Bill is passed. Monsanto and ADM are mighty powerful companies with politicians in their back pocket.