North Kingstown, Rhode Island — Galaxy Nutritional Foods, America’s leading producer of cheese alternatives, announced today it has joined forces with the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAANTM) to help raise awareness for the millions of people diagnosed with food allergies. For the first time, Galaxy is a national multi-site silver sponsor of the FAAN Walk for Food Allergy, which takes place in more than 40 locations across the country.
According to health statistics, more than 12 million Americans or one out of every 25 suffer from food allergy, a potentially life-threatening medical condition. And according to a recent report by the journal Pediatrics, the number of children under the age of 18 who have food allergies is growing. The report says 1 in 13 children, or nearly 8%, have at least one food allergy. Past estimates by researchers had placed that number in a range of 2% to 8%. Study results also showed that of those with food allergies, 39% had a history of severe reaction and 30% were allergic to multiple foods. The most common food allergen is peanuts followed by milk and shellfish.
“Despite growing numbers of people diagnosed with food allergies, there continues to be low awareness for these potentially life-threatening allergies,” said Maria L. Acebal,
Chief Executive Officer, FAAN. “Each year, our Walks are an important part of our efforts to help educate local communities about the seriousness of food allergies and raise funds to further our mission. The success of these events depends on many factors, but we couldn’t do it without the support of national sponsors like Galaxy Nutritional Foods.”
There is no cure for food allergies and people diagnosed with them must carefully avoid all “trigger foods,” as even trace amounts can cause a reaction, which can include hives and swelling, severe digestive damage, and/or anaphylaxis, which can be fatal. Food allergies result in more than 300,000 ambulatory-care visits a year among children under the age of 18, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
“We are excited to support FAAN this year and be a part of the upcoming Walks.” said Rick Antonelli, CEO Galaxy Nutritional Foods. “As a company committed to creating and delivering delicious cheese alternative products for those who suffer from lactose intolerance or have been diagnosed with severe milk allergies, we believed it was critically important to become involved in helping raise awareness for the food allergy community.”
In addition to providing individuals with food allergies and their families an opportunity to come together as a community, the Walks help raise funds for food allergy awareness, advocacy, education, and research programs. The events also are a resource for the food allergy community to learn and taste new allergy-friendly products like those of Galaxy Nutritional Foods. The company plans to sample its recently launched and award-winning, dairy-free cream cheese alternative under its Veggie brand (product information can be found at www.galaxyfoods.com/galaxy-products/soy-cheese/veggie/cream-cheese/) at the following Walk locations:
· Houston – September 10, 2011
· Chicago – September 17, 2011
· Boston – September 25, 2011
· Atlanta – October 1, 2011
· California Bay Area – October 8, 2011
For a complete schedule of the 2011 FAAN Walks and to learn more about how to support the food allergy community, visit: www.foodallergywalk.org
About FAAN
Founded in 1991, FAAN (the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) is the trusted source for food allergies, a potentially life-threatening medical condition that afflicts approximately 12 million Americans, or one out of every 25. A nonprofit organization based in Fairfax, VA, FAAN is dedicated to raising awareness, providing advocacy and education, and advancing research on behalf of all those affected by food allergies and anaphylaxis. FAAN provides information and educational resources about food allergy to patients, their families, schools, health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, the food industry and government officials. To become a member of FAAN of for more information please visit www.foodallergy.org.
About Galaxy Nutritional Foods
Over the last 25 years, Galaxy Nutritional Foods, based in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, has forged innovation in the lactose intolerant and diet related products industry. Galaxy’s Veggie® brand cheese alternative is the leading seller in the nation and is sold in the produce section of the most major supermarkets in the United States and Canada. Galaxy’s popular cheese alternative brands available in natural foods stores nationwide, include soy-free Rice®, soy-based Veggy®, dairy-free Vegan®, and dairy- and soy-free Rice Vegan™. For the millions of Americans suffering from dairy allergies, Galaxy developed its allergen free (soy and dairy free) Rice Vegan brand and the soy-based Vegan brand, which cater to the vegan lifestyle and dairy restricted diets. The company’s newest product introductions, Veggie and Vegan brand cream cheese alternatives, have won numerous awards for taste, texture and functionality and are dairy free. For more information, please visit www.GalaxyFoods.com.
Source: Galaxy Nutritional Foods