Welcome to Safe-Eats
Let’s Discuss Something really important
epi-pens should be available in every restaurant
Our Mission
Most initial food allergic reactions occur in restaurants. These tend to be places in which people of all ages experiment with new foods, trying new foods with allergens they may have not tried in past. Life threatening allergic reactions also happen when cross contamination occurs. Safe Eats aims to tackle this problem. There are many times people don’t have their life saving medication with them.
Our goal is to keep people safe. We will do this by working to stock local restaurants with Epi-pens so that they are equipped and trained to handle life threatening allergic reactions within their spaces.
Our organization- a registered nonprofit- we will share fun food and snack suggestions for individuals with allergies. Whether they are snacks to buy at the market or great places to eat with an allergy, Safe Eats will work to give you the information to ensure a safe and enjoyable dining experience.
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The Facts
What is a food allergy?
A food allergy occurs when the body’s immune system sees a certain food as harmful and reacts by causing symptoms. This is an allergic reaction. Foods that cause allergic reactions are called allergens. Allergic reactions can involve the skin, mouth, eyes, lungs, heart, gut and brain.
- The most common food allergies are Milk, egg, wheat and soy allergies are often outgrown. But most people do not outgrow peanut, tree nut, fish and shellfish allergies.
How Common Are Food Allergies?
- Roughly 33 million people have food allergies in the U.S.
- About 26 million U.S. adults have food allergies (10.8%).
- About 5.6 million (7.6%) of children have food allergies.
- Food allergies are most common in young children.
How Are Food Allergies Managed and Treated?
- There is currently no cure for food allergies.
- Avoiding the allergen is the most important way to prevent a reaction.
- Those with food allergies should carefully read food labels and always ask about ingredients before eating the food.
- Epinephrine is the first line of treatment for anaphylaxis.
- Those with food allergies should always carry Their epinephrine auto-injectors with them
- If a person is having anaphylaxis, they should:
- Follow their Anaphylaxis Action Plan
- Use their epinephrine auto-injector
- Call 911
Casey's Story
I am extremely responsible with my epipen. My mom or I either carry it and we don’t leave the house without it. I bring my epipen to my friends and families houses. All of my friends know that I have allergies to foods because I am so cautious about it. They all look out for me, which is very comforting.
There have been times throughout the years that I heard stories of my friends and of other kids eating in restaurants and having an allergic reaction. In some of these instances my friends didn’t have their emergency medication. They would have to be rushed to the emergency room and hope that everything would be ok.
That’s when I said to my Mom, why aren’t their Epi-Pens in restaurants? How could that be? It doesn’t make sense.
I would feel so much safer if I knew the restaurant I was going to had an Epi-pen on hand. Most reactions that happen in restaurants are first time reactions. Usually the person doesn’t know that they are allergic to any food. So they don’t have the essential life saving medicine with them.
Providing Epi-pens in restaurants provide comfort for the people who are dining there. The Epi-pens also provide a safe environment for people who might have an allergic reaction for the first time and for someone who may have forgotten their Epi-pen.
This is my mission. I really hope that I can achieve my goal so that people with food allergies will be in less danger when they are eating out. It would make me and all of our communities feel safer.
SUPPORTING RESTAURANTS
Restaurant Request Form
From TheBlog
Nassau County program could make EpiPens available for restaurant owners
Nassau County program could make EpiPens available for restaurant owners Casey Dubofsky, who has a tree nut and fish allergy, says the idea came to her because she had a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction in a restaurant when she was 3 years old. At the time, her parents did not…
Jericho HS sophomore starts nonprofit to help restaurants protect those with food allergies
A Jericho High School student is recruiting Long Island restaurants to become more allergy-friendly. Casey Dubofsky, 16, says she is “very cautious” about tree nut and fish allergies because of an incident she had when she was a child. When Dubofsky was 3, she had a life-threatening reaction to tree…
SAFE EATS Winner of the 2021 FARE Collaborator Program Impact Award.
SAFE EATS is helping out the Community by educating others about the severity of food allergies. On December 15th Members of our committee Used the money awarded to them from FARE and Stocked the People Loving People Food Pantry in Oyster Bay. Allergy Safe Food is hard to come by…
After Son’s Nut Allergy Tragedy, Family Urges Food Allergy Education
Oakley Debbs was his parents’ pride, the 11-year-old from West Palm Beach, Florida was a straight A student with a sunny disposition and ready smile. Despite some struggles with asthma control, Oakley was an outstanding athlete – a gifted soccer and tennis player, flag football quarterback, and the marathon runner…
5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AN EPIPEN
For those who live with a life-threatening allergy, an EpiPen is an essential item to keep on hand. EpiPens contain a single dose of epinephrine, which works quickly to combat the life-threatening symptoms of anaphylaxis. Epinephrine works rapidly to stimulate the heart, improve breathing, reverse hives, raise dropping blood pressure,…
The Pen-Sized Device That Can Save Your Life
Allergens produce a wide range of symptoms. Some allergens cause mild inconveniences, like hay fever, and other allergens, such as bee stings or peanuts, can produce deadly reactions. Experts estimate that around 5 percent of the population has an insect allergy and around six million children in the U.S. are allergic to…
The Importance of EpiPens
Emily, my 11 year- old sister, has a severe peanut and tree nut allergy. Some children grow out of their allergy, but in Emily’s case, it is different. She has a life threatening allergy which gets worse as she grows older. In order to keep her safe, she carries around…
Facts on Tree Nut Allergies
Did you know that tree nuts are one of the most common food allergens in Canada? For people who are allergic, avoiding tree nuts and foods that contain tree nuts while still eating a healthy diet is important. Read on to get the facts on tree nut allergies. What is…
Epinephrine in Schools
AAFA supports school policies that promote access to life-saving medications to treat students and staff who experience severe allergic reactions. States should implement policies that promote access, including supplying schools with epinephrine auto-injectors to be used in emergencies, appropriately training school personnel and addressing liability concerns for those who use…
Stocking EpiPens at restaurants might reduce fatal allergic reactions
(Reuters Health) – If restaurants and other food establishments stocked epinephrine autoinjectors, the number of fatal allergic reactions, known as anaphylaxis, could decrease, a small study in Canada suggests. After a two-year test of an epinephrine autoinjector stocking program in Hamilton, Ontario, diners with allergies as well as restaurant owners…
Restaurants Sign Up Here
Are you a business interested in learning more about Safe-Eats and how you can participate in changing lives, send us your information today!
What The Law Says
Josh A Lafazan
Nassau County Legislator, District 18Safe EATS has showcased a tremendous dedication to emergency preparedness, which protects and benefits all of our citizens. I’m so proud to work with this incredible organization and look forward to more and more restaurants on Long Island having an epi-pen on-premises.
- (PHL-Section 3000-c) allows places that serve food to buy, store, and use epi-pens.
- Places that choose to store and use epi-pens are required by state law to have at least one person to complete a training course. These people are responsible for managing everything to do with the epi-pens.
- Restaurants are required to follow all of NYDOH rules regarding epi-pens.
- (PHL-Section 3000a (2) ) these are rules that protect restaurants when customers use an EpiPen.
- Any restaurant employee who volunteers without expecting any money in return to give first aid emergency treatment at the scene of an accident is not responsible for whether or not the emergency treatment helps unless the injuries/kills were caused by carelessness or neglect by the part of the employee.
- Any restaurant that buys, uses, trains, and makes available epi-pens, is not responsible for damage that comes after using the equipment or if the equipment is defective.
- The laws limit the responsibility of restaurant workers who are provided emergency care. There is limited responsibility for restaurants that take emergency action with epi-pens.
sponsorship opportunities
Safe-Eats is a 501c3 organization. We thank you for your kind donations.
Sponsorship opporutnities are available for all sized businesses and Individuals.
Let’s help change the future of safe eating.