Dining at Festivals and Farmers Markets With Food Allergies

Dining at Festivals and Farmers Markets With Food Allergies

The ClovisFest & Hot Air Balloon Fun Fly sounds amazing, but your allergies keep you from attending. You imagine strolling through the rodeo grounds, sampling the different ethnic foods in the International Village, watching the colorful hot-air balloons as they rise into the sky, and listening to the live music.

Food allergies make life difficult. You’re always on guard for any slight sensation that something’s wrong. Itching, swelling, or tingling of the face, lips, throat, and tongue occur instantly or hours after exposure. You might feel sick and throw up, experience diarrhea, or have stomach pain. Skin rashes and hives are also possible.

You’re tired of sitting at home, while so much goes on in the city. You’re missing out on fresh produce and foods at farmers markets and festivals. How do you handle food allergies while having fun at the variety of festivals and markets?

Allergens to Watch for in the Central Valley

Over 90% of food allergies are tied to nine specific foods. Fresno’s agricultural farms and orchards provide an abundance of them, so they’re often found in markets and festivals. They are:

• Eggs
• Fish
• Milk
• Peanuts
• Seafood
• Sesame
• Soybeans
• Tree nuts
• Wheat

Food allergies involve direct consumption, but it’s not the only risk. Cross-contamination is possible at festivals and farmers markets.

Suppose you’re allergic to fish. You browse vendors and find one that cooks hamburgers on one grill, chicken on another, and salmon on a third. They’re being cautious, so you order a hamburger and feel confident you’re safe.

It’s not that simple. If the vendor wears gloves to cook salmon burgers and doesn’t change those gloves when handling the chicken and beef burgers. You end up with an allergic reaction due to cross-contamination. More in-depth investigation is necessary before eating anything a vendor prepares.

Navigating Possible Allergens at Festivals and Farmers Markets in Fresno

Fresno’s home to several large farmers markets and events, and many have specific risks when it comes to food allergies. We’re including a sampling of them and their possible allergy risks.

• ArtHop: Watch for food allergies, like wheat, when having a beer, and for eggs, milk, nuts, sesame, soy, and wheat with any baked goods.
• Fresno Street Eats: Over 70 food trucks serving a variety of foods and snacks during Food Truck Fridays. Seafood, cheese/milk, and wheat are just a few of the common food allergens present. Cross-contamination is possible if a vendor uses one fryer to prepare multiple foods, such as fried fish and fries.
• The Market on Kern: Food vendors offering baked goods, desserts, and snacks with eggs, milk, nuts, and wheat. Sellers offering honey, jams, and jellies.
• Old Town Clovis Farmers Market: Natural food sellers and bakers appeal to the crowds, but many baked goods and seed/nut brittle contain allergens.
• Vineyard Farmers Market on Blackstone: Lots of produce is sold, but there are also artisan goods that may contain allergens such as eggs, milk, nuts, and wheat.

Advocate for Yourself With Festival and Farmers Markets Vendors

Food vendors need a food vendor license from the Fresno County Department of Public Health, requiring completion of a food safety training course. Inspections of food trucks and menus are required for mobile food vendors. Also required is a California Food Handler Card for every food handler who works on that food truck.

Even with these precautions in place, you need to advocate for yourself. Ask the vendor if they have any foods that contain your specific allergen. Ask about the steps they take to prevent cross-contamination. If they cannot answer your question, move on.

Be specific when you’re asking questions. If you have an allergy to peanuts, ask questions like:

• Where are your peanuts stored? Is the container of peanut butter powder on a shelf over the fruits used in smoothies? (Increases the cross-contamination risk.)
• Do you change gloves with each stage of preparation? If you handle frozen fish, do you change gloves before handling beef patties?
• Do you have full ingredient lists for everything you make?

Arrive as soon after opening as possible and ask questions during vendors’ quieter hours. If you ask when they’re slammed with customers, they won’t have as much time to answer your questions.

Carry food allergy alert cards with you. A vendor at a Fresno farmers market may not be a fluent English speaker, especially if it’s a multicultural event like the International Village at the ClovisFest & Hot Air Balloon Fun Fly. Allergy alert cards make it easier to communicate.

Be Prepared for Emergencies

Even the most proactive person may still have an allergic reaction. Make sure you have your epinephrine auto-injector with you at all times during a farmers market or festival. 

Because epinephrine degrades at temperatures below 68ºF or above 77ºF, carry it in an insulated pouch to keep it at room temperature. Don’t leave it in your car, especially during Fresno’s hot summer temperatures.

Know where the closest urgent care office or hospital is. If you have a medical emergency, your auto-injector helps, but you should still see a doctor. Look up the area where you’re attending a festival or farmers market and find the nearest facility.

For example, the Clovis Farmer’s Market is less than three miles from Clovis Community Medical Center. The Vineyard Farmers Market is between Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center and Community Regional Medical Center.

Once you locate the nearest facility, take note of the fastest route. Consider saving the driving directions. If there is an emergency, you’re not wasting time loading Google Maps and getting driving directions.

When to See an Allergist

Food allergies aren’t fun, but the medical world is changing. There are effective treatments now that help desensitize your immune system and stop the overreaction to the food that triggers the reaction.

Instead of living with allergies, get tested and start the path towards freedom from your food allergies. Avoidance works, but it’s often hard to avoid allergic reactions from cross-contamination or incorrect food labels.

A specialist in food allergies needs to run tests, such as skin prick tests or blood tests, to identify your suspected food allergies. Once you know your exact allergens, treatment begins.

Avoidance is no longer the only option. Premium Allergy & Respiratory Center’s allergist offers oral immunotherapy. Over several years, tiny amounts of the food you’re allergic to are introduced to your immune system through oral drops or dissolvable tablets.

The first few immunotherapy treatments are done in the office under medical supervision to ensure the dosing is right and that you don’t have a severe reaction. Once you pass those stages, you use the tablets or drops at home each day. It’s convenient and slowly trains your immune system to respond correctly.

Stop avoiding festivals and farmers markets out of fear of a sudden allergy. Book an appointment with Dr. Sabry at Premium Allergy today.