Peanut Grower Editor
Despite significant progress in preventing peanut allergy through early introduction, recent research has found that the message isn’t getting to new parents who need to hear it. That’s the challenge for University of Georgia Cooperative Extension nutrition and health specialist Ali Berg – to get the word out.
With funding from Southern Peanut Growers, Berg and her team conducted focus groups in south Georgia to gauge parents’ awareness and perceptions of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published in 2020, that recommends introducing peanut-containing products to infants as early as four to six months old, especially for children at high risk for allergies.
Berg says, “Parents were really surprised to learn about this and excited to know they have some control over whether their child developed a food allergy.”
While the recommendations, themselves, are older than most of the children they are directed toward, the information isn’t reaching the public as it should, creating a critical gap in understanding.
“It’s not necessarily that health care providers are opposed to sharing this information with parents, but more likely that, amid all the other important things being discussed during office visits, there simply isn’t enough time to cover everything,” she says.
As an Extension nutrition and health specialist, Berg, who is also an associate professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, coordinates health education programs. She and her team developed training materials to help county Extension agents support families and child care facilities in safely implementing recommended nutritional guidelines both in school settings and at home.
“Our school nutrition and child care provider trainings include crucial information to help providers understand who’s at risk and how to manage nutrition safely within their facilities,” Berg says. For parents, hands-on programs conducted in person by agents offer immediate, direct feedback. Upcoming events and additional resources can be found on the Peanut Allergy Prevention website from UGA Extension.
The outreach effort to child care facilities and schools has already reached more than 270 school nutrition workers in Georgia. “These individuals are important messengers in the community,” Berg notes. “They were very surprised by the early introduction guidelines and eager to use and share the information.”
The materials are available at Extension offices throughout Georgia for general use should you know a person, daycare or doctor’s office that could benefit from this information. It’s up to all of us to help get the word out.
