As the parent of a severely peanut allergic child, I cannot tell you how frightening it is to read an article that ignores the risks many children face on a daily basis. To reduce severe food allergies to a money making scheme (the three lines which served as an attempt to placate food allergy sufferers do not count, really) is quite simply ignorant.

I credit FAAN with helping me share the seriousness of my son's food allergy with his school. It has helped me show family and friends how a potential reaction can send my son into anaphylactic shock in moments. Without a strong national organization behind me, it would have been far more difficult to get my son's teachers to agree to help me prevent serious problems. My son got some peanut butter on his finger once at preschool during craft time, and rubbed his eye; within two minutes, his eyes had swollen shut. Within five minutes, his airway was swelling shut. Had he not arrived at the hospital when he did, I would have lost my child. We carry an Epi-Pen everywhere we go, and we have to be continually vigilant about what he eats and what is around him. I live this life as the parent of a food allergic child, and my son will spend the rest of his life living this. He can't kiss someone who has eaten peanuts. He can't sit down at a table where other people have eaten peanuts. The list goes on... food allergies are not a made up problem, not a lie fabricated by someone to make a few dollars. This is my son's life, and this is the life of so many other children across the nation.

> He can't kiss someone who has eaten peanuts.

Sure he can, as long as they've eaten something else since then.

If you're worried about that "kiss of death" scare from a few years ago, then you might like to learn the actual facts: Christina DesForges died from an asthma attack after smoking marijuana.

The parents naturally thought that breathing problems could be an allergic reaction, and her boyfriend didn't really want to tell her folks that they'd spent hours smoking pot at a party, the news story hit the air, the Canadian allergy groups planned a huge marketing campaign... and then the coroner called and said, "Um, guys, peanuts didn't have anything to do with it. She died because she didn't use her asthma inhaler."

Um, she never mentioned the Canadian girl. Note to allergy skeptics: Every parent of a food-allergic child knows the facts of that case. Please stop bringing it up as "evidence" that kissing is harmless.

I have never read that eating a subsequent food somehow replaces any lingering allergenic proteins in one's saliva. I'd like to see a citation.

As a mother of a son with severe food allergies, I cannot begin to tell you that seeing your child go thru this on an everyday basis is like. My question is...Who is Meredith Broussard? Why does she keep writing these heartless articles. Obviously she has never been a witness to anaphlactic shock.

My son had a reaction because someone kissed him 4 hours after they ate peanut butter. His tongue was bigger then his head in 10 minutes. I credit FAAN with helping my family and all they do for others.

As for this article it is very disturbing that a person would make their life's work to write articles like this.