Summer of TAG Allergy-Friendly Food Drive Challenge to Educate Canadians on Importance of Understanding Food Labels

Alex Tagliani is revving up for allergy awareness launch at Yonge-Dundas Square

KIRKLAND, QC, July 11, 2016 /CNW/ - Pfizer Canada Inc., the Canadian distributor of EpiPen® (epinephrine) Auto-Injector, is proud to partner with NASCAR/Indy Race Car driver Alex Tagliani and national patient advocacy organization Food Allergy Canada for a fourth year to launch the joint Summer of TAG initiative. This year's program focuses on the Allergy-Friendly Food Drive Challenge, which promotes the importance of understanding food labels in order to help better manage serious food allergies, while helping to encourage donations of non-perishable food products for local food banks.

"Pfizer Canada is looking forward to once again working with Alex Tagliani and Food Allergy Canada to provide allergy awareness education for the millions of Canadians living with severe allergies," said Gerry Stefanatos, General Manager, Pfizer Essential Health, at Pfizer Canada. "The Allergy-Friendly Food Drive Challenge will highlight the importance of understanding food labelling in Canada, and help guide those at risk of anaphylaxis to better identify potential allergens."

About the Allergy-Friendly Food Drive Challenge - Race and School Editions

Race Edition
Kicking the Race Edition food drive into gear, Alex Tagliani with his #18 Team EpiPen race car and Food Allergy Canada will host a mid-day launch event at Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square on Thursday, July 14, to collect non-perishable food donations and provide an opportunity for the public and media to speak with Alex about his experiences living with severe allergies, supported by allergy management resources from Food Allergy Canada. The first 18 people to arrive with an allergy-friendly food donation, will be eligible to receive giveaways such as a ticket to the Honda Indy Toronto (valid in Toronto on July 16), or a signed Alex Tagliani t-shirt. 

The Race Edition food drive then rolls out at four selected NASCAR events across Canada, where Alex will greet fans and media at the Allergy-Friendly Food Drive Challenge booth, located at the front gate, prior to his races in Edmonton, Saskatoon, Trois-Rivières and Antigonish, encouraging non-perishable food donations for local food banks.  Early-bird donors will also earn a chance to receive Alex Tagliani branded t-shirts. 

For more information on participating races and how to donate, visit www.summeroftag.com.

School Edition
In Fall 2016, Alex will visit local elementary schools in select cities across the country to promote the Allergy-Friendly Food Drive Challenge – School Edition.  By challenging young Canadians to collect allergy-friendly food items, Alex and Food Allergy Canada hope students and their families will learn more about the top food allergens in everyday foods.  They are also offering participating schools the chance to win a grand prize of 15 Apple iPad Air 2 (16 GB) tablets!  All schools across Canada are eligible to participate.

• Early registration is now available in advance of the 2016-2017 school year. Registration ends on November 13, 2016.
• Once registered, schools will collect allergy-friendly food donations, as per contest guidelines, during a 10-day period any time between November 14 – December 9, 2016.

For more information on how to register and contest rules visit www.summeroftag.com.

About Food Allergies and Labelling

• Food allergy is a growing public health concern in Canada, affecting more than 2.5 million Canadians¹
• Food allergies affect approximately 300,000 school-aged children²
• For Canadians living with food allergies, avoiding specific foods that contain potential allergens is an important health challenge³

"We are excited to continue our partnership with Alex Tagliani and Pfizer Canada to further educate Canadians on the importance of reading food labels and checking ingredients," said Laurie Harada, Executive Director of Food Allergy Canada. "This year's initiative helps us support local food banks with allergy-friendly options as well as help people understand the importance of always being prepared – by understanding what to look for on a food label, planning ahead and always carrying their epinephrine auto-injector in case of an emergency."

The Triple Check, as recommended by Food Allergy Canada, encourages Canadians to check the ingredient label once at the store before buying the product, once at home before putting the product away, and then again before the product is served.⁴ It is important for an allergic individual to avoid foods which contain or may contain their allergens, and learn to read the full ingredient list and precautionary statements. ⁵ They should always carry an EpiPen® (epinephrine) Auto-Injector and use EpiPen® immediately at the first signs of a severe allergic reaction.⁶ 

About EpiPen®
EpiPen® and EpiPen® Jr (0.3 and 0.15 mg epinephrine) Auto-Injectors ("EpiPen") are indicated for the emergency treatment of anaphylactic reactions in patients who are determined to be at increased risk for anaphylaxis, including individuals with a history of anaphylactic reactions. The EpiPen® Auto-Injector is a disposable, pre-filled automatic injection device that administers epinephrine in the event of a severe allergic reaction. After using EpiPen®, you must seek immediate medical attention or go to the emergency room. For the next 48 hours, you must stay close to a healthcare facility or be able to call 911. For more information about EpiPen®, please visit http://www.epipen.ca or you can follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/EpiPenCanada).

About Pfizer Canada
Pfizer Canada Inc. is the Canadian operation of Pfizer Inc., one of the world's leading biopharmaceutical companies. Our diversified health care portfolio includes some of the world's best known and most prescribed medicines and vaccines. At Pfizer, we're working together for a healthier world. To learn more about Pfizer Canada, visit pfizer.ca or you can follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/PfizerCA) or Facebook (facebook.com/Pfizer.Canada).

About Food Allergy Canada
Food Allergy Canada (formerly Anaphylaxis Canada) is a national non-profit charitable organization committed to educate, support, and advocate for the needs of individuals and families living with food allergy and the risk of anaphylaxis, as well as to support and participate in research related to food allergy and anaphylaxis.  For more information, visit http://foodallergycanada.ca/.

About Alex Tagliani
Alex Tagliani, also known by his racing name TAG, developed a passion for racing at the age of 10 when he was introduced to karting on a visit to see his paternal grandfather in Northern Italy. The Montreal native has shown his fans that he can drive anything ‐ from Indy Car to NASCAR to a prototype. Since the beginning of his career in open wheel racing, NASCAR, IMSA, Alex has accumulated 12 wins, 20 pole positions, 34 podiums and over 100 top-10 finishes. A fierce competitor, Alex has many passions including training and nutrition and always takes precautions when managing his life‐threatening allergies to peanuts and tree nuts, including carrying his EpiPen® (epinephrine) Auto-Injector.

EpiPen®, EpiPen® Jr are registered trademarks of Mylan, Inc. licensed exclusively to its wholly-owned affiliate, Mylan Specialty, L.P.; sub-licensee, Pfizer Canada Inc., Kirkland, Quebec H9J 2M5

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¹ Food Allergy Canada. Fast Facts. Available at: http://foodallergycanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/Food-Allergy-Key-Facts-Sheet.pdf
² Food Allergy Canada. Media Kit. Available at: http://foodallergycanada.ca/connect-with-us/media/media-kit/
³ Health Canada. Label Etiquette. Available at: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/label-etiquet/allergen/index-eng.php
⁴ Food Allergy Canada. Milk. Available at: http://foodallergycanada.ca/about-allergies/food-allergens/milk/
⁵ Health Canada. Food Allergies. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/allerg-eng.php
⁶ When to Use EpiPen. EpiPen.ca http://www.epipen.ca/en/about-epipen/when-to-use

SOURCE Pfizer Canada Inc.

Manon Genin, Manager, Corporate Affairs, Pfizer Canada, 1‐866‐9PFIZER, [email protected]; Christopher Holcroft, Principal, Empower Consulting, For Food Allergy Canada, 416-996-0767, [email protected]; Heather Sheen, Consultant, Health & Wellness, Porter Novelli, 416-646-4705, [email protected]