“Of course the best way to handle it is to call ahead and speak with the manager or chef,” says Wiens. “However, we’ve found that we’re not usually that disciplined or prepared. That leaves us having to discuss our life-threatening food allergy with restaurant servers and hoping that they get it, that they’re not too busy to mention it to the chef, and that they don’t tell us that there is nothing on the menu that is safe.”

Now, thanks to new food allergy restaurant cards developed by achooallergy.com, Wiens and her daughter Avery feel a bit safer when they enter a restaurant.

The same size as standard business cards, food allergy restaurant cards convey a bold message that restaurant servers, chefs, and kitchen managers cannot miss – for example: “WARNING: PEANUT ALLERGY.”

In easy-to-understand language, the cards explain the specific food allergy, warn about cross-contamination, list potentially dangerous foods and ingredients, and inform restaurant employees to call 911 immediately in the case of accidental ingestion of a food allergen.

Waterproof and rip-resistant, the cards will survive in even the most chaotic restaurant kitchen, and they’re designed vertically so that they can be clipped with the order ticket for increased visibility.

Achooallergy.com, an allergy relief retail store based in Atlanta, GA, developed the cards after interviewing Wiens about the challenges faced by parents of food-allergic children.

“We’re very proud that our products help people live healthier and happier lives, and in this case, the product may actually save someone’s life,” says Cade McDonald, Director of Communications at achooallergy.com.

According to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, the estimated number of Americans with food allergy has doubled in the past five years. Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction, and it is estimated that between 150 and 200 people die of food-induced anaphylaxis each year.