concerned - traveling overseas to Malaysia

I have a son with tree nut and peanut allergies. I travelled with him to Malaysia when he was two years old. He is now 13 and last year we travelled to China. It isn't easy, but it can be done. I always bring him his own food. I pack him a meal for the flight that the flight attendants will heat up for you. I bring him his own cereal in a snack bag that he can have with milk on board. I pack him fruits, cheese, applesauce and Dare cookies which are nutfree. I also bake him banana muffins that he can have for breakfast with a piece of fruit. The airlines will work with you. You just need to have a letter from your doctor explaining the severity of her allergies. Another excellent product is sunbutter it looks and smells like peanut butter, but it is made with sunflower seeds. My son is not thrilled with it because it reminds him too much of peanut butter, but he will eat it. You can spread that on Dare crackers which are also nutfree. I would definetely plan on cooking at home or taking her food from home when you go out to eat. I didn't trust any of the restaurants. If your in-laws are from there maybe they can translate for you, but I don't think people really understand the severity of the allergy. You can always feed her at home and bring her fruits and crackers to eat at the restaurant. I would make sure that your husband explains to your parents about the allergy to make things alittle easier when you get there. Just make sure you keep the letter from your doctor with you and to call the airlines ahead of time to explain the situation. We travelled with Cathay Pacific and Emeritis. Good luck and with good planning you will have a great time.

Our DD 20months has PA and TNA. We will be travelling to Malaysia in 3 weeks time for a short holiday/visiting families as I am from Malaysia. I am also pretty concern with her food safey and was told by friends who have PA and TNA children, its ok to eat out as long as you are aware which food to avoid eg: satay, curries, local delicacies/desserts with peanuts..

Another advise is to stick with plain dishes eg: rice with steamed fish/vege/tofu, noodles and soup, chicken rice, plain or egg roti chanai without the dipping sauce, international fast food ie McDonald. BTW I was told that the hawkers in Malaysia use palm oil in their cooking as peanut oil is too expensive. I will reconfirm before ordering DD's food.

Fresh fruits should be safe.

I have also asked the family to consume all nuts and nuts products in the house before we arrive and no nuts are allowed whilst we are there. I think I will have her with us everywhere we go as TNA and PA are not common in Malaysia.

wlcheah - I'm curious to know how your trip went!!! We leave in 3 weeks and recently did a skin test... my daughter is now skin sensitive :( I'm VERY concerned... but this is to see family! How do we NOT go? know what I mean?! Anyways - my husband's mother said she'll do most of the cooking, and we'll stick to lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. I know my 3 year old will want to try other foods though too. I wanted to know if they list ingredients on food products there too? Did you happen to notice? Also, were you able to eat at fast food resturants or do they use peanut oils?

Hi, we used to live in Kuala Lumpur. It is very difficult as there is little knowledge of the allergy. Also please be aware that there is no mandatory labelling standards in the country. We never bought any locally made biscuits, cereal. You can buy Australian, English or US brands in Cold Storage supermarkets. You should be o.k at western restaurants - you need to talk to the manager however. I would avoid any hawker stalls etc as they have peanuts everywhere, they use peanut oil regularly and besides woks are never washed out, they are just rubeed clean with oil. Most resorts in Malaysia have peanuts in most public areas. They are a very popular snack. Also be aware that Hellman and Best Food Mayonnaise made in Singapore and Malaysia contains peanuts.

THANK YOU!!! This will def. help us. We are taking food (I have 2 suitcases full of snacks for while we are there and also gerber meals) Hopefully we'll just be feeding her fresh fruits/veggies from there.

I just read the comment made by 'beagle' on 01/13/2009 about mayonnaise as I live in Kuala Lumpur with a teen son who has severe nut allergies. I just today bought "Ladies Choice" mayonnaise and on the label there is is "Flavouring (peanut and mustard)". I was shocked. And thankful that you posted this about mayonnaise.....thank you!

I recently visited Malaysia without my PA son, but during my time there, I tried to get information to determine how I would manage my son's allergies if/when I take him there. I was in Penang, which is a city, so my info may not apply to being in a more rural area of the country.

While I am not sure about the labeling laws (if any), I saw that many local prepackaged products do have ingredient labels that sometimes include warnings similar to "may contain..." I know the Malay language so that helped, but English is understood by most people in the cities. Also, there are grocery stores that sell imported products from the U.S. If I were to take my son there, I would only let him eat the U.S. made products and foods that I prepare from fresh ingredients. Like what others have said, food allergy awareness is still at its infancy there. I would not risk eating at local restaurants or hawker stalls just because I think the risk of cross contamination would be too great, considering peanut is so prevalent in the Malaysian diet (think chopped up peanut as a garnish for various dishes.) The medical facilities are good, but the ambulance service is not.

I would love to hear from anyone else who has been to Malaysia recently. Which airlines did you take? I am hoping to be able to take my son there in the near future, but his safety on the flights is my biggest concern. I took Singapore Airlines and they did serve peanut packages for a snack. I haven't called them to ask if they will make any accommodations for food allergies.

Laifong,

I live in Kuala Lumpur, and have been here for 4 years now. My son, who is 15 now, has lived in Hong Kong, Turkey, Abu Dhabi, and now Malaysia, and we're pretty well versed at travelling abroad with the allergy. The airlines that we know to have good nut allergy policies are Etihad (out of Abu Dhabi), Japan Airlines, British Airways and Singapore Airlines. When you book your tickets talk to them about the allergy and they will let you know if you must complete a MEDIF form (to be allowed to bring the epipen on aboard, and so they have a record of the allergy). Singapore requires 72 hours notice to de-nut the plane (i.e clean it) and to make sure the food is ordered.

I have found that a lot of standard chain restaurants will respond well to your request to have a safe meal, especially good hotels. Places like Chili's, Hard Rock, TGIFridays and the like are pretty good. Always, we ask to speak to someone in charge about the allergy and we've done well. Mind you, we don't eat at small places, or local stalls. They are too dangerous. Because we live here too, and because we're not on vacation, it's easier. If there is anything else you'd like to know that I might be able to help with just email me at: michelyne@gmail.com and I'd be happy to help you!

:-) Michelyne

What a Great Article it its really informative and innovative logo design service keep us posted with new updates. its was really valuable. thanks a lot

I really love to read articles that have good information and ideas to share to each reader. I hope to read more from Landing Page Design you guys and continue that good work that is really inspiring to us.