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Brothers & Sisters Sets Bad Example

A recent episode of the ABC drama Brothers & Sisters (original air date March 15, 2009) opened with a ritual that is replayed in millions of households throughout the nation every weekday: a harried mom packing school lunches for her children.

In the scene, the young daughter Paige suspiciously asked her mother, Sarah Whedon, what she was preparing for her lunch. Sarah told Paige she’d be getting a peanut butter sandwich that day, much to her daughter’s dismay. Paige reminded her mother, who was rushing to get the children to school on time, that she attended a peanut-free school.

“Just tell your teacher that it’s soy butter,” replied the mother.

The character’s actions in sending her daughter to school with a peanut butter sandwich, disguised as soy butter sandwich – possibly putting her daughter’s peanut-allergic classmates in danger – show a serious lapse in judgment. The character’s decision to pass off a sandwich with peanut butter as soy butter sends the wrong message to viewers.

Peanut allergy, which affects an estimated 3 million Americans, can be fatal. Just one bite can lead to anaphylaxis, a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death.

In “real” life and on television, food allergies should not be taken lightly and should be treated responsibly. We are hopeful that ABC takes this message to heart and improves the manner in which food allergies are depicted in its programs. The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network has contacted ABC to educate its writers and producers about being more sensitive to these concerns.

We encourage you to do the same by contacting ABC online at www.abc.go.com/site/contactus.html or by writing to:

ABC, Inc.
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4551

About FAAN

Founded in 1991, The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is the world leader in information, resources, and programs for food allergy, a potentially life-threatening medical condition that afflicts as many as 15 million Americans including almost 6 million children. A nonprofit organization based in Fairfax, Va., FAAN has approximately 22,000 members in the U.S., Canada, and 58 other countries. It is dedicated to increasing public awareness of food allergy and its consequences, to educating people about the condition, and to advancing research on behalf of all those affected by it. FAAN provides information and educational resources about food allergy to patients, their families, schools, health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, the food industry, and government officials. To become a member or for more information, please visit FAAN at www.foodallergy.org.

Media Contact

Jennifer Roeder
Director, Marketing and Media Communications
Direct: (703) 563-3061
Cell: (301) 639-4811
E-mail: jroeder@foodallergy.org
Twitter: @JenRoeder