Allergy Alert Cards Comparisons
Not All the Same. Major Differences!
Food allergy alert cards seem like a simple solution, right? But more than a list of foods is needed and here’s the catch: not all cards are created equal. Alert Cards vary in images, phrases, accuracy of translation, and cost.
Comparison of Allergy Alert Cards
| Company (Click on Letter for Details) | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Languages | 15 | 21 | 20 | 35 | 5-10 | 1 (Japanese) | 52+ | 65+ | 700 |
| Allergens | 32 | 11 | 9 plus other | > 275 | 0 | 25 | 700 | 45 | 700+ |
| Multiple Allergens On Card | DIY | DIY | 8 | 7 | DIY | DIY | 15 | TBD | DIY |
| Reliable Language Translations | Pass | Pass | Unknown | Fail | Y | Fail | Y | Y | Y |
| Images Y/N | N | N | N | N | N | Y | N | Y | N |
| Number of Phrases | 12 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 27 | Infinite |
| Do It Yourself (Y/N) | Y | Y | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | Y |
| Digital PDF Card Emailed/Download (Y/N) | N | N | N | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | N |
| Physical Card Sold (Y/N) | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | Y | Y | N |
| Price per Card | Free | Free | TBD | Free | Free | $8.25 | Free | ||
| Shipping | NA | NA | $5.95 S&H | Only to UK | NA | NA | Free to USA, UK, AUST, Canada | $1.50 | NA |
- Providers reviewed Equal Eats, FARE, Allergy Action, Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia, Allergic Traveler, Allergy UK, JapanToday, AI, Select Wisely, Allergy.org.au
- Click on Letter for Detail Review of Provider’s Cards
- A provider passed the “Translation Test2” if there were statements that allergens may have different words in different countries and/or translated peanuts in Spanish as at least two of the following: “Mani” and “Cacahuetes” and “Cacahuates” (variations in South America, Central America, Spain)
Approach
(Vendors are welcomed to submit corrections and/or data missing)
- Languages/Allergens/Images: When access was easily available, the options that cards were available are listed. In some case access was denied or found difficult to ascertain .
- Reliable translation: If in Spanish the several words for peanuts were available the status was pass.
- Do It Yourself/Digital PDF Card Emailed/Download/Physical Card Sold : If a card could be emailed or generated on line the status was Y
- Price per Card/Shipping: as of January 2025