About Us

Allergic Living website and e-magazine

Allergic Living informs, engages and assists readers living with food allergies, and environmental allergies and asthma. Our mission is to be the authoritative and trustworthy source of news and information for the allergy community.

Allergic Living’s editorial team of health and news journalists is known for insightful, science-based and fact-checked reporting on allergic disease. In allergy research news, we interview leaders in the area of allergic science. Our feature writing focuses on the societal and emotional challenges of food allergy life, and always provides insights from top experts. The website also offers allergist and dermatologist advice columns, while lifestyle coverage includes allergy-friendly and gluten-free recipes.

In 2019, the former print magazine was ended, as Allergic Living transitioned to enhanced online reporting on Allergicliving.com, alongside a series of special edition e-magazines. Examples of these are the Food Allergy Anxiety Guide and the Our Stories, Our Strength e-Magazine.

In recognition of our publishing firm’s work in advocacy and education, Allergic Living received FARE’s Outstanding Business Award for Food Allergy Activism in 2016.

Business Operations
AGW Media Inc. and AGW Publishing Inc. are our American and Canadian corporations, respectively. They do business under the Allergic Living trade name, and own the Allergic Living trademark. For business questions, contact [email protected].

Gwen Smith, Editor
Gwen Smith, Allergic Living’s co-founder and editor, is a journalist with years of experience in both Canada and the U.S. Among her credentials, she has been the deputy managing editor and national editor of The Globe and Mail newspaper, the editor-in-chief of a national women’s magazine, a magazine writer and a radio and TV producer at CBC. She and the editorial team may be reached at [email protected].

Gwen knows the realities of life with allergies. She has food allergies to soy, shellfish and peanuts and environmental allergies. She is co-owner of the publishing firms AGW Media Inc. and AGW Publishing Inc.

Peter Wilmshurst, Publisher
Peter Wilmshurst, Allergic Living’s co-founder and publisher has an extensive background in publishing, advertising and consumer packaged goods. In addition to Allergic Living’s website, he is publisher of a financial trade magazine. Past credentials include being a senior vice president at a major advertising agency, senior vice president of Showcase television and Unilever Canada’s marketing director. Peter may be reached at [email protected].

Editorial Team
Lisa Walker – Art Director
Travis Brown – Technical Director
Victoria Proctor – Website Coordinator
Mariam Matti – Social Media
Christine Peddie – Research

Regular Contributors
News and features: Allie Bahn, Lisa Fitterman, Janet French, Jenifer Goodwin, Jen Jobrack, Lianne Mandelbaum, Wendy Mondello, Jennifer Van Evra

Columnists: Gina Clowes, Caroline Moassessi

Medical columnists: Dr. Scott Sicherer, director, Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Mount Sinai in New York; Dr. Hemant Sharma, chief, division of allergy and immunology and Children’s National Hospital in D.C.

Food Writers: Alisa Fleming, Christina Frantzis, Joel Schaefer, Mary Schaefer

The Allergicliving.com website was developed by Flight Deck Media.