According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 3 million children in America have a food or digestive allergy, a number that  has grown 18 percent within the past decade. Comedian and television star, Kym Whitley, recently launched a new line called “Don’t Feed Me” in light of her own son’s allergies.

“Don’t Feed Me” is a line of t-shirts with spaces for parents to identify items their kids are allergic to in order to alert caregivers, teachers, etc to what they can’t eat. The concept, intended for children who may be too young to communicate their needs or know how to read, came after a nanny accidentally fed Whitley’s son peanut butter. Whitley’s adopted son, Joshua, was tested before the age of 1 and was found to be severely allergic to chicken, corn, and peaches among others.

When the test results came back, “the doctor told me to sit down and [she] said, ‘Do you have a pencil and paper?’ ‘I said, ‘What?’ ‘She said, yeah, it’s a lot,’” Whitley said.

Dr. Wayne Shreffler, director of the Food Allergy Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, has mixed feelings about the shirts as they may become a bully magnet, but believes they would be useful for introverted children in specific settings. Shreffler also notes that schools are increasingly aware of the issue and, on average, a child with food allergies experiences a reaction once or twice a year.

The t-shirts are available in different colors and are being sold on Whitley’s website for $10. Also, be sure to watch out for her new reality series, “Raising Whitley” premiering on the Oprah Winfrey Network on April 20. Read more on ABC News.

BMWK — What are you doing to ensure your child is safe from food allergies while under the watch of others?