It started with peanut allergies.
Then we moved to gluten allergies.
Now, we have egg allergies.
Not a day goes by that I don’t hear of someone else having a food allergy. Just last night a friend of mine, who already had a gluten and dairy-free home for the sake of her daughter, said she now had to get rid of eggs as well.
It got me thinking. What does all this mean? How can food and beverage companies even keep up with demand, with the changing allergies, with the operational needs associated with those allergies? We – personally, for those with allergies and operationally – understand the challenges faced by individals and companies. But all hope is not lost, and companies have been providing food for this audience for years.
More than 50 million Americans have food allergies of some sort and the number is growing. It’s really a daunting thought when your child, or yourself, is diagnosed with a food allergy. That’s really in my food? Peanuts are in what? How many foods have eggs in them?
While the number of those who are allergic is growing, the number of products targeted toward this audience is growing exponentially as well.
Mondelez acquired an allergy-friendly brand several years ago that really led the way when it came to making allergen-free products. Enjoy Life Foods claims “Trust is our most essential ingredient.” Enjoy Life Foods says the non-GMO, gluten-free, all-natural foods are free from the 14 most common ingredients: wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, casein, soy, egg, sesame, sulfites, lupin, mustard, fish, shellfish, and crustaceans.
Cherrybrook Kitchen offers wheat-free and gluten-free baking mixes free from: milk, eggs, peanuts, treenuts. The company started after its founder stumbled upon his wife’s powdered greens and found that he felt better and had more focus when eating “cleaner.” Since then, he’s taken on a new way of life and wants others to feel focused, healthier and cleaner.
The lucky thing is, this is not shrinking from our consciousness, food and beverage companies are actively seeking ways to provide this audience with delightful and wonderful foods. And while foods are becoming more plentiful, labeling will also become more and more important for families and consumers.
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