By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief
According to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), nearly 13 million Americans have food allergies, and more than 3 million of them are children. That’s 1 in 25 Americans. For those with food allergies, even a trace of an allergen could be life threatening, including those delicious baked treats many of us enjoy regularly. It's hard to imagine a world without dessert.
Families often avoid ordering dessert, or may even avoid restaurants and concession stands altogether, in order to save their children the pain of feeling left out.
Jill Robbins, HomeFree™ founder, mother and clinical psychologist, turned to baking when her son was diagnosed with food allergies almost ten years ago. Before HomeFree, Robbins family would occasionally go to select restaurants, and bake treats to bring with so that her son, Bradley, could enjoy dessert time. She says it just wasn’t the same as being able to order off the menu like everyone else. However, restaurants, as you might expect, do typically go above and beyond to accommodate people living with food allergies, Robbins adds.
“One day we went to a hotel where the chef used special ingredients to make Bradley his own Teddy Bear pancakes at breakfast,” said Robbins. “At another hotel the chef cleaned out the ice cream maker and made sorbet just for Bradley, a treat that was the highlight for the next several days.”
Having the ability to order and enjoy dessert with everyone else helps people with food allergies to feel included and important. That’s why, as a mom, Robbins started HomeFree. Her dream is for people with food allergies to have delicious, wholesome, snacking options everywhere treats are served that they can enjoy.
HomeFree offers ready-to-eat organic cookies and coffee cakes, as well as the cookbook Allergen Free Baking: Baked Treats for All Occasions. The cookbook contains more than 100 easy-to-follow recipes for experienced and first-time bakers. All products can be ordered on the company’s Web site.
The cookies have now been served in locations ranging from peanut free sections of Minnesota Twins games, the summer camp of the National Zoo in Washington, DC, museums, hotels and school foodservice programs in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maryland and New Hampshire.
Helpful Food Allergy Web sites:
- American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology
- The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network
- International Food Information Council Foundation
- National Restaurant Association
Jill Robbins and the HomeFree family will be exhibiting at the National Restaurant Association's NRA Show 2010, May 22-25, 2010 at Chicago's McCormick Place. Everyone with or without food allergies will be able to sample these tasty treats.
I'm really impressed with the ideas of the Robbins family despite one of their kids is diagnosed with food allergies because this just gave way to produce these products that can actually benefit other individuals having the similar condition. And if it's true that eating these cookies doesn't result any negative effect there is no reason why people will not buy them.
Posted by: Ear Ringing Cause | March 16, 2010 at 02:48 AM