BE THE SAFE-SNACK HOUSE: NAVIGATING FOOD ALLERGIES

May Is Food Allergy Awareness Month!

We think this is the perfect time to reach out and support all the parents who do not have to manage food allergies at home - YES you read that right!

Parents who don’t need to be as dialed-in as those with food allergic kids often have questions and concerns on the subject. For instance, they might not know what or how to feed other kids in their community circle. Play dates, soccer games, school lunches, birthday parties… these are all instances where parents are often responsible for providing kids with snacks.

How can we be the house where all kids feel safe?

We asked Sara  Clarke, founder of allergy friendly snack company FreeYumm, to give us some tips to help us be inclusive and aware of food allergies if we are not dealing with these issues ourselves on a daily basis.

So here are a few tips to help relieve your stress on the issue, and help reassure and support your friends and families managing allergies.

How To Be A Food Allergy Friendly Home:  

1. Don’t trivialize the issue. Food allergies are a source of stress and fear for families. Ask questions and by listening & understanding, you are amazing!
2. Remember that eating food together is a social ritual that is especially important for kids.
3. No parent ever wants to be the one that leaves a kid out of the fun… Always make inclusive food choices when buying for the group – food that is free of the top 9 allergens is food that 99% of the population can enjoy!
4. Don’t forget the flavour! It is equally important to be yummy as it is to be allergen friendly. If it isn’t yummy, nobody will eat it!

And as ever, a heartfelt thank you from all of us moms managing food allergies.

Your support and care mean the world to us! - Sarah

FreeYumm was founded in 2014 by North Vancouver mom, Sarah Clarke. To sum it up in one word, FreeYumm is all about being INCLUSIVE! As a mom-owned business, FreeYumm built its own dedicated allergen friendly bakery to ensure it was able to deliver on its innovative vision of making safe food fun and yummy for everyone.

FreeYumm’s line of soft-baked snacks include 4 flavours of bars and 3 flavours of cookies. They can be found nationally across Canada and in select retailers within the Pacific Northwest and Northeastern USA. FreeYumm can also be purchased online at Amazon.com and Well.ca. For more information about FreeYumm please visit freeyumm.com or follow them on Instagram and Facebook.