New puffs, purees and bars make early allergen introduction easy – article

As any parent knows, feeding a baby is anything but simple. From following pediatric nutritional guidelines to dealing with picky eaters, mealtime is complicated—not to mention messy. What’s more, food allergies in children are a growing epidemic, with 1 in 13 children developing food allergies each year, only adding to parents’ mealtime stress.

The good news? New research and dietary guidelines may help turn the tide on the childhood food allergy epidemic, with evidence that allergies may be preventable if parents take certain steps. There are now more than 20 studies that suggest that, while allergies are complex and difficult to predict, introducing common food allergens early on in a child’s life can significantly reduce the risk of developing allergies.

“I started this company because my sister and brother-in-law had a baby with multiple food allergies,” says CEO and co-founder, Daniel Zakowski. “They had another kid who's now five years old who had the exact same risk factors but, after introducing allergens early, didn't develop food allergies.”

In a landmark study published in 2015 in the New England Journal of Medicine, infants without a predisposition for peanut allergy who were exposed to peanuts early had an 86% reduction in peanut allergy at 60 months of age. Children with a predisposition for peanut allergy experienced a 70% reduction in the same period.

Based on this growing body of evidence, prominent medical associations (National Institutes of Health, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology) and the United States Department of Agriculture have updated their dietary guidelines in the last few years, recommending introducing allergenic foods such as peanuts, eggs and milk to infants starting around four to six months of age. This early exposure helps a child’s immune system develop a tolerance for the allergenic proteins in these foods.

Early Introduction and Consistent Exposure to Allergenic Foods

Ready. Set. Food! launched in 2018 to help parents follow the new guidelines and introduce children to allergens in simple, nutrition-packed foods. The company’s baby food and toddler snack products provide exposure to up to nine of the most common food allergens.

Recent clinical trials, involving more than 14,000 subjects, have demonstrated that early and consistent exposure to food allergens can prevent allergies in infants by up to 80%. The SPADE (Strategy for Prevention of Milk Allergy by Daily Ingestion of Infant Formula in Early Infancy) study further supports this, showing an 88% reduction in milk allergies among infants exposed early to low doses of cow's milk formula. The study outlines the importance of not only introducing allergenic foods early but also maintaining regular consumption for 3 to 6 months, and ideally up to 12 months or longer, as part of a child’s diet to ensure the best protective effect against allergies.

It’s also recommended that parents introduce one allergenic food at a time and keep an eye out for any adverse reactions before introducing the next allergenic food. A gradual approach helps identify and manage potential allergies early on.

“Feeding allergens to babies once or twice isn’t enough, and as parents ourselves, we know how challenging it is for busy families to navigate the process of regularly exposing infants and toddlers to food allergens and a diverse diet,” says Zakowski.

Wholesome, Allergen-inclusive Products Simplify the Process

The process of starting to feed baby solid foods is often fraught with ups and downs. Ready. Set. Food! sees itself as part of the solution, helping families to avoid prematurely cutting out foods, by offering allergen inclusive products in kid-friendly formats. The company aims to help parents easily maintain allergen exposure in their baby's diet with tasty, organic, wholesome options.

Babies as young as four months can begin allergen introduction with Ready. Set. Food!’s Mix-Ins, which can be added straight to bottles and have received praise from leading medical experts, allergists, healthcare systems and parents. Other Ready. Set. Food! products grow with baby to the first introduction of solids with Oatmeal or Organic Puffs and to the toddler stage, with Organic Oat & Fruit Bars (for toddlers, 12mos+). The company has added popular formats, including puffs, bars and purees, renovating every major baby food category to include an allergen-inclusive option. The newest Ready. Set. Food! Organic Purees are the first-ever puree pouches on the market containing the top 3 most common food allergens: peanut, egg and milk.

 “It can be hard to keep allergens in your baby's diet, given the foods that are typically available in the baby aisle,” says Zakowski. “We're excited to see the early success of our multi-allergen products, which are making it much easier for parents to sustain exposure, with the right amount of the allergens, over time.”

From “Free From” to “Allergen Inclusive”—and Wholesome

Ready. Set. Food!’s allergen ingredients come from real, whole foods in powdered form. The company values using healthy, nutrient-rich ingredients in the forms that babies love.

“You’ve heard the saying ‘eat the rainbow.’ We call it ‘diet diversity,’ the wisdom that it’s healthier to eat a lot of different kinds of foods,” says Laura Michelson, VP of brand marketing. “If you’re avoiding grains, nuts and dairy, your child is missing out on nutritious foods. Why keep them out of kids’ diets unless they have an active allergy to one of them?”

Although infant nutrition products that are free from major allergens are important for families for which such products are necessary, for the family who doesn’t require caution, allergen-free products may unnecessarily limit a child’s diet. In fact, nutrition experts suggest that there is potential harm in unnecessarily avoiding allergenic foods, contributing to the development of allergies. A more balanced approach to infant feeding is often the smartest choice.

“It is our vision that the baby food aisle will increasingly move away from products filled with ‘free from’ claims and toward ‘made with’ statements, because while ‘free from’ products are important for the small subset of the population currently living with food allergies, everyone else should be regularly consuming a diverse diet filled with a wide variety of foods,” says Zakowski. 

Expanding Awareness Through Education and Partnerships

It’s estimated that if every baby in the US followed the process from the clinical trials and new medical guidelines, there would be ~200k fewer infants every year who develop food allergies.

Despite the promise of the new findings, and although the guidelines are clear, some parents aren’t yet aware of the impact they can have.

“There’s a misconception that the new allergen introduction guidelines apply primarily to babies with eczema or a family history of food allergies. While those babies may be at higher risk, the bottom line is that allergen introduction is important for everyone to consider,” explains Zakowski.

That’s why Ready. Set. Food! actively promotes early allergen introduction, reaching more than 7 million consumers monthly and providing educational resources through partnerships with major healthcare providers. Additionally, the company has launched a program targeting Medicaid participants, starting in Missouri with plans for expansion, emphasizing early allergen introduction from as young as four months old. “We want to make it easy, convenient, safe and accessible for all families to introduce allergens to their baby early and often,” adds Zakowski, “especially those families who can least afford to bear the financial burden of food allergies.”