Everyone deserves to experience the joy of a treat without having to wonder if they can safely eat it first.
Did you know that over 32 million Americans have food allergies to account for in their daily lives? As a mom-founded company that believes deeply in food safety, we recognize the anxiety potential allergens can bring when it’s time for a snack or meal. When Dr. Dionne’s son developed food sensitivities, he was suddenly unable to eat birthday cakes and other treats his friends could safely consume. Realizing the lack of delicious allergen-friendly treats in the food space, she decided to create her own inclusive treats instead!
Keep reading to learn about inclusive snacking, and how we ensure that our SuperFruit Freezies are both delicious and inclusive!
What Is Inclusive Snacking?
Inclusive snacking is all about championing food safety for those around us! Being inclusive in food means to offer safe treats in places where people might have allergies and other dietary restrictions. To begin thinking about inclusive snacking, ask yourself:
- How can I create a space that promotes safety while snacking and accommodates everyone’s individual needs?
- How can I proactively ensure that everyone has an inclusive, joyful, and safe snacking experience?
The Big Nine: Major Allergens
Although almost any food can be an allergen, there are nine foods that are known to cause the most allergic reactions. They’re known as The Big Nine: milk, eggs, peanuts, soy, wheat, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, and sesame.
This can be a lot to think about when choosing safe foods for those around you. There can be additional challenges when children with allergies see their friends eating treats they can’t enjoy themselves. To address this, how can we begin to make snacking an inherently safe and delicious experience for everyone?
How To Make Snacking Inclusive
Here are some of our top tips on how to begin practicing inclusive snacking:
- Take the time to educate your children on how all families choose to eat differently! Teach them to be thoughtful about people who eat differently than they do, no matter their reasons/restrictions.
- Do the research! Learn where to find more snacks that are both allergen-safe and accommodate other dietary restrictions, as well as what others can eat safely.
- Instead of buying allergen-friendly foods just for people with dietary restrictions, try sharing the same delicious inclusive treats with everyone so that no one feels left out.
- Teach your children how to offer and share food safely with the people around them.
- Make your home a safe space for all snackers by stocking up on a variety of allergen-friendly treats like some MadeGood granola, these delicious FreeYumm crackers, and a few Allergy Smart cookies! Don’t forget to keep them separate from foods with the Big Nine allergens.
How DeeBee's Organics Promotes Inclusive Snacking
To us, wanting everyone to experience the joy of a good treat has been a key value from the very start. Since Dr. Dionne first founded DeeBee’s Organics, we have continued to believe that snacking should never be associated with fear or worry–only joy!
We are proud to share that our Classic SuperFruit Freezies are deliciously top nine allergen-free, gluten friendly, vegan, and kosher! Our Tropical SuperFruit freezies do contain coconut, which you can read more about below.
Coconut: Fruit or Nut?
If you’re a big fan of our SuperFruit Freezies, you probably know that our Tropical flavors contain a delicious Pineapple Coconut freezie–but is coconut allergen-friendly?
Botanically speaking, coconut is universally classified as a fruit rather than a nut. Major North American allergen advocacy groups Food Allergy Research and Education and Food Allergy Canada do not recognize coconut as a tree nut. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, most people that are allergic to tree nuts can safely consume coconut.
However, the Food and Drug Administration does recognize coconut as part of the tree nut family–for this reason, we highly recommend talking to an allergist before incorporating coconut into your family’s diet!
How Our SuperFruit Freezies Are Made
When it comes to inclusive snacking, we believe in sharing the most we possibly can about how our products are made. As a certified B Corp that deeply values transparency, empowering you to make informed decisions about your food is at the core of who we are!
Did you know that our Classic SuperFruit Freezies undergo careful testing to ensure that they are free from all top nine allergens? Since our Tropical SuperFruit Freezies contain coconut, our production lines are also carefully cleaned and tested between batches to ensure no cross-contamination occurs.
Disclaimer: No part of this blog is intended to replicate or provide medical advice of any sort - families with dietary restrictions/allergies should always talk to an allergist for professional advice.
