Food Allergies Spawn Multi-Billion Dollar Specialty Market

Washington Post:

Kari Keaton is the sort of customer most businesses used to hate. The Rockville mother lingers at the grocery store, poring over ingredient labels. She calls food manufacturers and interrogates their customer service representatives about what sorts of foods get processed in the same facility and probes them on the meaning of "natural flavoring." And after all that effort, she still may not buy their product.

The way Keaton sees it, she has little choice. Her two sons, 10 and 15, suffer from severe food allergies. Keeping them from accidentally eating something that could trigger a fatal reaction has become the former IBM field manager's full-time job.

But Keaton, 52, and consumers like her are increasingly coveted by corporations and entrepreneurs who see an economic opportunity in catering to the needs of people who have food allergies or celiac, a condition treated by avoiding gluten. Marketing to the food-sensitive has become so widespread that the Girl Scouts now sell three kinds of milk-free cookies, Anheuser-Busch has a gluten-free beer and Kellogg's makes Pop-Tarts in nut-free factories.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[raw915]

Why is food allergy an epidemic today when 100 years ago it was virtually unheard of? Because we are lilly-white pansies. Nowadays every time we sneeze we have to run to the doctor for an antibiotic. Our bodies haven't been given the chance (forced) to develop the ability to defend themselves. We have become slaves to our own stupidity. Why don't we compare allergy rates in kids and adults who've grown up in poverty versus those who've grown up with silver spoons in their mouths? I and all my relatives grew up in poverty, and many times we forgot to wash our hands after using the toilet or before eating, and we sometimes got a bellyache. But we seldom saw a doctor and we never had an allergy. Our bodies had more important things to be concerned about (such as how to cope with mice and rats and bedbugs and lice and mites) than worrying about what we stuffed into our mouths.

[jeanruss]

Scientific studies (done in other countries of course) show a definite link between gmo ingredients and allergies. American corporations are in the business of causing problems, not solving them.

[VivaZapata]

A largely fresh fruits and vegetables with small amounts of protein is what we should aim at. the least amount of processing, the greater the chance of avoiding harmful foods. Point of Information: many who are lactose intolerant could be gluten intolerant instead (or as well).

[wm1066]

True.
But let me add that some people who think they are lactose intorerant might be reacting to citric and dairy together, the citric might be the real culprit. Thats what happened with me. It wasn't until I stopped citric foods that I could handle dairy, and dairy is good for me because I am a B blood type.

[Olerist]

Thanks to ADM, GM (General Mills) and Nabisco and all the other multinationals who base the majority of food stuff on corn and soy (often GMO).

Thanks to exposure to ever increasing amounts of childhood vaccines and the toxins in them that overload kids immune systems as they are developing and create immune responses to things they normally wouldn't.

Thanks to the mainstream media for avoiding these issues and making money from their advertising.

[wm1066]

I think they should do a study on how vaccines affect our DNA.
Giving a two year old 16 differant vaccines in one day is nuts.