Contestant's Case to Win

With two young children, one of whom has a peanut allergy, I find myself in the same situation as many parents of today. I’ve learned to read food labels in a new way and make more food from scratch. Because of my son’s allergy, we’ve changed the way we buy food, how we eat with friends, how we go to school and how we vacation.

About a year ago, I began writing Food Allergy Buzz (www.foodallergybuzz.com)--a blog where I share information on food allergy friendly products, businesses and resources. I have made my mark in the online food allergy community by focusing on food allergic individuals as consumers, and introducing and supporting food allergy friendly businesses. Through my work on Food Allergy Buzz, it became clear there was a need for a different kind of food allergy friendly snack store, one that makes those hard-to-find snacks and convenience foods more accessible and affordable. Like so many parents of food allergic children, I had grown weary of the limited “safe” options at my local supermarket and the high prices there. Although I found more choices online, the prices were prohibitively high and it was not easy to get the kind of detailed product information that I wanted. In addition, there were no stores specializing in food allergies in New England, the place I call home.

I decided to create the missing shopping option myself and founded FAB Snacks, Inc. (www.fabsnacks.com), a food allergy friendly snack center. My goal is to sell snacks and other convenience foods from food allergy conscious manufacturers and to be as transparent as possible with my customers. When you are dealing with a life threatening food allergy or multiple life threatening food allergies, you don’t want to just take someone’s word that a food is suitable or safe. You need to ask questions about ingredients, cross-contamination, the manufacturing facility, and get clear answers to those questions. I understand this because of my son’s allergy and I want to provide my customers with the same sort of information and reassurance I seek for my own family.

FAB Snacks and Food Allergy Buzz together create a food allergy consumer hub--a place to learn about new products, hear about concerns regarding products and manufacturer’s practices, and to shop for snacks and other convenience foods for many of the dietary restrictions faced by today’s families. Winning the 2009 Leading Moms in Business Competition would not only be an honor, but would greatly assist me in reaching more food allergy families to help them be informed about their grocery shopping options, more easily access those hard-to-find products they desire, and also continue to support the wonderful food allergy conscious manufacturers--many of whom are moms just like me--so we and our children can enjoy the good things in life “allergen-free”.