Grocery Shopping
Gone are the days when you made quick runs into the grocery store to just pick up a few things. When shopping for someone with food allergies, ingredient labels must be read each and every time [link to food labeling]. It is not uncommon for food manufactures to change ingredients or manufacturing processes. Therefore, even trusted brands and products must be double checked each and every time.
When shopping, plan to go when you have time so that you are not rushed or under stress. Become familiar with your favorite store and where everything is located. In some stores you will find many of the allergy-safe food in a separate “organic” section of the store.
Talk to the managers at your local grocery store. If there is a trusted product that you use regularly, they may be able to special order these products for you or may even begin stocking them if there is a large enough demand for a particular item. This can save you from ultimately going to two or three different stores in a given week to get the specific brands that you need.
Nothing in the store is, by its nature, “safe” and should always be checked for ingredients. Fresh fruits and vegetables may even have manufacturing processes that can make them unsafe. Be sure to check for potential cross contamination by being aware of surrounding grocery items that may pose a risk.
Whether or not non-allergy-safe food is kept in your house is a personal decision and each family handles this situation differently. If non-allergy-safe food is kept in the house along with allergy-safe food, one suggestion is to label foods as safe or not-safe using red or green dots. Red dots next to the ingredient list can indicate food that is not safe while green dots can indicate safe foods. Using this method can provide a double check when you get home when you put the dots on and it can provide an educational opportunity for children and other caregivers. Even though children may not be able to read yet, they can learn where to look to see if a food is safe or not. This is a great opportunity to model label-reading to your child.
Remember that a food label cannot tell you if a food is safe, it only reveals that it is unsafe.
When shopping, plan to go when you have time so that you are not rushed or under stress. Become familiar with your favorite store and where everything is located. In some stores you will find many of the allergy-safe food in a separate “organic” section of the store.
Talk to the managers at your local grocery store. If there is a trusted product that you use regularly, they may be able to special order these products for you or may even begin stocking them if there is a large enough demand for a particular item. This can save you from ultimately going to two or three different stores in a given week to get the specific brands that you need.
Nothing in the store is, by its nature, “safe” and should always be checked for ingredients. Fresh fruits and vegetables may even have manufacturing processes that can make them unsafe. Be sure to check for potential cross contamination by being aware of surrounding grocery items that may pose a risk.
Whether or not non-allergy-safe food is kept in your house is a personal decision and each family handles this situation differently. If non-allergy-safe food is kept in the house along with allergy-safe food, one suggestion is to label foods as safe or not-safe using red or green dots. Red dots next to the ingredient list can indicate food that is not safe while green dots can indicate safe foods. Using this method can provide a double check when you get home when you put the dots on and it can provide an educational opportunity for children and other caregivers. Even though children may not be able to read yet, they can learn where to look to see if a food is safe or not. This is a great opportunity to model label-reading to your child.
Remember that a food label cannot tell you if a food is safe, it only reveals that it is unsafe.