More parents than ever are raising a child with a food allergy. According to the Center of Disease Control, 5.6 million children have a food allergy which is roughly 1 in every 13 children. And food allergies in children have been on the rise, increasing 50% between 1997 and 2011. The most common food allergies include peanut, milk, shellfish, tree nut, egg, wheat, soy, and sesame.
Parenting a child with a food allergy can be stressful. On top of the worry and anxiety that comes with protecting their child every day, the daily routine of preparing meals that meet the dietary restrictions can be time intensive for already busy families. We recently completed a series of deep dive qualitative interviews with families that are avoiding ingredients because of a food allergy. This blog shares insights from those interviews by exploring the top 3 needs parents of children with allergies have and shares how food brands and retailers can better support and win the loyalty of this growing base of families
Transparency
Safety and transparency are highest on the list of needs for parents of children with allergies. Parents go out of their way to ensure that their children have access to safe food. This includes reading and re-reading labels, packing foods for their children wherever they go, talking to waiters and the school staff, and teaching their children about their dietary restrictions.
“My children are learning what to look for when food is available and ask all the necessary questions. If no one knows the answer we don’t eat it. I feel more comfortable with items that have the gluten free certification. When they go to a party, they carry their own lunchbox, and everything has a gluten free label.”
– Parent of Child with Gluten Allergy
Brands and restaurants that want to cater to these parents should provide clear and prominent communication about what their products are free from. This enables parents to quickly navigate the ingredients and provides reassurance that the product is safe. In addition, it’s a cue that parents can teach other caretakers and their children to look for when they are faced with making food choices on their own.
Variety
Finding a variety of foods that children enjoy is challenging enough without allergies, so consider the limitations that exist when you narrow the options by eliminating specific, common ingredients. Parents planning lunches and meals for children with allergies struggle to find a variety of options. They are always on the lookout for a new offerings and shop across a variety of different stores seeking alternatives to offer their children.
“He tried it today and loved it. We were on our way back to Sprouts, so we picked up a few more while in the store.”
– Mother of Child with Allergy
This points to the opportunity that food brands and retailers have to cater more specifically to children with allergies. These families are on the lookout for a variety of offerings that meet their specific dietary restrictions and they will go out of their way to find these products. Catering to these families and offering variety will garner their loyalty to your brand.
Convenience
Planning allergy free meals and snacks every day can be daunting and time intensive. Families that are faced with this challenge want more convenience. The families which we interviewed noted that not only do they have to shop multiple stores to get the variety of items they need but they also find themselves traversing the store to find items that are free from specific ingredients. This quickly becomes both inconvenient and stressful to a time starved parent.
“Finding items in the store is my biggest hurdle. Kroger moved all the gluten free items out of the ‘natural foods’ area and spread them throughout the store. It’s like a really irritational scavenger hunt.”
– Parent of Child with Allergy
Retailers have an opportunity to create an environment more conducive to families dealing with food allergies. This includes stocking a variety of options free from allergens and merchandising them in a manner that the shopper can easily find them. The ideal place for merchandising these items is in the traditional or mass channel where these families are already making the weekly shopping trip.
Supporting Families with Food Allergies
With nearly 10% of children dealing with one (or more) food allergies, there is opportunity for food providers to meet the needs of this growing population of families. By understanding the needs of these parents, brands and retailers have an opportunity to help these families and win their loyalty. If your business is looking for more insights about the household avoiding specific ingredients, Linkage Research has over 10,000 points of data to mine for insights. Contact us at info@linkagereserach.com.
