Food Allergies in a Food Insecure World: How S.A.F.E. Is Tackling It
It’s common knowledge that food insecurity is one of the biggest problems we face as a global society; but it sometimes feels like even though everyone acknowledges it and accepts it; a certain group of people affected by it go unnoticed… and that’s people who are food insecure with food allergies.
Food Allergies in Food Insecurity
People with food allergies are extremely susceptible to facing food insecurity due to the expensive price and lack of allergy friendly food, on top of the common factors that lead to food insecurity like systemic racism, living in a food desert, etc. Just look at this chart below highlighting the exponential cost difference between regular food and their allergen-free counterparts.
So far, not very much is being done to provide help for those with food allergies who are food insecure, as food pantries are already being bombarded with extreme amounts of pressure to provide just the basic groceries for the increasing amount of people facing food insecure, only being exacerbated by COVID-19, and putting stress on them to obtain specialty goods on top of that is a lot to ask.
The Issue
But just because it may seem hard, doesn’t mean it is impossible to accomplish; and this is where S.A.F.E. comes into play. S.A.F.E. stands for Supplying Allergy Food and Education and is the organization I founded to address just this problem. S.A.F.E. also addresses the complication of barely any information being provided to people with food allergies regarding how to properly handle them, live a safe and unhindered life with them, etc. I accomplish this through the monthly released magazine I write and edit myself called E.D.I.T., standing for Education, Discoveries, Information, and Tips; all regarding food allergies of course.
So far S.A.F.E.’s impact has been huge, and thanks to the pantries we have partnered with and the generous donations we’ve received from food allergy-food manufactures, we’ve been able to supply over 500 pounds of food to those facing food insecurity with food allergies in the Greater Cincinnati area, and over 100 copies of E.D.I.T. have been printed and distributed so far as well.
A S.A.F.E Solution
While this is amazing, I am looking to take S.A.F.E. to the next level, with the hopes of expanding the pantries it is partnered with even more, garner more donations, etc., all in the end hopefully helping the most amount of people possible being able to eat food that fuels their bodies and is safe for them as well.
If you are a pantry looking to work with S.A.F.E., a company interested in donating products, or just a common citizen who appreciates S.A.F.E.’s mission and wants to help us achieve our vision of a world where everyone regardless of circumstances has access to the food they need, head over to S.A.F.E.’s website to read more about it; and paramountly, see how you can help the world, and specifically the Greater Cincinnati Area, become a S.A.F.E.r place for people with food allergies.
Link to S.A.F.E.’s website: https://supplyingallergyfoodandeducation.weebly.com/
Link to download S.A.F.E.’s mobile app: https://previewer.adalo.com/29d54655-8318-447c-8d1b-5f837114aa49