Family meals out can be fraught with worry when you have a child with a serious food allergy or coeliac disease, but all that is set to change thanks to a Childbase nursery parent and her new ‘trip advisor-style’ website.
Reviews of venues which avoid the top 14 allergens in their menus and demonstrate an exceptional approach to protecting their customers are just one aspect of the Allergy Companions website, the brainchild of mother of two, Liljia Polo-Richards.
“My genuine hope is that Allergy Companions can bring the allergy community and food businesses together, so we can all improve the lives of those living with food allergies, intolerances and coeliac disease”, she said.
Using her blog post on the website, Mrs. Polo-Richards also aims to further awareness and create a more inclusive environment for adults and children like her four year old son, Francesco, who was diagnosed with a serious nut allergy when he was only 13 months old.
“Francesco is a sweet and caring child, with a heart of gold and many loving people in his life. I do not want him to grow up in a world where he feels different and excluded, simply because he has a food allergy,” she said following a children’s venue party where everyone tucked into cake and treats while her son was given sandwiches and fruit.
“There are options available to people with allergies, so why not change the narrative, and make food safe for everyone, not simply for one person? Nobody wants to sit at the allergy table, so let’s make that dining table a little bit bigger and a little bit more inclusive”, said Mrs. Polo-Richards.