Growing up, school lunches were easy. I would ask for the same thing everyday; peanut butter sandwich with a drink, an apple and a treat. Some days the treat would differ or the flavour of the drink, but that was the typical lunch in all my friends lunch bags too.
Now a days, you have to be extremely careful when selecting the items in your school lunch. Food allergies are on the rise and doctors have no clue why. Items such as nuts, soy, milk, egg, wheat and shellfish can have moderate to severe effects on an allergic person’s body. Whereas when I was young, I maybe knew one person with a food allergy, now I know can barely name someone without one. The fact that I now have a serious gluten food leads me to acknowledge its seriousness and the impact it can have on another person’s health.
Searching for products that are free of all these allergens can be difficult. Some products substitute one allergen for another whereas other’s increase fat or sugar content to make up for the missing ingredients. As adults, we are mature enough to adapt our taste buds to these new found flavours, but with kids it isn’t so easy. Snacks need to be easy for little hands to hold, taste great and come in bright packages. Most times I resort to making my own, but recently I came across a brand I’m really excited about!
FREEYUMM
Freeyumm is a brand of bars and cookies for kids. Each treats is made with all natural products, no refined sugars and include healthy additives such as chia seeds, flaxseed and agave syrup. The best part of it is they are free of the 8 top most common allergens! To ensure that are 100% allergen free, they are even created in a dedicated bakery to eliminate the risk of cross-contamination. They come in bold coloured packages and are the perfect snack for school because they can be shared with everyone, even if they have allergies.
Available Flavours:
Cookies: Ginger cookie, Double Chocolate Cookie, Banana Maple Cookie
Bars: Honey Apple Oat, Honey Hemp and Seed, Chocolate Chip Oat, Blueberry Oat, Raspberry Chia
Next time you are headed to a play date, sports class or packing your child’s lunch, be sure to include one of FreeYumm’s treats and be sure that everyone is happy! You can purchase FreeYumm at stores all across CANADA!
Jenn says
March 14, 2018 at 2:40 pmI have never heard of these. i love that more brands are considering food allergies when making packaged food or snacks. Our daughter is allergic to banana, and it is surprisingly hard to steer clear from. So many families have to worry, we need more companies to follow.
Ann F. Snook-Moreau says
March 14, 2018 at 3:31 pmI often think about the rules around packed lunches now. I had a PB&J almost every day because I was a picky eater . . . I don’t know what I would have done if I wasn’t allowed to bring that! These treats sound yummy, especially the double chocolate cookie.
Joan says
March 14, 2018 at 4:43 pmThe flavours sound fantastic! So nice to have yummy options despite restrictions. Thanks for sharing!
Monica Y says
March 14, 2018 at 7:37 pmI am always concerned about opening snacks in public and maybe someone has an allergy. So important not only in schools but also when traveling for the plane. I cannot wait to try the snacks, they look really good and healthy too.
Ali Rost says
March 15, 2018 at 12:45 amI’m of your generation and remember the days when school lunches didn’t have all of the special considerations of today. I also remember when my kids were in grade school and I struggled to find interesting and nutritious things to pack for them. So nice to know there are healthy snacks like FREEYUMM. Heck, I might buy some for my husband to keep in his desk at work! x
Melissa Dixon says
March 15, 2018 at 8:23 amIt can be really hard to send in snacks to school that will not cause any trouble for someone but there are some guidelines to follow that make it a little easier sometimes. I need to pick up some of these snacks and have them on hand for school, it looks tasty!
Heather says
March 16, 2018 at 8:45 amThat bar looks yummy for kids! We don’t have any food allergies in our home but have many friends that do. Lunchtime at school has to be the most challenging because children are seeing what everyone else has to eat.
Hillary says
March 18, 2018 at 8:31 pmThe allergen-free bakery is amazing. My baby ended up in the hospital last year thanks for cross-contamination.
Jenn VH says
March 19, 2018 at 4:14 pmoh no!!! I have been hit so many times with cross contamination I have lost count!!!
Tara Wilson says
March 19, 2018 at 9:55 pmMy kids don’t have any food allergies, but having one daughter with autism who is a flight risk and doesn’t understand danger fully, I have a sense of that feeling of constant worry about what could happen at any given moment…especially when she’s not with me. Anything that can give parents and kids less anxiety is awesome in my book! And especially if they taste great!