GoodnessDirect Welcomes Food Allergy and Intolerance Week With a Count of Over 5000 'Free From' Foods on its Shelves

GoodnessDirect, the online store for special diets, is pleased to announce that it has over 5000 'free from' foods which are clearly labelled for specific food allergy or intolerance diets. Also, an Elimination Diet Starter Pack, introduced in time for the UK's Food Allergy and Intolerance Week

With Food Allergy and Intolerance Week approaching (23rd - 29th January) it's important to remember that the most difficult challenge of being intolerant or allergic to food is finding the right food with the least amount of fuss.

GoodnessDirect, the online special-diet shop, is pleased to announce that it has over 5000 'free from' foods which are clearly labelled for specific food allergy or intolerance diets.

According to the Allergy UK's 2010 Stolen Lives 7 report, the biggest frustration with having a food allergy or intolerance is eating out, followed by the challenge of shopping. 1

Over 60% of those surveyed said that their illness had completely changed the way they shopped and that checking all the labels was exhausting. Nearly as many agreed that their shopping takes a lot longer.

Modern technology is helping. Annie George, founder of the online Special Diets Directory, writes that,

“Nearly all of the 1000's of people we spoke to at the Allergy Show said that they never or hardly ever eat out.”

Disappointing experiences like this have led to the development of smart phone apps like Coeliac Map and allergy friendly restaurant databases on websites likeSpecialDietsDirectory.co.uk in order to provide guidance on where diners suffering from an allergy or intolerance can eat.

When it comes to shopping, online retail is making a great difference. While supermarket's work to increase the amount of shelf space they can devote to free from foods, the internet allows customers to source the thousands of specialist foods there are available. GoodnessDirect has been pioneering this work from the beginning of internet shopping and now has over 5000 'free from' product lines.

Lesley Cutts, manager of GoodnessDirect, comments:

“There are an increasing number of people who have to be selective and careful about what they eat. It is great to be able to offer busy parents and those leading busy lives a huge selection of foods that they can enjoy, and help take the stress out of what can be a very stressful situation.”

The hard work of checking every label for allergens is already done by GoodnessDirect.co.uk. The website flags up the dietary merits of every product so that customers know exactly what they are getting. It makes it possible to shop with ease for nut free or soya free foods without hassle.

Customers can quickly search under 'free from' categories too eg. vegan or kosher, or avoiding gluten, egg, dairy, or yeast etc. Additionally, many items at GoodnessDirect can be bought in bulk which reduces costs further.

GoodnessDirect offers next day delivery on ambient, chilled and frozen goods. Delivery charges are competitive at a standard rate of £5.50; and delivery is free if a customer orders over £35.

One of the first and biggest challenges for people with food allergies or intolerances is to identify what the problem-foods are in the first place.

A sufferer, quoted in the Stolen Lives report, said:

“It has taken years to identify all the allergens that I have an allergy to. It’s very scary.”

A recognised method of finding which food causes a problem is an Elimination Diet where a person attempts to cut out all potentially dangerous food and then slowly reintroduces foods to find what causes a reaction.

For this purpose GoodnessDirect are also pleased to introduce their Elimination Diet Starter Pack.

It's full of foods which are recommended by Allergy Medical UK as safe. The collection of such foods as quinoa, buckwheat and almond milk costs a total of £35, which guarantees free delivery. More recommended Elimination Diet foods can be found on GoodnessDirect's dedicated Elimination Diet Shelf.

1. http://www.allergyuk.org/download.aspx?File=leaflets/StolenLives7.pdf 
GoodnessDirect.co.uk is the health and well-being haven with 1000s of foods available to be delivered to homes throughout the UK. It caters for customers of traditional foods, vegans and vegetarians, organic foodies, and those on a restricted diet such as gluten or dairy free. The GoodnessDirect website features in-depth dietary information, so that customers know exactly what they are getting, and the service includes a gift-wrap option for the delivery of gifts to friends. Visit http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk.