Ready, Set, Food! Advances Childhood Food Allergy Education Efforts Through Relationship with Providence

Collaboration equips pediatricians with latest guidance and research on early allergen introduction to share with every Providence family

LOS ANGELES, June 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ready, Set, Food!, an early allergen introduction leader that specializes in baby food and educational resources to help families introduce food allergens safely and easily to babies, is expanding its efforts to inform and educate parents on the topic of food allergen introduction through a relationship with Providence, a top provider of pediatric and primary care.

Guidelines issued in 2020 by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) and the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI), recommend introducing peanut and egg at 4+ months of age to help prevent food allergies. However, national surveys show that only ~30% of pediatricians teach parents about food allergy prevention. 

"Nutrition is an important part of a child's development, but there can be some anxiety among parents about the risk of allergic reaction when they introduce new foods to their babies," said Danelle Fisher, M.D. at Providence. "As physicians, part of our job is to help parents understand the evidence and latest guidelines about introducing allergens, so they feel confident in caring for their child. Easy-to-understand resources that we can provide families as part of our routine information-sharing is hugely beneficial."

Using educational content developed by nationally recognized food allergy experts, Ready, Set, Food!'s tools integrate with both Providence's Epic and Circle platforms, making it easy for physicians and families to access the information.

"This partnership is putting critical information and resources at our families' fingertips. We are truly changing lives," said Will Conrad M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Providence Southbay Ministries. "We are continually seeking out ways to add support to our physicians and families. This relationship is allowing us to do just that."

"With recent studies showing that only 8% of parents were following the new guidelines, it's clear that we need to do more to teach parents about food allergy medical guidelines" said Daniel Zakowski CEO and Co-Founder of Ready, Set, Food. "We're thrilled to have developed tools that make it easy to implement the new guidelines, and to team up with Providence to support their physicians in educating and empowering families."

At Providence, educational content from the Ready, Set, Food! not-for-profit affiliate preventallergies.org is available as part of routine after-visit summaries for babies at key milestones (two, four, six, and nine-month well-child visits). In addition, content is seamlessly accessed via the Circle App to directly provide parents food allergy prevention resources. Providence is also taking advantage of other resources the relationship offers, like in-clinic educational materials for families (brochures) and providers (CME webinars from allergy experts and summaries of food allergy prevention medical guidelines).

Providence is among the country's largest health systems; caring for and working with thousands of new parents and families. Providence has seen a significant need for clinical education in this area.

The relationship with Providence adds to Ready, Set, Food!'s growing work with other health systems and med-tech platforms.

Providence is a national, not-for-profit Catholic health system comprising a diverse family of organizations and driven by a belief that health is a human right. With 52 hospitals, over 900 clinics, senior services, supportive housing, and many other health and educational services, the health system and its partners employ nearly 120,000 caregivers serving communities across seven states – Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, with system offices in Renton, Wash., and Irvine, Calif. Learn about our vision of health for a better world at Providence.org.

Founded by doctors and parents for parents, Ready, Set, Food! has created the only complete, three-stage guided system that allows families to introduce the top food allergens to their babies safely and easily. Ready, Set, Food!'s approach is backed by thousands of pediatricians and allergists and is rooted in the latest science and medical guidelines that recommend food allergen introduction should start as early as 4 months of age.

In addition to offering a product line that includes Stage Mix-ins and Organic Baby Oatmeal, the organization works to empower and inform families so they can prepare their children for a path to food freedom. Using educational content developed by nationally recognized food allergy experts, Ready, Set, Food! offers content and resources directly to families and through partnerships with health systems and pediatricians. For more information, please visit readysetfood.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

MEDIA CONTACT: Veronica Hunt, [email protected], 213-298-3653

SOURCE Ready, Set, Food!