Morning!
I just had to post this up about the importance of checking labels on everything. Even if you have used a product a million times, I would still check it when you go back to the supermarket and buy the same product again.
I’m posting this up after having had a really horrible afternoon/evening yesterday. It started on our journey back from shopping where my tummy started doing the usual signs of a bad attack – feeling like it was bruising and feeling very tender. This came and went over the course of the evening, but my the late evening I was really suffering. I’m happy to report I’ve woken up feeling a little tired and groggy but mostly ready for a new day. Something I’ve learned with having an intolerance is that I cannot let it get me down as it gets so easy to fall into the trap of feeling really useless and run-down. You need to learn to put up a wall to these feelings and understand that sometimes our bodies react in ways we don’t expect them to and that it is not your fault. You also need to be prepared for attacks, so I will post up my list of ways to calm down your tummy at some point in the future!
It shocks me that supermarkets don’t have to let their customer’s know when something has got a new allergen in it as this is vital information.
The only store and can congratulate and credit is Marks and Spencer. They label their products clearly and when there is new allergen information you should be aware of, they put a blue circular sticker onto the front with ‘New Allergen Information’ written inside of it. This is great as it means I can go in and be confident that what I am buying is always going to be suitable for me. Definitely worth checking out!! Plus all their food tastes SO good, so I love that I can still eat M&S food and that they cater for my allergies.
They have a brilliant range of gluten free products available and even a large quantity of their meat products are made with gluten free breadcrumbs and flour e.g. the burgers, sausage meat, sausages and stuffing balls. If you aren’t sure, then they have a lovely gluten free symbol on the fron, right by the nutrition information, so if in doubt just keep an eye out for the symbol:
Check out their website for more in-depth allergy information:
http://www.marksandspencer.com/Our-Food-Labelling-About-Our-Food-MS-Food-Food-Wine/b/51422031
Here is a picture of how they label their products in-case you wanted to see an example. The blue bar is where the allergy information is clearly displayed and if any changes are made to the allergens then the blue circle is the exact same colour, so as a designer I really appreciate this use of wayfinding within packaging design.
I hope this is helpful for you, and remember, you have to check everything if it is a new product, because until supermarkets take intolerances and allergic reactions 100% seriously, it is up to us to make sure we do not ingest something that could make us ill. If in doubt, check it!
And mostly – enjoy yourself with cooking and eating!
Ruby
Thank youuuuu Genius!! You have brought eggy bread back into my life… finally a gluten free bread that stands the soaking up of egg and the frying stages of making eggy bread!
2. I didn’t use maple syrup, I chose a healthier option of agave nectar syrup (a delicious syrup you should definitely get in. It’s crazy how much I have gone from never using it to using it almost every day!)
Love hearing what you all think!
