Allergy-free snack brand turns attention to US malnutrition amid COVID-19

07 Apr 2020 --- US-based snack brand This Saves Lives has launched its second children’s snack line, Kids Krispy Kritter Treats, which are school-safe and are free from common allergens such as soy, dairy, nuts, peanuts and gluten. Building upon its anti-malnutrition campaign, which matches every purchase with a food packet to children in need internationally, Co-Founder and actor Kristen Bell has announced that the brand will temporarily also send its products to food insecure families in the US in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Right now, it’s more important than ever to think of others and what we can each do to help our communities here and abroad. We created This Saves Lives to fight early childhood malnutrition and I’m radically hopeful that we can continue to inspire action and save children’s lives,” Bell affirms.

The Kritter Treats launch builds upon the brand's existing snack lines that are also school-safe and peanut-free.The new Kids Krispy Treats line consists of:

• Mammoth Marshmallow Krisp.

• Bigfoot Campfire Smores.

• Crocodile Chocolate Crunch.

• Unicorn Sprinkle Surprise.

  

• Dragon’s Dream Cookies N’ Cream.

All Kritter Treats feature clean ingredients and minimal sugar. Besides being kosher and non-GMO, the snack bites also contain a full fruit and vegetable serving and are certified school-safe. They are free of the top eight allergens, including nuts, dairy, soy and gluten. They are also made in a tree-nut and peanut-free facility.

At the other end of the allergy-avoidance spectrum is US-based Square Baby, which offers all of the top eight allergens with whole, fresh baby foods. The company recently added two new baby foods to its “Square Meals” portfolio and aims to introduce allergens to babies early in order to detect or prevent allergic reactions to foods. Also in the fight against allergies, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave approval on a peanut allergen treatment in February.

The social impact of jeopardizing food security
To date, the brand highlights it has provided over 275,000 meals to US consumers in partnership with non-profit Feeding America. It has sold enough to donate more than 16 million life-saving packets of food for children in need in Guatemala, Haiti, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Philippines.

“We’ve been working on our Kids Krispy Kritter Treats and new Kids and Classic Bars for some time, but it makes me feel good to launch them now, knowing they might help bring a little joy to families knowing they are sending life-saving food to children in need,” Bell notes.

“We may not be able to physically sit at the same table, but I firmly believe we can all still eat together,” she concludes. 

The ongoing spread of COVID-19 is compelling society to reexamine the relationship it has with food security. Food security is further being safeguarded by the continued opening of US health food stores, alongside supermarkets and food retailers taking steps to ensure consumers have access to essential foods.

In a bid to aid US children and families, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act is providing billions of dollars in nutrition assistance for children and families. Meanwhile, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is working to facilitate access to nutritious meals to vulnerable groups and remove administrative roadblocks for the local staff who serve them.

In light of these rapid developments, NutritionInsight has launched a daily news feed on ongoing coronavirus-related information and insights. 

Edited by Anni Schleicher