SpoonfulONE enters Walgreens stores nationwide expanding access to early allergen introduction

12-May-2022 - Last updated on 12-May-2022 at 18:47 GMT

Photo Credit: SpoonfulONE

SpoonfulONE, a line of nutritional products that introduces babies to 16 food allergens at the beginning of their feeding journey, has expanded distribution to nearly 5,000 Walgreens stores nationwide helping make early allergen introduction a common feeding practice.

"We are thrilled to expand our retail footprint by collaborating with Walgreens to make SpoonfulONE the most commercially available product of its kind," said SpoonfulONE CEO Greg Shewchuk.

"Increased accessibility will only help us get one step closer to our mission. Walgreens is at the forefront of preventative healthcare - collaborating with retailers who are truly innovative and strive to reduce negative health outcomes is paramount for SpoonfulONE."

As part of the distribution deal, Walgreens will carry the brand's 20-pack Mix-Ins products, a powdered formula containing a mixture of peanuts, milk, shellfish, tree nuts, egg, fish, grains, soy, and sesame, that can be mixed into a baby's formula, breast milk, or favorite food, said the company. SpoonfulONE products are also currently available at Target stores and on Amazon.

Brands such as SpoonfulONE are helping to expand access to products that expose children to the top common allergens through "gentle" daily exposure to 16 foods associated with with 90% of food allergies to mitigate the chance of allergic reaction, said the company, whose products were developed by a pediatric allergist Dr. Kari Nadeau, who also directs the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University's School of Medicine.

In 2019, Nestlé Health Science acquired the non-U.S. rights to commercialize SpoonfulONE in international markets.

According to 2017 US population data, approximately 8% or 5.9 million children in the US under the age of 18 had one or more food allergies, and that there is rising prevalence of childhood prevalence of food allergies based on a nationwide survey which found a 50% increase in the prevalence of food allergies between 1997 and 2011, note SpoonfulONE in its research published on its site.

According to SpoonfulONE's research which tested its products on 1,303 babies in the UK, results showed that after a year of daily feeding of multi-protein preparations of potential allergens, participants showed a shift towards a less allergy-prone immune profile proving the case for the efficacy of early allergen introduction, the company said.

"SpoonfulONE's mission is dire, and we won't wait. We are creating innovative solutions and are working to educate parents on the new infant feeding guidelines, making it easy for families to follow doctors' recommendations," said Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, pediatrician, and SpoonfulONE chief medical officer. "To reduce food allergy risk, babies should be introduced to common allergens early and often. "