With an eye on the food allergy community as a unique group of consumers since 2008, we're on a quest to find and share ways to continue enjoying the good things in life.


07 September 2012

Buzz Around New England: Tasterie

I am very excited about a new food allergy friendly business here in Massachusetts, Tasterie. Founded by pediatrician and mother, Lama Rimawi, Tasterie provides unique curated snack collections for the following restricted diets on a monthly basis: Top 8 Allergen Free; Dairy Allergy; Dairy & Egg Allergy; Egg Allergy; Gluten & Wheat Allergy; Gluten, Wheat & Dairy Allergy; Gluten Allergy, Wheat Allergy and Vegan; Healthy & Nutritious; Peanut & Tree Nut Allergy, Soy Allergy; and Vegan. For a reasonable subscription fee, you can enjoy a box of snacks and foods that are thoroughly checked for allergy friendliness and are pediatrician approved.

When I spoke with Lama, she explained how she came to found Tasterie after experiencing what so many food allergy moms experience--the challenge of trying to find "safe" foods and variety in the limited choices that exist. Lama gets food allergies because she is a food allergy mom, and she also has patients with food allergies. Personally, I always feel a little better when I know allergy friendly products are coming from a company owned and run by someone who has experienced managing food allergies firsthand. It makes a difference.

I asked Lama for additional information about how in-depth Tasterie's selection process is. Each manufacturer must complete a detailed questionnaire that asks for information about the manufacturing process in the facility as well as the supply chain and risk for cross-contamination. If equipment is shared, Tasterie looks at whether appropriate allergen testing is done. Lama noted that nut-free products in Tasterie Boxes are manufactured in nut-free facilities.


My sons and I enjoyed snacks from a lovely complimentary Tasterie Box in June. We got to try some snacks we hadn't tried before, and that's saying something, because Food Allergy Buzz is constantly receiving requests for product reviews! We especially enjoyed the Yoga Vive apple chips and ELF's Seeds and Fruit Mix; and the Divvies popcorn; and the hummus; and...well, everything was just delicious!


The Tasterie Box was so nicely packaged. "Safe" snacks filled the pretty Tiffany blue box to the very top and were surrounded by matching blue tissue paper and a bit of raffia. It was both eye-appealing and mouth-watering, a fantastic treat for a food allergic individual.

Please take a moment to visit Tasterie's website. The Tasterie Boxes come in two sizes, the smaller box is only $15 and the larger one is $20--too tempting not to try! 



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