ST. LOUIS, August 25, 2009 - Allergy-friendly, gluten-free Allergaroo is a simple solution for healthy, delicious, worry-free school lunches for kids with food allergies and other food intolerances - There’s a lot of homework a mom of kids with food allergies has to do before she can even think of sending her kids back to school.  She must make certain that the school will be a safe environment.  She needs assurance that the staff is properly trained in handling accidental exposures.  And she must find healthy and delicious foods that her children can eat safely at school.

Tabor Burke has two food-allergic kids of her own, so she knows all too well the challenges of preparing them for back to school – especially when it comes to the food she packs in their lunch boxes. So it was out of sheer necessity in 2005 that Burke created Allergaroo, the country’s only allergy-friendly, gluten-free brand of delicious, convenient, ready-made dishes ...

Working as a busy attorney with little time to spare on shopping for and preparing allergy-friendly foods for her two kids, she longed for a convenient and delicious meal alternative that they could safely eat without worries.  So she created Allergaroo.

Today, all three of Burke’s great-tasting, all-natural, ready-made Allergaroo dishes --   Spaghetti, Chili Mac and Spyglass Noodles -- can be found in more than 1,000 select grocery stores, natural foods stores and specialty online retailers throughout the U.S., and can easily be prepared for school lunches.

“Allergaroo is a super convenient, delicious and filling solution for kids’ lunch boxes,” says Tabor Burke, Founder, CEO and President of Allergy Friendly Foods, the company that owns and markets the Allergaroo brand.  “I simply microwave Allergaroo in the morning -- right in its microwavable pouch -- and pour it into thermoses.  My kids are thrilled to get hot, delicious meals for lunch and I’m thrilled to save time and feel worry-free about the foods they’re eating at school,” she adds.

Burke adds that more and more schools are making microwaves available to kids during the lunch hour.  “In these cases, moms can just pack a bag of Allergaroo in lunch boxes, and kids can simply pop the convenient microwavable pouch in the oven and enjoy a hot, tasty meal in just minutes. Allergaroo dishes also make great after-school and sports-time snacks.  “Allergaroo is a good hot meal alternative for kids involved in sports whose games run into the dinner hour,” Burke says.  “I also pack it as a snack for my kids’ after-school play dates,” She adds. Burke also suggests that moms urge schools to make dishes like Allergaroo available to kids as menu items in cafeterias.  “It’s a win/win situation for the kids and the cafeteria staff,” says Burke.  “Because Allergaroo is self contained, the cafeteria staff needn’t worry about cross-contamination.  And all kids, not just those with food allergies, love the taste of Allergaroo.” 

All Allergaroo dishes are free of the eight most common allergens[1], are gluten-free and are made without casein, potato, sesame and sulfites.  And, most importantly, all Allergaroo dishes are now made on dedicated equipment in an allergen-free space.   Allergaroo dishes contain only high quality, all-natural, GMO-free ingredients.  Each dish has only 240 calories or less, 3g of fat, and between 3g and 4g of protein.  Also, each dish is a good source of dietary fiber (3g) and is cholesterol-free, saturated fat-free and trans fat-free. 

Look for Allergaroo at mainstream grocery stores, independent grocery stores, super-natural and natural foods stores, and specialty online retailers.  For store locations by geographic area, visit their website at http://www.allergaroo.com/store_locator.cfm.  Allergaroo prices range from $3.99 to $4.29 for an 8-ounce pouch, depending on where they are purchased. 

About Allergaroo 

Allergaroo is owned and marketed by St. Louis-based Allergy Friendly Foods, LLC, which was founded in 2005 with the mission of making great-tasting and convenient, all-natural, allergy-friendly and gluten-free dishes.  The company launched the Allergaroo brand in 2008 with three all-natural, gluten-free and allergy-friendly varieties.  Allergy Friendly Foods, LLC was founded by Tabor Burke, a mother of two children with multiple food allergies who longed for a convenient and delicious meal alternative that her kids could safely eat without worries.  Allergaroo was named an Editor’s Pick for Best New Products of 2008by Progressive Grocer (Sep 2008) and was named a Gold Standard Product in 2009 by the Eat, Live, Learn Foundation.  For more information, visit http://www.allergaroo.com/