Announcing the Launch of ContentChecked
An Innovative New App for People with Food Allergies and Intolerances
More than 15 million people in the United States suffer from food allergies, and the number is far greater when you add in all those who develop stomach problems as a result of different foods. This problem makes grocery shopping challenging and stressful; in some cases, a wrong decision can result in a hospital visit or even worse. So what is the solution? Content Checked Inc., a Los Angeles-based start up, introduces a smartphone app to answer these very real concerns. ContentChecked simplifies the process of determining the ingredients in favorite foods to help users weed out food villains before they become harmful.
“Shoppers armed with ContentChecked will be able to register their food allergies or intolerances and then walk the aisles of their favorite supermarket simply scanning the bar codes of whichever items they are considering purchasing,” commented ContentChecked Nutritionist Victoria Brodsky. “Our app can help considerably with some of the most common food allergies and intolerances such as nuts, shellfish, soy, milk and even gluten. Best of all, it can even go one step further by suggesting alternative choices to an item incompatible with food restrictions, and in some cases even provide helpful recipes.”
While almost 90 percent of all food allergies are caused by peanuts, eggs, cow’s milk, fish, wheat, shellfish, soybeans and nuts, the FDA reports that there are more than 160 additional foods that can trigger an allergic reaction. And people who are allergic to one type of food are more likely to become allergic to something else as well. ContentChecked already features hundreds of thousands of foods from today’s most popular brands, and that number increases exponentially every week. Additionally, ContentChecked will soon cater to people with severe anaphylaxis diseases and strong sensitivities for cross contaminations. Users can purchase the app for $2.99 on the App Store and on Google Play, and ContentChecked donates $1 of each app sale to the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE). Content Checked also offers a free “lite” version.
“ContentChecked is not only useful but needed because labeling laws are weak in the US, and manufacturing practices change regularly. This is finally a long-term shopping aid/tool for checking products while shopping. I also see ContentChecked as being incredibly helpful to newly diagnosed food allergy families just learning to read labels and finding safe foods,” remarked Jenny Sprague, Founder of FABlogCon (Food Allergy Bloggers Conference).
Born from a father’s confusion and frustration about what to feed his daughter and her friends with specific food allergies, the company believes ContentChecked will have the most positive impact in children’s health. According to the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), the economic cost of children’s food allergies is well over a staggering $25 billion per year and rising. More than 200,000 of these allergic reactions end up sending a child to the emergency room, which amounts to one child in the United States every three minutes. When considering these statistics, the true value of the app becomes very clear.
Additionally, Content Checked, Inc. has launched MigraineChecked and will also be launching SugarChecked and VeganChecked this year. The company’s extended reach, via this new family of apps, is truly staggering when you look at facts like: 38,000,000 people in the United States are currently diagnosed with migraines; and 97,000,000 people are at risk of developing, or have already developed, Type 2 Diabetes (a diet and lifestyle-based disease), the largest health related cost in the country. In addition, within a year, ContentChecked will be available in Canada, Sweden, England and Germany.
Although a US-based company, ContentChecked initially debuted in Norway, where it has been up and running for over a year under the title CheckContent. The app has been met with enthusiastic support and endorsement in the country, with very important organizations like Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association (NAAF) and the Norwegian Celiac Association. “Here at NAAF we refer to CheckContent as the go-to-tool for anyone with food allergies or intolerances to increase confidence in shopping and cooking. The company has gained a reliable reputation over the time of our collaboration. I fully recommend ContentChecked Inc. to organizations and individuals interested in presenting relevant and valuable solutions enhancing the quality of life for the people suffering from allergies,” said a spokesperson from the NAAF.
In the US, ContentChecked is already a primary sponsor of both FARE and the Celiac Disease Foundation.
