We know that everyone’s experiences with food sensitivities are unique so we asked consumers about their personal challenges, feelings and current habits. This presentation is the result of an online survey conducted in June 2010 by TAXI NYC for it’s web property www.foodcontentalerts.com.

1. LIFE WITH FOOD
SENSITIVITIES
GLOBAL SURVEY FINDINGS≥ JULY 2010

2. INTRODUCTION
Food Content Alerts, the world’s first consumer-driven food sensitivity management
site, launched in November 2009. Today, the site has over 1,500 members and is slowly
growing its membership through trial and word-of-mouth.
As the site creators, we are keenly aware of the challenges of living with food sensitivities.
We know that there is a huge emotional investment for every individual and parent who
deals with this on a daily basis, but we also know that people’s conditions, attitudes,
behaviors, and coping mechanisms are all different.
In order to understand more about our site’s users and the universe of people affected
by food sensitivities, we decided to field a comprehensive survey online. We collected the
results over a period of four weeks and have now compiled the results for the benefit of
our online community and other interested individuals.
Thank you to everyone who took part. We hope you find the results interesting and useful.

3. METHODOLOGY
Online survey fielded in June 2010
n=970 respondents
Sample gathered from U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
Respondents either personally suffer from food sensitivities or have someone in
their household who is directly affected
Respondents were not given any type of material incentive to participate in the survey

4. ExECutivE SummAry
83% of respondents personally suffer from a food allergy or sensitivity, while a
further 17% do not suffer themselves but have someone in their household who does
While 55% of households contain only one sufferer, a significant minority of households
contain multiple sufferers, with 20% having three or more sufferers within one household
66% of respondents claimed food sensitivities made life difficult; only 10% thought
dealing with sensitivities and allergies was easy
Emotions associated with food sensitivities differ for those who suffer themselves
(anger and frustration) compared to those who care for others with this problem
(anxiety and fear)
Milk, gluten, and wheat were the most common allergens affecting the sample, while
40% of respondents mentioned suffering from less well-known allergens, such as
corn, sesame, and beef

5. Most respondents are self-reliant – only 14% said they would consult with a healthcare
professional to determine whether a food was safe. Although reading labels is the
most common strategy, total avoidance was the response from 68% of the sample
Most respondents rely on memory to “store” their safe foods, limiting their ability to
include new foods into their diet
34% find it hard to find safe foods and recipes, while 24% find it easy
60% of respondents say food companies provide inadequate sensitivity information,
while only 13% hold the opposite view
Bob’s Red Mill, Enjoy Life Foods, and Amy’s Kitchen were most often mentioned as
brand of choice; others in the top 10 were General Mills, Glutino, Trader Joe’s, Kraft,
Udi’s, Silk, and Kellogg’s (including Kashi)
Whole Foods was the most often mentioned preferred retailer
Majority of respondents did not rely on one particular site to check or search for safe foods
73% of respondents currently share their safe foods and recipes with friends and family

6. DETAILED FINDINGS

7. most respondents who took the survey
personally suffer from a food allergy or sensitivity.
the remainder are carers who do not personally
suffer from food sensitivities.
Do you have a food allergy or food sensitivity?
17.3%
82.7% Yes
No

8. While the majority of households contain one sufferer,
a significant minority contain multiple sufferers.
How many food sensitivity sufferers are in your household?
25.1% 11.8%
6.1% 1
2
3
57.0%
4+

9. 66% of respondents find food sensitivities
make their life difficult.
To what extent is you family life affected by the food sensitivities
in the household?
24.3%
7.4% 1 It makes life very difficult
2.5%
2
36.1%
3
29.8% 4
5 Very easy to deal with

10. People with sensitivities are most likely to feel
frustration, while caregivers tend to be more anxious
and fearful.
PErSONAL SuFFErErS NON-SuFFErEr With
SuFFErEr iN hOuSEhOLD
Anger Anger
Fear Fear
Pride Pride
Contentment Contentment
Frustration Frustration
Security Security
Love Love
Depression Depression
Anxiety Anxiety
Optimism Optimism
Other Other

11. milk, gluten, and wheat are most prevalent
of the common allergies listed.
What types of food sensitivities do you have in your household?
(Check all that apply)
600
50.7%
46.3% 46.7%
40.8%
39.4%
400
31.3%
27.5%
23.8%
22.3%
200
15.6%
9.0%
0
Shellfish Tree nut Peanut Celiac Gluten
Fish Soybean Egg allergy Other (please specify) Wheat Milk

12. in addition to the more common allergies, an
incredibly wide range of allergens were mentioned.

13. most respondents are self-reliant; total avoidance
of unknown foods is a key strategy.
How do you currently determine whether or not a food is safe?
(Check all that apply)
I search on the web 55.9%
I go directly to the 51.5%
brand’s website
I use a specific 31.2%
website for people with...
I call the manufacturer 29.3%
I tend to stay away 68.2%
form foods that...
I read the label 93.5%
of the food
I use my mobile phone to 11.1%
look up whether a...
I talk to a 14.5%
doctor/pediatrician/allergist
I talk to a 17.5%
friend/family member
Other (please specify) 7.7%
0 200 400 600 800 1000

14. respondents use a variety of tools to track
their safe foods. Of the 38.3% who selected “other,”
most of these respondents said they relied on
their memory.
How do you keep track of which foods/recipes are safe?
(Check all that apply)
6.8%
38.3%
I keep it in a
notebook/diary
43.1% Keep info on my
mobile phone
I save info on
my computer
I always use a
38.5% certain website
5.7% Other (please specify)

15. in-store, we see respondents work from memory, but
several mention that they re-read the label every time they
select an item to check if the ingredients have changed.
How do you keep track of which foods/recipes are safe?
(Check all that apply)
6.9%
14.6%
17.0%
Memory
6.4%
Notebook
Mobile phone
87.3% Other
No tools

16. 34% of respondents find it difficult to find
safe foods; 24% find it easy.
How difficult is it find safe foods/recipes?
1200
1000
7.9%
16.5%
800
5 Very easy
600 4
31.7%
3
400
2
29.4%
200
1 Very difficult
14.5%
0
Please rank

17. 60% of respondents think major food companies
provide inadequate information; 13% think they
do a good job.
In your opinion, do major food companies provide the necessary information
for people with food allergies and sensitivities?
350
32.9%
300
26.9% 26.8%
250
200
150
11.3%
100
50
2.1%
0
5 4 3 2 1
No, they do not provide Yes, they do
adequate information an excellent job

18. Only two brands, Bob’s red mill and Enjoy Life Foods,
scored over 50%, but Amy’s Kitchen and trader Joe’s
brands were not far behind. Of the food majors, General
mills was most highly rated with 30% of respondents
acknowledging that they did a good job in this area.
Which of the following companies below do a good job of providing safe foods
and accurate labelling? (Check all that apply)
Bob’s Red Mill
18.7% Enjoy Life Foods
6.9%
(Avg. of other brands mentioned) Amy’s Kitchen
19.9%
Trader Joes
21.7% General Mills
22.0% Annie’s Homegrown
Kraft Foods
24.2%
54.1% Cherrybrock Kitchen
Silk
30.3%
Kellogg
30.8% 50.2% Other
47.6%

19. the top 20 safe food brands and products people
purchase on a regular basis.
BRANd TOTAL # OF MENTIONS
Bob's Red Mill Bob's Red Mill 135 135
Enjoy Life Foods Enjoy Life Foods 126 126
Amy’s Kitchen Amy’s Kitchen 98 98
General Mills General Mills 64 64
Glutino Glutino 58 58
Trader Joe’s Trader Joe’s 58 58
Kraft Kraft 46 46
Udi's Udi's 43 43
Silk Silk 41 41
Kellogg’s (including Kashi) Kellogg’s (including Kashi) 39 39
Pamela’s Products Pamela’s Products 39 39
Annie’s Homegrown Annie’s Homegrown 28 28
Kinnikinnick Kinnikinnick 28 28
Betty Crocker Betty Crocker 23 23
Orgran Natural Foods Orgran Natural Foods 22 22
Tinkyada Tinkyada 22 22
Cherrybrook Farms Cherrybrook Farms 21 21
Ener-G Foods Ener-G Foods 21 21
Heinz Heinz 18 18
Birds Eye Birds Eye 16 16

20. 68% of respondents cited favorite stores they like
to shop at – Whole Foods dominates.

21. most people do not have any specific online resource
to turn to when they want to check if a food is safe.
For those who do, it tends to be an allergen-specific site.
Are there specific websites that you like to use when checking
whether or not a food is safe?
20.9%
79.1% No
Yes (please specify)

22. 73% of people affected share safe foods and recipes
with friends, family, or online.
Do you share information about safe foods and recipes with others?
18.4%
17.2% 1.4%
Yes, I often share recipes
7.0% with friends and family
Yes, I share my recipes and
info on websites and forums
No, because my information
is not relevant to other people
56.0% No, because I do not like
to share information
Other (please specify)

23. About Food Content Alerts
www.foodcontentalerts.com is a free online and mobile application that helps consumers with food
sensitivities to manage their personal data. The site lets users organize a world of fragmented information
via the creation of a personal sensitivity profile, which allows users to search for recipes, build personalized
shopping lists, and more. Foodcontentalerts.com can also be accessed on the go via a mobile application.
The site and app will revolutionize the way consumers navigate the world of food sensitivities and provide
a unique targeted environment for advertisers. TAXI, New York (www.taxi-nyc.com), conceived of and
developed the site. The site was built in partnership with Stem Limited (www.stemlimited.com).
About tAxi
TAXI Canada Inc. (www.taxi.ca), TAXI Inc. (www.taxi-nyc.com), and TAXI Europe BV (www.taxi-eu.com) are
companies with core expertise in Strategic Planning, Advertising, design, Interactive, Relationship Marketing
and Content. Founded in Montréal (1992), the agency’s offices include Toronto and TAXI 2 (1992, 2006),
New York (2004), Calgary (2005), Vancouver (2007), and Amsterdam (2009). TAXI was named Canadian
Agency of the Year by Marketing magazine in 2001 and 2005, and won Strategy magazine’s Agency of the
Year award in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2008. TAXI New York in 2007 and 2008 won the O’Toole
Award for Creative Excellence from the American Association of Advertising Agencies. Client assignments
in Canada include TELUS Consumer Solutions, Pfizer’s VIAGRA, Burger King, Heineken, Canadian Tire,
Reitmans Group, Bombardier, and dairy Farmers of Canada. On the U.S. roster are New York Life, Blue Shield
of California, Rail Europe Group, Metro International, Clearwire, and New Holland Agriculture. TAXI Europe
clients include KPN Royal dutch Telecom International, Heineken, TNT Post, BNP Paribas, ING, and the Hi
and Telfort telecommunications brands.

24. APPENDIX

25. rESPONDENt PrOFiLE
69% were between the ages of 25 and 49
89% were female
89% white
68% use the Internet 11 hours or more per week
97% use the Internet at home
45% had a household income of < $49 K, while 66% had a household income of < $74 K
Geographic location:
n=727 n=83 n=66 n=61 n=30