Top 14 allergen-free brand Creative Nature has launched a festive fundraiser for The Natasha Foundation, which aims to prevent and eradicate allergic diseases, creating a world that is safe for everyone.
The company, which has its HQ in Surrey, will donate 15p from each brownie and banana bread baking mix sold in a Sainsbury’s store in the run-up to Christmas (until December 11).
The Natasha Foundation was set up by Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse as a legacy to their teenage daughter Natasha, who died in 2016 as the result of a severe anaphylactic reaction to a sandwich she had eaten that had no allergen information on its packaging.
She was dangerously allergic to sesame seeds and, unbeknown to her, the sandwich contained them and there was no information about this on the packaging.
Creative Nature’s CEO, Julianne Ponan MBE, and her team have committed to offering a minimum of £1,500 from baking mix sales to support The Natasha Foundation’s work.
For Julianne, the issue of food allergies is very personal. She created the company following her own experiences of living with multiple food allergies and anaphylaxis. She was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List this year for her own campaigning and advocacy for those living with allergies.
Julianne said: “From my own experiences I know the importance of finding ways to raise awareness of, and the challenges of living with, food allergies.
“So, I’m really pleased to be supporting Nadim and Tanya and the vital work they are doing at the Foundation. Their story is one that no parent should have to endure and I hope that the money raised from this donation will, in some small way, go some way towards their greater goal of eradicating food allergies for good.”
Julianne suffers from anaphylaxis to all nuts (including peanuts), some seeds and certain additives. Often struggling to find safe and nutritious food to eat, she created a range of free-from the top 14 allergens, and tasty and healthy snacks.
Tanya Ednan-Laperouse said of Creative Nature’s donation: “We are delighted that until Monday 11 December – Creative Nature will be donating 15p from every Creative Nature Banana Bread or Brownie Mix sold in Sainsbury’s to Natasha’s Foundation.
“The money raised will help us continue in our mission at Natasha’s Foundation to raise allergy education and awareness and through science, to #makeallergyhistory. So please stop and shop in the Home Baking section of Sainsbury’s where you will find these products; then send us your baking pics, we’d love to share them.”
Two years ago, as a result of the Foundation’s work, Natasha’s Law was introduced by the UK government that made it a legal requirement to display allergen information on all packaging of food pre-packed for sale, sometimes called ‘on the go’ food.
The Foundation’s mission is to ‘bring about positive change by focusing on medical research, law and policies, educating and raising allergy awareness. We want to ensure the needs of people living with allergies are met in a meaningful way and to offer real hope that will change the lives of all those living with this life-threatening disease.
*Photograph shows Julianne Ponan MBE, CEO of Creative Nature with Creative Nature’s allergen-free baking mixes where some of the profits from sales in Sainsbury’s will be donated to the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.
