For decades, parents were told to wait before introducing allergenic foods like peanuts or eggs. Now, the science may indicate the opposite, start early, and you could prevent a lifelong allergy.
When Daniel Zakowski’s nephew developed a food allergy despite early awareness, it sparked a mission: to make food allergy prevention easy, safe, and accessible for every family. That mission became Ready, Set, Food!, a company turning decades of allergy research into practical tools that parents can use at home, from powdered allergen blends that dissolve into breast milk or formula, to automated education built into health systems’ EHRs.
Clinical data shows that introducing allergens between four and six months of age can prevent up to 80% of food allergies, but education and implementation lag far behind. Through partnerships with hospitals, insurers, and Medicaid programs, Ready, Set, Food! is helping to close that gap.
Dr. Jaclyn Bjelac of the Cleveland Clinic adds the medical lens: food allergy prevention is not just possible, it’s simple. Feeding allergens early helps the immune system recognize them as safe, drastically reducing risk. She also underscores the link between eczema and food allergies, emphasizing that early prevention and skin barrier protection can help stop the “atopic march” toward asthma and other allergic conditions.
Both guest experts share a common goal, turning what was once a complex, fearful process into an everyday act of care. When parents can confidently feed their babies allergenic foods at the right time, they’re not just introducing new tastes, they’re shaping a healthier future.
Key Topics Discussed:
- The science behind early allergen introduction
- The LEAP study and its impact on allergy prevention
- How delayed feeding guidelines contributed to the allergy epidemic
- The role of eczema in food allergy development
- How Ready, Set, Food! makes prevention easier for families
- Legislative and Medicaid initiatives for insurance coverage
- The connection between food access, equity, and allergy care
- Empowering pediatricians and parents through education
- Future innovations in allergy prevention and treatment
About Dr. Jaclyn Bjelac:
Jaclyn Bjelac, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. She serves as Section Head of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology and Associate Director of the Cleveland Clinic Food Allergy Center of Excellence. Her clinical interests include food allergy, oral immunotherapy, eczema, allergic rhinitis, and immunotherapy. Drawing on her experience raising four young children, she connects closely with patients and families and shares her home with a lively collection of pets.
About Daniel Zakowski:
At Ready, Set, Food!, we pioneered the food allergy prevention category, transforming a novel idea based on clinical studies into a national wellness brand that has reached 200k+ families, and secured multiple Medicaid contracts with over 25% opt-in among eligible new parents.
We have also partnered with leading strategics and investors, including Johnson & Johnson, Kenvue, Danone, Providence Health, and Memorial Hermann; earned US/EU patents; appeared twice on Shark Tank; and helped lead a 1,100-baby clinical trial proving the ROI of food allergy prevention. We have also launched partnerships with 15 large health systems to implement fully automated EMR integrations delivering food allergy education to parents (Providence, Advocate Aurora, Northwell, Memorial Hermann, and more) and helped pass legislation mandating insurance coverage for early allergen introduction in Delaware, with similar bills advancing in other states.
