I recently blogged about shopping at Trader Joe’s for allergy free groceries, but here is one better. A complete allergy free store has just opened.

It’s a challenge to shop allergy free and I remember when my daughter was first diagnosed with a tree nut allergy, I had the “what if” fears. You can probably relate. Besides being so diligent shopping for the specific products, I had other concerns as well. What if someone had been snacking on their cashews while pushing the cart my daughter was sitting in? What if someone spilled a bag of pecans near the fruit we were buying and the dust was on the fruit she would later eat or handle? I’m not sure how practical my fears were, but with an allergy free store, you can put those fears away completely.

According to an article on wvec.com a Virginia Beach woman just opened a new, allergy-free grocery store in Virginia Beach, VA to help parents whose children suffer from food allergies. Jennifer Elizondo, the mother of a child with severe peanut allergies, opened Navan Foods, The Allergy Free Food Shop. This is a grocery store to help her family and others who suffer with food allergies with a wide selection of special diet and healthy foods.

How reassuring to shop in a place free of any allergens and know all the products are safe for your family. Since the only store as of now is in Virginia Beach, you can sign up for the Navan Foods Newsletter by going to www.navanfoods.com. The grand opening this week coincides with National Food Allergy Awareness Week.

I think this a fantastic idea not only for the safety of those with food allergies and their families, but also for the promotion of food allergy awareness. The public will see that if there is a need for an allergy free store, food allergies must be taken seriously. It will help in our schools, in our work places, in all the places where we need awareness to spread.

Best of luck to Jennifer and to Navan Foods.