“You’re relying on someone who has their hands full, I just didn’t feel comfortable. I thought there’s got to be something else I can do.”
Calling on her entrepreneurial drive and experience as a former owner of a store specializing in baby gifts, Nelson started designing T-Shirts advising educators, caregivers and other kids about a child’s hypersensitivity to certain foods in clever ways. Initially, she made the shirts for parents who had found themselves in similar situations until demand grew to the point where, in 2008, she founded Alert Clothing Co.
She hopes to fill a void by marketing to parents of the nearly six million children with food allergies. It is a burgeoning niche. From 1997 to 2007, there was an 18% increase in food allergies; peanut allergies afflicting children tripled from 1997 to 2008. Allergic reactions to food ingredients cause someone to be rushed to the hospital every three minutes.
Such statistics make Nelson’s shirts even more important as parents of small children may not be able to determine what they can and cannot eat or articulate their allergies to the adults charged with supervising. According to Dr. Neeta Ogden, an allergist:
“There is a need for these kinds of products. We need these kinds of red flags.”
Printing companies in Metro Atlanta areas, like Snellville, can help parents design and produce their own allergy warnings for their children. They can then submit these designs to Alert Clothing and have them featured on T-shirts and tote Bags.
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