There Are Big Differences Between Early Introduction Products

A new paper out in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology raised a lot of eyebrows with its headline that early introduction foods (EIF) were not what they advertised to be. 

Lil Mixins, like many of its competitors, was created by people deeply and personally affected by food allergies -- people who want nothing more than to see the end of food allergy. So we fully agree with the paper authors’ calls for clearer guidance.

Using a brand new protein analysis technology called MARIA that they developed, the authors showed that different early allergen introduction brands with similar levels of total protein had different levels of specific allergenic proteins in them. (Each food, like peanut, actually has multiple proteins). 

Today, the only recommendations for early allergen introduction foods refer to grams of total protein. Even beyond early introduction products, many parents are attempting early introduction with homemade food. The paper shows that between store-bought peanut butters, there is huge variability. That doesn’t even begin to cover the variability of egg proteins in scrambled eggs, pancakes, and baked muffins! 

Why is There So Much Variability?

Thinking about eggs explains a lot of the variability between foods and how much protein is in early introduction products. 

Applying different amounts of heat to an egg, changing how long you heat it for, and mixing an egg with starch will break down some proteins and change the availability of other proteins. And there’s no standard that different early introduction companies have to follow.

As the authors point out, Lil Mixins’ peanut powder had some of the highest levels of peanut proteins per servings. And the Lil Mixins Baked Egg Powder (replaced by Hard Boiled Egg powder) was truly denatured, leaving very little undigested egg proteins in the powder, just as the studies suggested was best.  

Early Allergen Introduction — And Lil Mixins — Will Keep Getting Better

Early allergen introduction today is where public education was when it started. We knew that, “100 hours of reading instruction taught 80% of children to read.” But even back then, we knew reaching that number was different for each child. Quality of instruction mattered, as did other factors in a child’s home. 

Education policy makers never stopped trying to make that recommendation better with more clarity on what high quality instruction looks like, if it should be phonics vs memorization, and how those hours should be spread out. 

Similarly, as the science on early allergen introduction evolves, and new technologies come out to measure foods, early allergen introduction products will continue to change to meet new guidelines. The early allergen introduction category will become more tightly controlled, and as confidence in these products continues to increase, more parents will choose them.

It’s a helpful reminder that when doctors first realized that folic acid could prevent birth defects, many women simply began eating more fish. But there was huge variability in how much folic acid each woman was getting, and folic acid products at the time often had too much or too little. 

This confusion is why prenatal vitamins exist, why they have strict standards, and why doctors now routinely recommend them. 

At Lil Mixins, our driving vision is to see an end to food allergies. We will always remain science-backed and meet current guidelines to ensure that early allergen introduction is safe and easy for parents.