Food allergies complicate hungry Americans' search for meals

For the millions of Americans newly experiencing food insecurity during the pandemic, a particular crisis is hitting those with food allergies and intolerances: Most charitable and government food programs offer limited options

SACRAMENTO, California -- When Emily Brown, a Kansas City mother, couldn’t find foods that her 2-year-old with multiple food allergies could eat at a local food pantry, she mustered up the courage to ask about gluten-free foods or dairy alternatives. The response: "You got something." The only things her daughter could eat were potatoes and salsa. “It took, really, all of my strength to make it to the car,” she said. “I cried in the car and then I just thought to myself, ’We cannot be the only family, I cannot be the only mother, struggling with this.”