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Cheez-Its are one of the most popular quick snacks in the grocery store.

About one year ago, I ended a long four-year journey of being gluten-free.

Those four years were among the hardest of my life.

There were things I had loved before that would be right in front of my face, yet I couldn’t eat them. It was honestly all torture. For the longest time before that, my favorite snacks were Cheez-Its and Goldfish. I would ask people who had these snacks at school if I could have just one piece, and then it would go to two, then three, then four, and so on. Leading to a hurt stomach. My friends would help me out, and at times, make sure I didn’t eat any gluten, but it was absolute torture.

With all this in mind, it brought me to this state of pain, not being able to eat my favorite snacks. So, in the seventh grade, I worked up the courage to email the Goldfish company, a letter that I only recently found in my Google Drive.

Word for word, I said, “Hi, my name is Eden. I’m writing you this letter today because I love your Goldfish rainbow Goldfish, and extra cheddar Goldfish, but the only problem is I’m gluten-free and haven’t been able to eat your Goldfish in years.  I know plenty of people who are gluten-free and really would like Goldfish. It would be a big deal if you were able to make gluten-free Goldfish that tasted almost like the regular you will make a ton of money and make a bunch of people happy. I really hope you consider this request to make gluten-free Goldfish.”

After sending this, I hoped for the best, only to get an AI-generated response and nothing else. I had never been more devastated in my life.

Though I may be able to eat all my favorite snacks now, it still made my heart melt to know that Cheez-Its made a gluten-free version. I know for a fact that that simple creation excited multiple young kids who don’t get to experience the delicious taste of regular Cheez-Its.

I feel as though allergies should be something food brands keep in mind; it’s something many struggle with being left out of, and it’s a feeling that hurts more than anyone would think. I believe I still have a strong hope in Goldfish to make some young souls’ day a little better.