Should I pay $1,000 for this? I will if you want me to...

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Hello Reader,

No, that title is NOT clickbait! I really need your advice on this, but before you let me know if I should spend $1000, let's back up and get some context.

If you're part of my little community, you've probably heard of Monash. You might already have the app, follow their low FODMAP guidance and trust the data, am I right?

Do you look for this symbol when you shop? Have you bought certified low FODMAP foods from brands such as Schar, Bakers Delight, and Massel? Did you spot this symbol on the packaging?

Monash University tests and certifies foods and products as low FODMAP, giving them the Monash stamp of approval that appears on the packaging and in the brand's marketing. This lets shoppers know that the product is suitable for a low FODMAP diet.

These certified brands also appear in the certified foods section of the Monash FODMAP app and are occasionally featured on the Monash FODMAP blog and social media.

Did you know that individual recipes can also be tested and certified by Monash as low FODMAP? This is where YOUR opinion matters!

Low FODMAP food bloggers, like me, can have our recipes tested and approved by Monash, but it comes at a price. Currently, that price is around $1,000 for 10 recipes! (Apologies to my UK readers for the $ figure. That's the currency Monash quote in, in today's money, it's about £750.)

This price includes:

1. The initial assessment fee. A FODMAP-trained dietitian looks at the ingredients and portion sizes to determine whether a single serving of the recipe is considered low FODMAP according to the current Monash data.
2. The annual licence fee. This allows for the use of the Monash certified logo for 12 months. This part of the fee needs to be renewed each year to retain the continued right to use the logo.

They require a minimum of 10 recipes per submission. Potentially, for a food blog or cookbook with 100 recipes, the initial cost would be around £10,000, with 50% of that being an annual, recurring cost for the continued certification.

So my question for you is: how important is it to you that the recipes you find online are officially certified as low FODMAP?

• Would it give you more confidence to try a recipe that was certified?
• Do you actively seek out official, low FODMAP certified recipes over non-certified ones?
• Are you more likely to share or recommend a recipe if it's certified?
• Did you know that recipes could be certified? Have you seen any Monash-approved recipes before, or is this the first time you're hearing about it? (At this time, I only know of two sources of Monash-certified recipes)
• Is it important enough to you that you'd be willing to pay for it? Would you consider buying a digital or physical book of officially certified recipes rather than relying on free, non-certified recipes online.

Please hit reply and let me know how important this is to you. This is potentially a huge financial investment for me, and I need to know if it's worth it.

To give you an idea, at my current reach and readership, I'm lucky to make $1,000 a year from my blog. That doesn't even cover the running costs, let alone the price of ingredients! My YouTube channel is still unmonetized, and the limited ads on my blog pay me in percentages of pennies, not pounds!

But I'm willing to consider it (and even sell a kidney to cover the costs) if it means that much to you. Hit reply and let me know. I read every one, even if I can't respond to them all.