Actress Jennifer Morrison Joins Amia, a Migraine-Friendly Food Brand
CPG startup Amia creates snacks that are free from primary migraine triggers including dairy, oats and artificial sweeteners
Jennifer Morrison, known for her roles in “This is Us,” “Once Upon a Time,” and “House,” is now co-founder and chief brand officer of Amia, a company that creates snacks free from migraine-triggering ingredients.
Around 10% of the global population suffers from migraines, according to the National Institute of Health, more than those estimated to suffer from diabetes and celiac disease.
Morrison’s decision to join Amia was inspired by her personal experience with migraines.
“I’ve suffered from ocular migraines for almost 15 years,” Morrison tells Athletech News. “When I tried the bars, I couldn’t believe how delicious they were considering they were free of so many common triggers. I knew I wanted to be involved.”
Morrison was put off by the ingredients in many packaged foods, particularly as someone with a busy lifestyle. There are few brands dedicated to creating products without migraine-triggering ingredients.
“Many foods on the market today, especially the on-the-go foods, contain so many preservatives and artificial ingredients, which are terrible if you live with migraines,” Morrison says. “That’s where Amia fits in. The bars taste great, despite being free of so many things, and they don’t make me worry about eating something that could trigger a migraine.”
“The brand is on a mission to make it easy and convenient for the 40 million Americans living with migraines to find clean, nutritious, and trigger-free food they can trust,” she adds.
Amia currently sells oat and seed bars in flavors like Cinnamon, Coconut and Original. The bars include gluten-free oats, pepita seeds, ground flax, hemp hearts, and chia seeds. A small amount of sweetener is added, like brown rice syrup and agave. Artificial sweeteners, chocolate, oats and dairy are also known to trigger migraines.
The company, launched in 2023 in Austin, Texas, by Jon Katz, is also looking to expand its offerings beyond bars.
“In the long term, we are looking to expand our product to more than just bars to ensure we are catering to a full lifestyle,” Morrison says.
The company’s goal is to one day bring a trigger-free aisle to grocery stores across America.
“I was really intrigued by the fact that Amia is right at the beginning of something special – a brand that is looking to build out a new category and product that supports a healthy lifestyle for people with migraine,” Morrison adds. “I like the idea of being part of things from the ground up, especially where I can help spread the word and where I can be a part of the solution.”