It all began in 1978, when Pat and Pete Coe's son Mark, who was 4 years old, was hospitalized. After 2 weeks, suspecting food related allergies, he was sent home on a restricted diet.

As Pat slowly added items back into his diet, she discovered that it was not the food itself (eg. wheat, milk, eggs etc.), but additives, preservatives and artificial ingredients present in the food that were causing the problems. If Mark consumed any foods containing these items, he would become extremely hyperactive, misbehaved, and unable to sleep for days.