You say it’s your birthday
It’s my birthday too–yeah
They say it’s your birthday
We’re gonna have a good time
I’m glad it’s your birthday
Happy birthday to you.
From “Today is Your Birthday” by The Beatles

Free Shipping today only until 9 pm Pacific Standard Time! Here are the details: http://www.nonuttin.com/shop/onsale.php?onsaleid=7

After last week’s voluntary recall for possible sesame in our 5 new products (see explanation on our Allergen Declarations Page)we wanted to provide you with a follow up to let you know what the sesame testing verification showed and what next steps are being taken.

We have now received the results from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA):

CFIA Testing Shows ALL Negative Results

Since sesame is a top 10 declared food allergen here in Canada, all samples went to a CFIA lab that is specifically accredited for sesame testing.

Rob and I decided on the voluntary recall last Saturday before verification could be made because we felt it was in the best interest of all of our customers to err on the side of caution. Even though these results are negative, we would take the same action again based on the information we had to go on at that time.

We are going to continue with both the voluntary recall and labelling with May contain sesame for 2 reasons

1. The information that is communicated out there right now is that anyone with sesame allergies should be looking for a “May contain sesame” warning on the label of those 5 products. This information will continue to live on the Internet for a very long time and would just be too confusing as to what label is correct if we don’t have the warning on those 5 products listed in the press releases.

2. We want to monitor and verify sesame testing over a long period of time to ensure that we keep getting negative results before we remove the May contain sesame warning.

We are asking all of those with sesame allergies to heed the May contain sesame labels until further notice.

Thank you so much for the outpouring of support that we have received from so many customers. It helped us get through a very stressful time for both our team and our family.

Sincerely,

Alana and Rob Elliott, Founders, Nonuttin’ Foods Inc.

As parents of a food allergic child, Rob and I know exactly what it’s like to live with the fear of hurting our child with the food we give her. This is exactly the reason we started Nonuttin’ Foods; to take away the fear for families just like ours.

You may have heard from our press release that we have begun a voluntary “may contain sesame” recall of the new products we were so proud to bring you in February. We felt that we needed to take this action to maintain the integrity of what we do here at Nonuttin’ Foods.

While we have not yet verified the presence of traces of sesame in these products, our investigation is continuing and we are working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). We have also notified the FDA in the United States and are waiting to hear if they will recommend any action at all since sesame is not one of the top 8 labelled food allergens.

Regardless, we are moving ahead on corrective action in both countries as we want to ensure the safety of all of our loyal customers. As you may be aware, our family has 6 food allergies, and we wouldn’t expect anything less for the protection of our loved ones. So you will begin to see “may contain sesame” on the labels of those 5 new products.

Our job at this point is not to point fingers at any of the suppliers involved but to work together to verify if there is any trace of sesame at all. Everyone is quite puzzled as all our suppliers are documented as having sesame free facilities. And we have never used sesame as an ingredient in the Nonuttin’ facility.

In addition to this letter that also went out to our enewsletter list, you may also be receiving an email from our customer service team if you have ordered any of the 5 new products. Please excuse the doubling up if you receive both. We do want to err on the side of caution.

Our team will be available toll free at 1-866-714-5411, 8:30 until 4:30 Pacific Standard Time, Monday to Friday if you have any questions.

We do want to continue to serve you with integrity. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Alana and Rob Elliott
Founders, Nonuttin’ Foods

More information and recall details on the US site: http://www.nonuttin.com/shop/content/allergen-declarations.html

More information and recall details on the Canadian site: http://www.nonuttin.ca/allergen-declarations-canada.html

The time is here for our 5 new products to take flight. Be sure to take advantage of the 5 Products, 50% Off for 5 Days Sale.

Check out the sale link at: http://www.nonuttin.com/shop/onsale.php?onsaleid=31

What can you get?
Blueberry Maple Granola
Cranberry Apple Granola
Berry Delight Trail Mix
Fruit Explosion Trail Mix
Raw Sunflower Seeds

And, of course, all of them are free of 9 of the top 10 food allergens: Peanut free, tree nut free, dairy free, wheat free, gluten free, sesame free, egg free, fish free, shellfish free, and sulfite free. The only allergen of note is “may contain: soy”.

I think you’ll love them but I’d also love to hear your feedback!

It’s getting to be quite a frenzy around here today with our Fabulous 5 New Products Launch happening tomorrow. We’ve got a great deal on the new products so you can give them a try with your family.

The five products are:

Blueberry Maple Granola
Cranberry Apple Granola
Berry Delight Trail Mix (with sunflower seeds)
Fruit Explosion Trail Mix (with sunflower seeds)
Raw, shelled, unsalted sunflower seeds

Now, I had not yet posted here about the raw, shelled, unsalted sunflower seeds although it was posted on our Facebook page last week. If you have a peanut/nut allergy family like we do at our house, you know how difficult it is to find sunflower seeds that don’t have the peanut/nut traces warning on them. We got so many requests from customers for sunflower seeds that we decided that if we were going to bring them in for new trail mixes, we’d also offer them on their own. We also decided to leave the seeds raw and unsalted because it’s really easy to give them a quick toast with salt in the oven at home but many people also like to have the seeds raw for throwing on salads or into baking. I’m sure you’ll enjoy them either way. Be sure to check back tomorrow for more details on the launch!

By the way, wheat contamination can also be an issue with all agricultural products and I’ve addressed that in a separate blog today.

Another new item being launched next week is Fruit Explosion Trail Mix. Not only does this trail mix use the raw sunflower seeds that so many have requested, we also listened to requests for a trail mix without salt or chocolate. We’ve delivered with Fruit Explosion.

Simple and clean, this goodie is just raw sunflower seeds, diced dried apples and apple juice sweetened blueberries and cranberries. Throw it in lunches, backpacks, muffins, chocolate bark or your favorite plain cereal without adding additional sodium or refined sugar. Simply yummy!

Over the last couple of weeks I introduced you to 2 of our new products: Blueberry Maple Granola and Berry Delight Trail Mix. Now it’s time to introduce you to my new favorite, Cranberry Apple Granola.

I have to say, I’m not normally much of a fan of cranberry products. I could take them or leave them. Not so this little gem; I’ve been known to trample over employees to get to the test kitchen samples of our new Cranberry Apple Granola.

What makes this one so special? I think that it’s just a fantastic combination between the sweet softness of our diced apples with a bit of that cranberry tartness. We’ve added just a touch of green apple flavor which smells fabulous, especially just when you open the bag. I try not to go around with my head stuck in the bag though – not if I don’t want my employees to think I’ve gone over the edge (after they pick themselves up off the floor).

And of course, like all Nonuttin Natural Foods’ granolas, this granola is: peanut free, tree nut free, dairy free, egg free, sesame free, gluten free, sulphite free, wheat free, with a may contain soy label.

Whether you like your granola plain as a snack, with soymilk or your favorite yogurt/alternative, this granola is sure to become a staple in your house.

We’re putting the finishing touches on our new products that will be ready to launch in mid-February. So far, we’ve introduced 2 of those new products on our Facebook page. We will continue to give you sneak peaks at those products in the next couple of weeks but here is what we’ve shown so far:

Blueberry Maple Granola: With tender little blueberries and maple sugar, you’ll love the blend of 2 Canadian tastes!

Berry Delight Trail Mix: This is our new favorite and I have had to hide the samples. It has softy and yummy blueberries, cranberries, raw sunflower seeds and semi-sweet chocolate chips with just a touch of sea salt. Sunflower seeds are a new ingredient for us… but we had so many people asking for them that it was time to give them a try.

Watch our Facebook page as we update posts several times per week. Don’t forget to give us your feedback too.

It’s only been 16 days since the new year but once we opened back up on January 3, we’ve been moving forward on plans to expand the Nonuttin’ team. With 5 new products launching in February and more stores and clients finding Nonuttin’ products all over North America, it’s time to bring some more great staff into the fold.

As of today, we’d like to welcome Gloria who has accepted a position on the production team. They’re the ones who diligently mix, cut and package your favorite Nonuttin’ products. Since we make most of our products in small batches with many of the processes by hand, these people are carefully chosen to ensure the products we make are the best and safest we can deliver.

Coming soon is a new “voice” on the phone in our front office/customer service. Sheila has been doing a great job with help from a couple of us while the lines are ringing but it’s time for her to have some daily support to make sure that our customer service remains top notch. We can’t tell you who that person is just yet but we should be able to annouce the newest member of our team later this week.

We’re excited to be growing to serve you better!

Barry Callebaut USA has recalled Kroger Value brand semi-sweet chocolate chips after chips with dairy in them were mistakenly packed in the non-dairy/Kosher pareve packaging for Kroger. The recall notice may be seen at: http://usfoodsafety.com/02af0007.asp and the kosher alert for dairy can be seen at: http://www.ok.org/alerts.asp

I’m bringing this recall to your attention since you may be aware that Barry Callebaut is the manufacturer who produces our semi-sweet mini chocolate chips and 70% dark chocolate chunks in a peanut/nut free plant and on a dairy free line. Our chocolate is manufactured in the Quebec, Canada, plant however, not in the US and is not affected by this recall.

Further, we test every incoming ingredient for several allergens prior to releasing it into the manufacturing process, with dairy being one of the many tests we perform. If we were to discover dairy in any ingredient, it would be isolated in our warehouse and not be allowed into our production area. We would then work with the manufacturer to discover the source of the contamination problem before ordering any more ingredients from them.

If you have any questions, please let our team know at info@nonuttin.com or toll free: 1-866-714-5411.