You might be asking how you’ll know the difference between the old packaging and the new. The answer is really simple: smiles and love.
Yes, smiles and love straight from our family to yours. The new packaging front has 2 new icons on it that you haven’t seen before: a green happy face and a dedicated facility red heart. Like this:
On the back of the packaging under the ingredients, you will see a new statement reading:
These delicious products are produced/packaged for you in our own dedicated facility that is free of the most common food allergens (peanut, tree nuts, dairy, egg, soy, wheat, sesame, shellfish, fish, and mustard), gluten, preservatives, colors, artificial flavors, and genetically modified ingredients.
In Canada, if the item has pure oats in it, it will say CF, Celiac Friendly instead. And, of course, have French writing as well.
Any questions? Please give us a call toll free at 1-866-714-5411.
I am very pleased to announce that we are removing soy from the Nonuttin’ facility.
Soy has been very helpful for many food allergic consumers as a high protein replacement for nuts. However, many customers have contacted us or spoken to us at trade shows about their increasing allergies or intolerance to soy. Soy is known to be cross-reactive for those with peanut allergies and Celiac Disease.
After carefully reviewing these requests and scouring the planet high and low for high quality ingredient replacements, the decision was made to transition away from soybeans and soy lecithin.
Throughout March, we will continue to package the soybean based Energy Explosion trail mix in both 30 g snack packs and black zip top pouches.
April 1, 2012, we will begin our transition by removing the dry roasted soybeans from our production floor. All Energy Explosion trail mix finished packages will remain in our facility and be sold on a first come, first served basis until all stock is depleted.
Once the production facility has all soybeans removed, soy allergen testing protocols will be implemented so that some Nonuttin’ products will have the May contain: soy absent from their labels.
Soy lecithin will remain in the facility (present in our chocolate chips and chunks) until we finish using the packaging that indicates contains or may contain: soy. While soy lecithin is suitable for many with soy allergies, it is not guaranteed risk free and it is prudent to continue labelling all products that are on lines with chocolate until the change is complete.
I expect that the finished transition to a completely soy free facility will be completed in 2013 and we will keep you up to date when that final date is determined.
Our staff thanks you in advance for your patience with the transition. We’re very excited to become free of ALL of the top 10 food allergens!
At 14, Megan is past the point of wearing allergy t-shirts and carrying her Nonuttin’ lunch kit that says, “Don’t feed me, I have a food allergy.” She does still have a medic alert bracelet though and that won’t change as she moves into adulthood.
So despite her advanced age, I certainly remember what it was like finding something that Megan would like and be comfortable with. So it was with delight that I found an allergy bracelet in Chicago on the weekend that I think she would have loved when she was in elementary school; the Allerbling bracelet.
It’s a 100% silicone bracelet with 5 openings to accommodate a medic alert symbol plus 4 separate spaces to put in your child’s major allergies. And since it’s customizable, you can choose from different symbols including the top 8 food allergens, strawberries, coconut, corn, chocolate and bees. Because it’s so bright, colorful and comfortable to wear (not to mention washable), I think it not only does the job quickly, but kids can also feel great wearing it and easily communicate their allergies.
Check out their website at: http://www.allerbling.com
Do you ever wonder why you never see the words allergy free on our products or website?
I began using the term allergy friendly about 6 years ago and ever since then have been correcting those who refer to Nonuttin’ products as allergy free. While I can understand that like “gluten free”, it’s a quick and easy way to refer to products that are designed for those with food allergies, it doesn’t communicate the true reality of food allergies. Read more »
Mustard has become Canada’s 11th priority allergen after a review by Health Canada as announced last week.
Health Canada had been reviewing several different foods including garlic and onions but only mustard made the list. This is because while mustard allergies are not exactly rampant, they are more common than you might think and the severity of the recorded reactions has prompted concern. Garlic and onions were considered but the evidence of recorded reactions shows less severity and more intolerance as opposed to an anaphylactic response.
If you’ve been following my blog, you’re aware that I had a cousin react to mustard in the spring which shocked everybody in the family except me. Given what I do, I’ve been aware for several years that Europe labels for the top 12 food allergens (plus lupin) which includes Canada’s top 10 with the addition of mustard and celery. Since November of 2008, I’ve been adding mustard, celery and lupin to the list that I send my ingredient suppliers to document. The results prompted me to add celery to the list of allergen declarations on the Nonuttin’ website.
Like prior allergen labeling laws before it, this new regulation will require food manufacturers to plainly list mustard if it is an ingredient. Currently, if you’re allergic to mustard, you must avoid any product that simply lists “spices” as a food ingredient. If you take a look at any of the products in your food cupboard, particularly savory items, you’ll find a lot of products that only indicate “spices”.
It would appear at first glance that this must be a huge relief for mustard allergy sufferers. My hope is that the amount of products they can eat will increase with better labeling. Unfortunately, as many of you with other food allergies can attest, food allergen labeling can backfire when manufacturers put all of the priority allergens on their label.
In any case, the review has prompted Health Canada to put into place review procedures for the priority allergens as the prevalence of food allergies grows and more data is documented. It’s not easy for food manufacturers but it really is necessary as we battle with increasing immune system issues.
I’m glad to know that I’m not going crazy; well, not in one sense at least. It had seemed to me that we’ve fielded many more sesame questions over the last couple of years and it seemed that sesame was an allergen that was present with 1 or more other food allergens, such as peanut or dairy. My hunch has now been proven right.
At John Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Robert Wood has indicated that their evidence shows that sesame allergies have grown the most of any food allergy in the last 2 decades and is now in the top 6-7 food allergens. This statistic, gleaned from patient files over 3 years, was presented at the recent American Academy of Asthma and Immunology annual meeting. You can read more about this article at: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=98576
Sesame is already listed in Canada as one of the top 10 food allergens and in the UK and Europe as one of the top 12 but the FDA is reviewing whether sesame should be declared in the US (it’s currently not in their top 8). In my limited experience, I’ve found that many US parents of sesame allergic children aren’t aware of where sesame might be lurking beyond the obvious crackers and hamburger buns simply because manufacturers aren’t declaring it. As the use of sesame becomes more common due, in part, to the growing ethnic food availability, it will be very difficult to avoid, particularly when used as a whole as opposed to paste. Sesame testing for such tiny particulate matter can literally be hit and miss.
If these numbers are accurate, it would appear that sesame should be added to US declarations sooner rather than later.
