Mostly Allergen-Free Alternative to Candy Corn

The photo says it all.

From the Tootsie website:


"Do any of your products contain peanuts or nuts?

    At this time, all of our confections are completely peanut, tree nut and nut product free. We have no peanut or tree nut products in any of our facilities.

Which of your products is gluten free?

    At this time, all of our confections are gluten free. We do not use wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, spelt or any of their components and that includes our dusting on our conveyor belts. We do use corn and soy products in the manufacturing of our products."

Here is a link to the allergen and nutrition information for DOTS:

Allergen Free Candy Corn?

Many readers of Food Allergy Buzz remember the candy corn saga from last fall. I tried to find truly peanut-free candy corn, from a completely peanut-free facility/factory and had no luck. I came close though--Blueberry Hill made candy corn in an enclosed peanut free section (could be considered a "facility") within a larger building or facility.

Some rumbles about candy corn are already beginning and Food Allergy Buzz is beginning to receive visitors in search of allergy free candy corn, allergen free candy corn, and peanut free candy corn. Blueberry Hill Foods has been bought out by another candy company, Sunrise Candies. I recently called Sunrise to find out if they are still producing "peanut free" candy corn. I learned that their candy corn is peanut-free and nut-free, made in a Mexican facility which does not use any peanuts or tree nuts. They make a lot of "private label" candy so there is a good chance your local supermarket's bags of candy corn may be from Sunrise. If you know of another brand of peanut/nut-free candy corn available for sale, please do send in a comment. The more options, the better--I am still looking too!

Another yet more elusive Halloween candy is egg-free, peanut-free, and nut-free candy corn. Does it exist anywhere? Does anyone know? That would be a great find! And what about gluten-free candy corn, without the risk of cross-contamination? Has anyone got a brand to recommend? 

Fingers crossed for some good tips!

BTW, I use the term "allergen free" loosely. Of course, nothing is truly allergen-free, but we each can hope to find things allergen-free of the things we need to avoid!

Calling All Rhode Island Food Allergy Activists

Here is a message for all you food allergy moms, dads, families and individuals in the great state of Rhode Island.

The Food Allergy Initiative is interested in building a grassroots coalition of parents and other food allergy activists who are interested in building awareness of food allergy issues in Rhode Island.  Please contact Cara Cromwell at cara.cromwell@cox.net for more information and to join the FAI Rhode Island group.

Video re: Milk Desensitization Study at Children's Hospital Boston

Children's Hospital just posted the first in their series of videos about the first patient going through a milk desensitization study to potentially cure his severe milk allergy.

Please visit Children's blog to read the post and view the video here:  http://childrenshospitalblog.org/a-cure-for-milk-allergies/

The Woman Behind Pamela's Products

In June, I had the good fortune to speak with Pamela, founder of Pamela’s Products. She spent quite a bit of time talking to me, answering all my questions about the company and her evident commitment to making a quality wheat free, gluten free product. Her story is an interesting one--Pamela grew up in the food industry. Her grandparents owned a natural foods company which is still in existence today, and because of this family connection, Pamela has a wonderful and fascinating perspective on health food and the development of the natural food "industry" over the last 30 years or so. As a young woman, Pamela began to make wheat-free. gluten-free cookies. She wanted those who depend on wheat-free, gluten-free products to enjoy tasty treats, just as everyone else does, and that is what she set out to do starting in 1988.

Fast forward 21 years, and Pamela’s Products is still going strong. Headquartered in California, you can find Pamela’s as far away New Zealand and Hong Kong. Pamela’s began with 4 flavors of cookies--peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, oatmeal date, and coconut--and pancake mix. Today, the same pancake mix along with the chunky chocolate chip cookies are the most popular items made by Pamela’s. New products continue to come out of Pamela’s kitchen too--soon you will spot Pamela’s new ready to eat line of cakes and cheesecakes. The cheesecakes are available in 3” mini and 6” sizes and there are also chocolate cakes and coffee cakes in 6” and 9” sizes. No cooking necessary--doesn’t that sound great?!

You can spot Pamela’s at most supermarkets these days. There are a number of products including cookies, biscotti and baking mixes. All are wheat-free and gluten-free and some are also dairy-free. I love reading the allergen information because it is clearly spelled out on her website: “Pamela's gluten-free cookies and mixes are produced on 100% dedicated gluten-free machinery. Pamela's Products have been formulated and produced to be wheat-free and gluten-free. Our products are produced in a facility which also makes products containing: peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs and soy.”

With great tasting treats and a CEO who clearly “gets” what it is like to live on a restricted diet--having grown up in a family business focused on food for those on restricted diets--Pamela’s Products is truly a leader in the allergen-free, gluten-free food marketplace and it is easy to see why. Thank you, Pamela, for taking the time to speak with me and for the great products you make available to us!

How to Explain to Non-Allergy Parents Why Protective Measures Are Necessary for Food Allergic Kids

Linda Coss, author and food allergy mom, published a superb article last year entitled "Attack of the Killer Peanut Butter Sandwiches" which explains in an manner sympathetic to the parents of non-allergic children why protective measures are necessary for food allergic kids. Linda reminds us that the article is still available online for parents, educators and medical professionals on her website. If you haven't read it before, take a look! Linda's article makes it easy for us to educate fellow parents about food allergy accommodations in a gentle, respectful way.

Back to School Tips from FAAN

From the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN):

The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network Urges

Back to School Food Allergy Safety

FAIRFAX, Va. (August 13, 2009) – Millions of families are preparing for the annual back to school ritual that marks the end of summer, but for parents with children who have food allergies, it’s not just about school supplies and first-day jitters. It’s about ensuring their child will not have an allergic reaction in school.

Food allergy management in schools and childcare facilities has improved remarkably in recent years, but proactive efforts remain important to keep students safe.

“As parents get their children ready for the beginning of the school year, we must work together as a community to help children feel comfortable and safe in their learning environment,” said Julia Bradsher, CEO of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). “No one – whether you have a child with food allergies or not – wants a student to have a life-threatening reaction at school.”

Encouragingly, a recent poll showed that parents are generally aware and accepting of accommodations that must be made for students with food allergies. The C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health showed that one-quarter of parents with a child in elementary school report knowing a child with a life-threatening food allergy in school. Nearly half of the respondents said it was “not at all inconvenient” to make accommodations for a child with food allergies. About 75 percent of the poll’s respondents said their child’s school or childcare facility has policies banning treats from home or requiring a food allergy action plan.

“It is heartening in a sense that a large proportion of the elementary schools and daycares are making accommodations, which a few years ago, was not the case,” said Dr. Harvey L. Leo, adjunct clinical associate of pediatrics and assistant research scientist at the University of Michigan Center for Managing Chronic Disease in the School of Public Health. “Across the board, it really does look like schools and childcare centers are starting to pay more attention.”

FAAN and Leo both advise parents of children with food allergies to communicate early with school administrators and to get input from their child’s physician. If accommodations are to be made, school officials should also make an effort to involve parents whose children do not have food allergies, Leo said.

At Munsey Park Elementary School in Manhasset, N.Y., school officials developed an allergy team of parents, teachers, and administrators and conduct training twice a year, among other practices.

“Our school family believes in the importance of each child. Whether it is an allergy or other medical condition, academic or other need, we do whatever it takes to successfully facilitate the school environment so that each child can stay healthy and learn,” said Dr. Jean Kendall, school principal.

To help children going off to school with food allergies, FAAN has developed a back-to-school toolkitwww.foodallergy.org/school/toolkit.html. for all grade levels. The kit includes tools that can be downloaded or purchased and are great resources for parents, teachers, and school nurses alike to educate others about food allergy. For more information, visit www.foodallergy.org/school/toolkit.html.

The Eagle Eyes of a Peanut Allergic Boy

 

  

We went to Walmart for school supplies today, my 8 year old non-allergic son, my 5 year old peanut allergic son and I. As we walked over to get a carriage, my 5 year old took a few steps back and pointed. He'd spotted a Snickers wrapper in the seat of the carriage in front of us, torn open with caramel dripping out. He knows Snickers is a candy with peanuts and he also knows food wrappers in general can be dangerous because we never know if they contained peanuts. Don't get concerned! He did not freak out or get upset. He was very calm but he was aware of his surroundings! He had spotted a potential danger and knew enough to avoid that carriage and get a different one. Smart boy! It's good to be aware.

Food Allergy Video from Mayo Clinic

I just discovered a video from Mayo Clinic which was added to YoutTube recently. They have made it available for sharing so I am including it here for you to view. Exciting things in the world of food allergies are going on in a number of medical and research institutions! This video is about new allergy tests coming out of Mayo Clinic for harder to detect allergies, in this case, eosinophilic esophagitis.  (For more information on eosinophilic esophagitis, please visit the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders.) James J. Lee, PhD. is the researcher interviewed and featured in this video.

Food Allergy Halloween Party Sponsors

We're busy planning the next few Food Allergy Twitter Parties. They are really a lot of fun and are a great way to connect with others online who live with food allergies, celiac disease, or other restricted diets. We also enjoy having a large number of food allergy friendly companies actively participate in the conversation, donate prizes, or quietly sit and observe (listening to the concerns of their customers!).

If you are a food allergy author or entrepreneur and would like to be one of the sponsors for one of the upcoming Food Allergy Twitter Parties, please contact me, Jennifer B (jennifer AT foodallergybuzz dot com) or Ruth (ruth AT bestallergysites dot com). To be fair, we are filling sponsorship slots on a first come-first-serve basis. Several slots are already filled, and we are limiting the number of prizes/sponsors--it's hard to hand out lots of prizes in an hour during all those scintillating tweets! We will try our best to accommodate as many as possible; we know Halloween is a popular topic of discussion in food allergy circles and there are many wonderful specialty food and confectionary products that have been developed, especially over the last few years.

Feel free to share this info with your favorite food allergy friendly companies and groups!

Gluten-Free Pretzel Tip from Solutions to Savor

We received this great gluten-free pretzel tip to share with you from the wonderful people at the new allergy friendly store, Solutions to Savor:

Last night we experimented with the soft peretzel mix by making one batch with the yeast packet and one batch with a combination of baking powder, baking soda, and vitamin C crystals to replace the yeast. Both batches were a success! We by mistake did add the entire salt packet to the mix and I don't know if this aided in the process but the kids loved them! Next time however I think we will add 1/2 of the salt to the mix and keep the other 1/2 to sprinkle on top. So for those of you looking for a pretzel mix that can be made without yeast, please visit us at www.solutionstosavor.com for the Dutch Country Soft Pretzel Mix and please let us know if there is an item that you'd like, want, need, and we will try and find it and stock it for you.

Vending Machines and Food Allergies

I attended a workshop at a local college on Saturday, and decided that the occasion merited a visit to a vending machine during lunch break for soda and maybe candy too. Apparently, it has been years since I stood in front of a vending machine because I couldn't believe how few peanut-free choices there were there. I wonder how the vending machine choices will change over the next 10 to 15 years with the ever growing population of food allergic kids.

Vending machines in school is a subject of controversy these days, with obesity and other health issues increasingly becoming problems in school age children. Writer and food allergy blogger Susan Weissman--one of my favorites!--wrote on this very subject in The Huffington Post on July 24. Take a look at Snack Attack: US Schools Should Rethink Vending Machines Right Now!

Save the Date for the Food Allergy Halloween Twitter Party

Ruth of Best Allergy Sites and I are busy planning the next Twitter Party. The theme for the next party is Halloween, always a topic of much discussion in the food allergy community, especially for those of us with young trick-or-treaters. The party will take place on October 2, time to be determined As in our previous parties, there will be prizes and lots of cool, clever food allergy folks. We hope to see you there! Oh, and don't forget the hashtag: #foodallergy!

Also, Ruth and I are formalizing our joint efforts a little more with a new website, Allergy Allies. The website is still under construction but will be the future home for information about our joint online events and parties. We really enjoy organizing these community building events. It's a great way to connect with other members of the food allergy community from the comfort of your home or office, no matter where you are located.

Food Allergy Buzz Looks for Answers re: Epipens on School Buses

Hands down, one of the best food allergy resources I have found is the wisdom and experience of food allergy families who've already been where I am. Today I have a question from a Food Allergy Buzz reader, and I have no answers at all to give her, having no experience with this particular situation. We live only 1/10th of a mile away from our school, so busing is not an issue for us--we're "walkers". I am cutting, pasting most of her email below.

We are still running into trouble when it comes to the bus company. The principal stated that no medications at all are allowed on school buses, per the school bus company policy. No epi-pens, no inhalers, no insulin aparatus, etc. The bus company is First Student...The thing that is troubling...is that we cannot be the only parents out there encountering this issue, but people must be just agreeing to follow this rule because neither of us has heard anything otherwise. Are there any towns in MA that allow epi-pens on buses?

Does anyone have any experience with the issue of epipens on school buses that they'd be willing to share? In Massachusetts or elsewhere?

FYI, here is a 2008 article from the Newburyport News about epipens and the inability of bus drivers to administer them: Father Pushes to fill school bus safety "gap". Urges Epipen training for drivers after son's allergy went untreated.

Food Allergy Buzz Asks: What's in Your Safe Snack Stash?

I am in full back to school mode now, getting what we need so we are prepared on that first day. One child needs stationary supplies, colored pencils, wide lined paper, and the other needs epipens, allergy plans, asthma plans, an inhaler, and a stash of safe snacks.

Last year, I included Homefree Cookies and Pirate's Booty among other things in our safe snack stash. I'm hoping to mix it up a bit, so I thought I would check with my food allergy friends to see what they usually include or recommend. Other than allergy friendliness, shelf life is key, of course! Please share your safe snack stash tips in a comment below, along with a reminder of which allergens your child is avoiding. Please feel free to include a link if you've got this covered in a post on your own blog. If you are a manufacturer and feel your products are perfect for a safe snack stash, please comment and remind us!

I am looking forward to seeing what we come up with!

Peanut Butter for Breakfast

The photo's a bit blurry but it used to be the stuff of my nightmares--peanut butter! No, my son has not grown out of his allergy, not yet at least.

I've been away for several days on a family road trip and decided to take a break from posting on Food Allergy Buzz during that time. It seems like I haven't written a post in months! Many families new to food allergies wonder how they'll ever go on vacation or eat out again. To be sure, things change when you or a loved one have a life threatening food allergy. I think it is fair to say that the more foods you are allergic to, the more challenging eating away from home (and at home!) becomes.

I always feel fortunate that we only have to avoid nuts and peanuts. I think we may have it easier than some of our food allergic friends. As the years go by, I have noticed time away from home is less and less stressful because I feel increasingly confident in my ability to protect my son. At the same time, however, I am aware that my trust in others, especially restaurant staff, is even lower than it used to be.

We stayed at a Marriott Courtyard and ate breakfast in their lobby dining room. The main offering is a breakfast buffet--clearly not an appealing option for those with food allergies as there are far too many opportunities for cross-contamination. You could also eat a la carte, and we were glad to discover unpeeled whole fruits, packages of yogurt and individual packages of cereal. The cereal worked perfectly for our purposes and the rest of the family was content too. My non-allergic son pointed out packages of peanut butter (like the one in the blurry photo above) in the jelly, jam and sugar caddy on our table. I almost don't like to touch the package since it contains our "arch enemy", peanut butter. The little packages were nestled so neatly beside the jellies and jams. They look so harmless and yet every time we eat out, peanuts and nuts are on my mind during the entire meal.

Do I enjoy eating out the way I used to before life with food allergies? No, I don't. I'd be lying if I said I did. I think I am getting better at it, though, because I really want my son to enjoy it and not be afraid. I want him to be informed and live life to its fullest. I don't want food allergies to stop him from enjoying going out or going out of town. They do make us much more careful about what we eat, where we eat, and who prepares our food. When you think about it, given all of the problems in the U.S. "food supply" over the last year, being more careful is not such a bad thing. We eat much better than we used to, so much so that my cholesterol level is better now in my late 30's, than it was in my mid-20's!

We made it through the annual family road trip and now we are barreling toward the start of the school year! Time to get our safe snacks ready for those unexpected school celebrations and start thinking about those birthdays. Where did the summer go?! Hope you have a wonderful rest of your summer.

Check Out these Food Allergy Websites/Blogs

The Peanut Patrol
One of the new food allergy blogs I keep my eye on is Peanut Patrol, founded by a Toronto area peanut allergy mom. Her aim is provide helpful information on dining out for food allergic individuals residing in and visiting the Toronto vicinity. I especially enjoyed the post entitled Cobourg Beach -- and Hong Kong Gardens, where she presents a recent dining experience with friends and then poses a few questions, looking for feedback from other food allergy families on how they handle similar situations.

It's fun to read about their restaurant experiences and also to get a glimpse of another food allergy family's thought process on eating out, a challenge all food allergic families and individuals face. Peanut Patrol is an informative and enjoyable peek at how one food allergy family maneuvers their way through the potential pitfalls of eating out and has a great time doing it.

Food Allergies to Go

Another relatively new site from a food allergy mom is Food Allergies to Go. Founded by Ann, mother of two grown food allergic children, Food Allergies to Go is a site with all sorts of helpful information based on 22 years of life experience with food allergies. Not surprising, Ann has a wealth of information to share about food allergies at school, at college and at restaurants. One of the most interesting features on this website is their personal "safe" grocery list. This could be a really helpful tool, especially for those new to life with food allergies. We're so fortunate to be able to benefit from the experiences of moms like Ann, who've "been there, done that" before us and are willing to share their tips.

More on Ticks and Red Meat Allergy

This is the second article I have seen in recent months about tick bites and red meat allergy. I also have noticed that a good number of visitors to Food Allergy Buzz arrive here as a result of Google searches for tick bites, red meat and allergy. One can only surmise it is a growing problem. 

Tick Bites Spark Allergies