My children are now nine and six. The younger child is the one with the life threatening peanut and nut allergies. Like so many other families, the label checking and other precautions are a way of life for us. As we made our way through the supermarket the other day, I had them take turns locating and reading the ingredient/nutrition panels to practice looking for nuts and peanuts. I make homemade ice cream for my allergic son since his big reaction happened while eating ice cream, but I buy ice cream (with no nuts or peanuts) for my older, non-allergic son. I had my older son read the label on the Hood Green Monster Ice Cream even though it was clearly mint chocolate chip ice cream and I knew--or so I thought-- no nuts or peanuts are ever in mint chip ice cream. He read the ingredients in order: "MILKFAT AND NONFAT MILK, BUTTERMILK, FUDGE SWIRL, SUGAR, PEANUT OIL,..."
What?! Peanut oil? "Let me see that," I said. Yep, peanut oil. I was stunned. I know some people are comfortable with some peanut oils, but I am not. I don't want it in my house, in our bowls, etc. Our exercise in label reading turned out to be a great lesson because you never know what's in your food, especially if you don't read the label! Well, we put back the Hood Green Monster Ice Cream and got Friendly's Mint Cookies Collision ice cream instead. I discovered that Friendly's separates out the allergens on their nutrition panel, making it very easy to see which of the top 8 food allergens are ingredients. Hood does not make it easy to read, so be sure to read carefully! I always read past the separate allergen statements anyways, just to be safe, but this was a good reminder.
I must admit I am disappointed in Hood and will not purchase any Hood ice cream.
