Belden Deli Chicago (2301 N Clark) - NOT SAFE

Manager at Belden Deli told me today that they cannot prep a meal that needs to avoid risk of cross-contamination by nut dust/nut protein.  All equipment and prep areas are potentially cross-contaminated by nut protein.  They buy their baked goods (breads included) from small bakeries that are not nut-free.  They buy breads that contain nut meal.  One of their breads contains nuts and crumbles easily.  They have cookies and salads that contain nuts. Crumbs from any of the baked goods could be on any prep surface.  They also said their oil is "vegetable" but may be a blend of different oils on any day, and that they have no information on the blend or how refined the oil is.  The 2 companies they purchase baked goods from are NY Bagel & Biali and North Shore Kosher Bakery.

Soupbox Restaurants (soupbox.com) - NOT SAFE

Thanks for contacting Soupbox!  I regret to inform you that there are nuts in several of the recipes we make; cookies, salads, dressings and also unfortunately in the Icyfruit.  Our stores are quite small, so alternate prep areas are not possible.  As much as it pains me to refuse customer I'd feel even worse if you were made ill by some accident in our stores.  Better we are safe than sorry. 

Best,

Dru Melton

Party/Playdate talk

"Thanks for inviting us to your party! We are very excited to attend. I just need to ask about the menu. My son has severe peanut allergies, so we're happy to bring our own food. We just wanted to know if there are any things we have to watch out for."

"Can you make sure that my son washes his hands before eating his food?"

Safe Cheerios: Original, Multi Grain, Apple Cinnamon, Chocolate, Cinnamon Burst, Frosted, Fruity and Yogurt Burst

“We can say with complete confidence that MultiGrain Peanut Butter Cheerios will not cross-contaminate other Cheerios varieties. Currently, Honey Nut Cheerios, Banana Nut Cheerios, and Oat Cluster Cheerios Crunch contain ALMOND. Only Multi Grain Cheerios Peanut Butter contains PEANUTS. All other varieties, including original Cheerios, Multi Grain Cheerios, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, Chocolate Cheerios, Cinnamon Burst Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, Fruity Cheerios, and Yogurt Burst Cheerios, do not contain nuts. As always, we highly recommend that consumers consult the allergen listing and the ingredient label on any product they may consume. And for more product information, please visit www.cheerios.com/products”.

McDonald's - McFlurries/Rolos are NOT SAFE!

McDonald’s wants to make customers with tree nut allergies and with milk allergies aware of these products so they can make whatever decisions they deem appropriate when visiting McDonald’s restaurants:

McDonald’s is offering a Rolo® McFlurry® dessert on a national basis through approximately October 1, 2012.  McDonald’s has been advised by The Hershey Company that the Rolo candies manufactured for the McDonald’s McFlurry are manufactured on the same equipment that also processes almonds, and all flavors of McFlurry desserts utilize the same equipment in McDonald’s restaurants.

Alexia - unreliable labels?

4/10/13 - answer to my question: I am very allergic to tree nuts and peanuts.  I must avoid food that is potentially cross-contaminated by any particles of tree nut or peanut protein.  Are your products safe for me to eat?

Hello Christine,

Thank you for your email concerning our Alexia products.

We show all major food allergens on the ingredient list and/or they will be noted in a contains statement just after the ingredient list.

The major food allergens are: Eggs, Fish, Milk, Peanut, Shellfish (Crustacean), Soy, Tree Nuts and Wheat.

All major food allergen ingredients will be listed in the ingredient statement and will be noted in the contains statement if they are included in flavorings or spice mixes. Our product formulas change from time to time so we encourage consumers to check both the ingredient list and contains statement each time they buy a product in case a formulation has changed.

We segregate allergen and non-allergen ingredients in our facilities. A “Contains” statement will always be listed below the ingredient list if the product contains any of the top allergens. A “May Contains” statement will be rarely used due to our strong manufacturing processes. We complete thorough cleaning when changing from allergen-containing to non-allergen-containing products. After cleaning, we conduct inspections to verify that it has been effective.

Thanks again for your inquiry.

I hope you have a great day!


Heather
Consumer Affairs Representative
Alexia Foods
Case: 61664600

1-866-484-8676
www.alexiafoods.com

In 2009, "Alexia Foods issues nationwide allergy alert and product recall on its Alexia Olive Oil, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Pesto Oven Reds frozen potatoes due to undeclared pine nut allergen"

Sea's Gift Roasted Seaweed Snack - Safe!

From:     Benjamin Yu - Jayone
    Subject:     Re: Sea's Gift Roasted Seaweed Snack
    Date:     June 4, 2012 4:35:55 PM CDT


There is no risk of cross contamination in our manufacturing facilities. We have reoccuring safety audits done on these facilities. Plus, our facility there has no peanut or tree nut particles of any kind within. Please feel free to send me an email if you have any other questions or concerns.


Message   
Hi - I have severe allergies to peanuts and tree nuts. I would like to find out if this seaweed snack has any risk of cross-contamination by any particles of tree nuts or peanuts. I see that it is manufactured in Korea, but the only contact info available is with your company. Can you please find out for me if there is any risk of cross-contamination by nut dust? (Sesame is fine, but peanuts or any type of tree nut is NOT ok.)