Yay Pizza Hut! (Kind of.)

Colin's going to a birthday party this weekend where Pizza Hut products will be served (as well as cake). So I went to the Pizza Hut website and quickly and easily found their allergen information under the "nutrition" link. (Why can't all companies make it this easy for me?)

So that's the "yay" part. However, turns out all of their pizza sauce might be cross-contaminated with peanuts.

It looks like I need to find a way to bring pizza and a cupcake for Colin on Saturday. Poor kid - he just kind of sighs and drops his head when there's food he can't have. Saw that face last Sunday at a family party as well. It's hard to be a kid with food allergies!

Keebler and Lucerne (Safeway) Allergen Labelling: YAY!

More progress in my search for safer foods for Colin...

I called Keebler's toll-free number. Their easy-to-follow automatic directory led me (in minimal keystrokes) to their allergen information. They list the top allergens on their label, and if there's a chance of cross-contamination (in that the foods are processed in a facility that also processes the top allergens), that is noted on the packaging as "may contain..."

This means that I can keep chocolate-covered graham crackers at school for Colin for when there are birthdays and the teacher can't give me advance warning to bring a safe treat to school for him.

Unfortunately, the ones I bought today at Safeway must go back... I didn't notice the date on them was February '08. Ewwwwwww!

Then I called Lucerne (the Safeway store brand) regarding their packaging. Hummus doesn't contain one of the top allergens, so there wasn't anything on the label. (And I'm extra careful, as Colin had a reaction when eating hummus about a year ago that was cross-contaminated - watch out for those Trader Joe's foods!) After a two-minute wait for the next customer service rep to be available, I was told that if there was a chance of cross-contamination due to processing, it would be noted on the label as, "Processed in a plant that also processes...."

Feeling relief... I "taste-tested" the Lucerne hummus for lunch... so much deliciousness and protein for just two grams of fat per serving! I'm excited that Colin will be able to eat hummus again, because he loves it!

General Mills and Ghirardelli: Allergy Labelling Heroes!

As I prepare to make six gajillion cupcakes for Colin's birthday party next month, I was already feeling wan and tired thinking about doing them all from scratch.

So I perused online stores and found Cherrybrook Farms... peanut/nut-free mixes!

But I like to order online only as a last resort. So I went to the supermarket to see what I could see.

Ghirardelli clearly marks "Contains: Wheat, soy. This product is manufactured on machinery that also processes peanuts and tree nuts." So that's out... (but thanks for the great allergy labelling!)

Betty Crocker products had the "Contains wheat and milk ingredients" printed, but none of the cross-contamination info. So I gave General Mills a call.

The nice customer service rep said that they do not take any risks, so if there's even the smallest chance that there might be cross-contamination, they put it in the bolded "contains" area of the packaging. In addition, they work closely with FAAN, and will send to allergic consumers any information about changes in their products that influence allergen ingredients.

So Colin will get Betty Crocker cupcakes for his birthday party.

According to Hershey's website, they are so worried about cross-contamination that they process their nut-free products in a different facility. But I'm going to give them a call before I use any Hershey's Chocolate in anything...

Portrait of an allergic kid at a birthday party

Colin went to his best friend's birthday party, which was held at one of those kids' gyms. He saw everyone else's cake, pointed and said, "I want... pancake." (Can you tell he doesn't eat a lot of sweets?) I said, "Hey, remember what we made last night? I brought your chocolate chip muffins!" He said, "Yeah, I want choc chip muffin." So he sat down and ate with the rest of the kids, and had the same juice as everyone else. I even brought him some light whipped cream as "dipping sauce". He ate everything right up, wiped his mouth and hands, then went back out to play.

Now why, you might ask, did I not make cupcakes, so they'd be more similar to the cake the kids were eating? Because when I told him, "Hey, Colin, we're going to make cupcakes to take to Gunnar's birthday party," he said, "No - I want muffins." So we made Oatmeal Banana Applesauce Chocolate Chip Muffins - his favorites! And yes, he helped me put all of the ingredients in the bowl and everything. He was completely part of the process!

And at the party, not one kid said, "Why don't you have cake?" (They're only three years old, of course - I know that the teasing is coming, though hopefully it will never come to this.) Not one parent mentioned it. It was obvious that he was not eating cake, but he was not left out by any means because I had come prepared, and shown Colin how to prepare himself. Yet everyone had the courtesy to not single him out.

THANK YOU!

Kikkoman takes care of their customers

I wrote to Kikkoman on Sunday, inquiring after their processing of soy and Teriyaki sauces. Hubby and I have been longing to make stir-fry, and since eating out at a Chinese (or really any Asian) restaurant is now prohibited due to Colin's peanut/tree-nut allergies, I decided to start searching out sauces that we could use. My concern, naturally, was that non-peanut sauces might be cross-contaminated with peanut (or nuts). I received this reply THIS MORNING in my e-mail:

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Dear Ms. SomeonesMom:
We received your e-mail inquiring about Kikkoman Soy and Teriyaki Sauces. You asked if these sauces and any of our non-peanut sauces are "processed on equipment shared with peanut/nut products" because you would like to avoid any chance of cross contamination with these allergens.

Kikkoman soy, Teriyaki and other sauces that are brewed and produced by Kikkoman Foods, Inc. in Walworth, WI do not contain any kind of peanuts or nuts in them. Therefore, the soy and teriyaki sauces manufactured at this plant would be free of cross contamination. Please check the back of the label to see where the sauce was produced.

We hope you find this information helpful to you as you plan your meals. If we may be of further assistance, please let us know.

Sincerely,
KIKKOMAN INTERNATIONAL INC.
Consumer Services
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So I checked the back of the Teriyaki sauce we already had in the refrigerator: didn't say where it was made (just that it was distributed by Kikkoman in San Francisco, CA). Then I checked the soy sauce and light soy sauce we had: Walworth, WI!

I went to the store and took a look at the Teriyaki sauce that was just the same as the one in our refrigerator. Nothing listed. However, when I looked at the light Teriyaki sauce, it was marked as made in Walworth, WI. Bingo!

So of course I brought it.

And again, of course, I managed to drop the grocery bag six inches to the floor of the garage, just outside the door to the kitchen... and I broke the bottle of light Teriyaki sauce.

Considering everything that's going on in our lives right now, I wasn't about to cry over... spilled Teriyaki.

I was more thrilled with the overall message I took away from this experience: Kikkoman offers prompt customer service and specific answers. They told me exactly what I needed to know, how to obtain needed information, and that they actually cared about their customers.

What I'm listening to: That "Tattoo" song by Jordin Sparks
I just: Ate a snack-sized KitKat
Now I'm gonna: Write some thank-you cards