by Jason | Jun 4, 2010 | Blog
The summer camp that our daughter is attending this year Camp Riverview for Girls called us to ask about ice cream novelties. Mayfield Dairy manufactures all of the ice cream novelty products that they purchase. So the camp called Cindy, my wife, to see if Mayfield Dairy products were peanut and tree nut free. It was great that they called and Cindy immediately jumped into research mode.
Mayfield is a regional dairy that produces milk and other dairy products for sale in most of the Southeastern United States. Unfortunately, their website is extremely lacking in information regarding product ingredients or allergens. In fact, they have no nutritional information on their website at all. This is an area where they certainly need to improve. The good news is that they were extremely helpful when Cindy called them.
Here is the slightly edited text of the email that Cindy sent to the Camp Director.
“Mayfield Push Pops are safe! I spent the last hour on the phone with the two plant quality assurance coordinators of the two plants where Mayfield’s novelty products are made. It gets a little tricky as in Birmingham they make some products that are safe. However, if they are low on inventory, they will have their Toledo plant (Frost Bites) produce some products and in some cases those are not made on a dedicated line. This is what I learned:
In the Birmingham plant the following products are made on a dedicated line where no peanut/nut is ever run:
Jr Bars -These are the one stick novelties as opposed to the two-stick novelties which they call a paddle bar. These Jr. Bars are as follows:
Brown Cow Jrs. – which is chocolate covered ice cream bars,
Fudge Bar Jrs.
Pop Stix Jrs. – Orange, Cherry and Grape, Sour Pop Jrs.
(NOTE – large two stick “paddle bars” in these same flavors are NOT safe)
Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches – NOT the Regular size
(NOTE that while the Birmingham plant makes a safe regular size ice cream sandwich, in the event they are low on inventory, the Toledo plant takes up the slack and they do not produce these on a dedicated line. So they cannot guarantee that it is made on a dedicated line.)
Any 3 oz. ice cream cup (not 6 oz.) — They make light (3% butterfat) in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and orange sherbet. Also, safe are the No Sugar Added 3 oz cups.
In the Toledo plant, the following products are made on a dedicated line where no peanut/nut is ever run:
Regular sized Neopolitan Ice Cream Sandwiches are made on a dedicated line (he said the regular sized vanilla is made on a line with Moose Tracks – peanuts/nuts and a butter pecan)
Push Pops Orange Sherbet Pops.
Thanks for calling me.”
If you live in an area where Mayfield products are sold, I hope this will help. As always, please read the label of everything you buy every time you shop. The goal is provide you some additional food items to consider. I hope to update our Safe Food List – Ice Cream Novelties sometime this weekend to incorporate these items.
Do you have any ice cream or ice cream novelties that are peanut and tree nut safe that you enjoy?
by Jason | May 26, 2010 | Blog
I was reading a blog post today on VickiesIckies (a great blog by the way) about how some parents bring cupcakes to school for birthday celebrations which the kids with food allergies cannot eat leaving them excluded from the celebration. Sometimes the treat is brought at the last minute or without being the teacher’s prior knowledge leaving the parent of the allergic child little or no time to bring a substitute treat. The school’s answer was, “the allergic child needs to learn to deal with it”. I starting thinking about how amazing it has been in our experience (and perhaps in yours too) that kids are often much more compassionate than adults about another child’s food allergy.
For example, my daughter has a friend who became upset with her father (a good friend by the way who shared this story with us) for eating peanuts in the car because she was worried that our daughter might accidentally be exposed to the peanuts during a carpool sometime in the future. The 8-year old girl became so insistent that her father eventually pulled over and threw away his peanuts. When our child was much younger her preschool teacher once told me that from time to time, parents would send in peanut butter into their nut free classroom and the children would immediately take the “offending item” directly from their lunchboxes to the teacher saying, “I can’t have this here”. These children were three! We have heard parents tell us that their kids did not want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch because they would be playing with our kids later in the day. Maybe we are just fortunate that we have sweet friends, but I think there is something more to it than that.
I think kids are generally concerned about their food allergic friends because they love them and don’t want them to be hurt. Avoiding a particular food around their food allergic friend is their way of showing them that they love them. Parents sometimes, myself included, often look for the most convenient course of action. I will say, we are very blessed to have many adult friends that frequently bend over backwards and go far beyond the call of duty to accommodate our kids’ food allergies at their parties, for soccer snacks, etc. But, we are wondering if you have had the same experience with kids showing great compassion as it relates to your child’s food allergy?
by Jason | May 21, 2010 | Blog
Next time you eat out at a restaurant consider dessert. I know what you’re thinking, “Are you crazy? Everything either has nuts or is cross-contaminated with nuts.” For years we though the same thing, until we asked about it. Most restaurants now are used to customers asking allergy specific questions. Many of these have a book that lists every menu item and what common allergens the food contains or may contain.
Our kids are so used to not being able to eat some foods because they contain or may contain peanuts or tree nuts so when we find something that they can have a restaurant, it is an extra special treat for them. If the restaurant doesn’t, we shrug and say, “Oh well, we tried. We’ll just eat dessert at home.” Next time you go out to eat, ask the server or manager. You might find out you have more options than you realize. Some restaurants we’ve been to that have allergen books are: Chili’s, Red Robin and Panera Bread. Do you know of any other restaurants that have an allergen book or list? Share it with us in the comments!
by Jason | May 17, 2010 | Blog
In our Birthday Parties and Allergies posting, a reader left a comment stating that they make a quick cake using Duncan Hines, Coke and a microwave. I thought it was a great alternative to a traditional cake. Still want to try it though. Nevertheless, I posted this on twitter and the feedback was quick and enlightening.
Several of our twitter followers stated that they do not consider Duncan Hines safe. Calls from these followers to Duncan Hines regarding cross contamination were met with resistance and a general unhelpful attitude. One even has a blog post about it.
I relayed this story to my wife and she said to me, “Why do you think we only buy Betty Crocker?” Obviously, she has had the same experience. That being said, I think the idea of cake mix (Betty Crocker please), coke and a microwave is worth a try.
by Jason | May 15, 2010 | Blog
Our newest list, Candy, is now posted on our Safe Food List Page. When we compiled this list for Camp Riverview for Girls. I was really surprised at the variety of options available and it is a great list to give to friends and family for Halloween candy ideas.
We posted a link on Twitter to the Tootsie Company’s allergy statement where they state all of their products are peanut, tree nut and gluten free. What a great thing to remember when buying candy and their products extend beyond Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops.
Remember this list is only a guide and that you must read the labels of everything you buy. Our hope is that the list gives you some additional options to consider. Did you find anything on the list that surprised you? Are there any we missed?
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