Talking Allergies

Hi there,
I read on one of the forums here that certain Cadbury's products were deemed "safe" for those with Peanut/Tree nut allergies.
More specifically Crunchie, and Carmel were mentioned.
I wrote to Cadbury's and got a very standard answer, so I wrote to them a second time....and the second reply was no better than the first. Basically it stated that if nuts were not an ingridient,a dn if no warnings were on the wrapper than it was assumed safe.
My husband is not completely convinced with Cadbury's response and apprehensive of me purchasing/eating these products.
Also, Mars appears to have gone towards the "nut Free" trend......Careful when purchasing these at the store as this past w/e we were at Shoppers DM, and noticed that there were still Mars Bars distributed with a "May contain" warning.....
Not sure if these are part of the old stock.....and the new ones with peanut free warning were stacked right alongside with the ones that had the warning!
So, I get the peanut free Mars campaign, however does anyone know if they are also free of tree nuts?
Same question for Quakers Granola Bars that are being distributed as Peanut free.....anyone have confirmation if they are also manufactured in a facility free of tree nuts?
Lastly, Nestle....I wrote to them as well inquiring about the regular, and family size Kit-Kat, Smarties , Aero, And Coffee Crisp bars that donot have the Peanut Free symbolon them.......and received a similar and vague response as Cadbury's......and apparently they are deemed safe, except that it was some sort of a marketing decision to not advertise them as "Peanut Free".....
Ofcourse when it costs a consumer $5.00 for a small bag of assorted chocs with a "Peanut Free"symbol vs $2.00 for a large fam size bar...it makes more "marketing" sense......
Anyone out there able to verify the above?
I am so frustrated that a simple question from me towards the companies yield less than desirable answers......and I feel like somedays I'm chasing my own tail!
Thanks,
Shairose

Shairose -- you can check out previous discussions on Quaker Granola bars and Mars bars here: http://www.allergicliving.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=868 and http://www.allergicliving.com/forum/vie ... 74&start=0. I think part of the reason why you won't see "peanut-free" logos on the larger Nestle bars and the Cadbury bars is because they don't test for the presence of peanut in their raw materials and their finished product -- perhaps they're reluctant to state "peanut-free" due to lawsuits?

Thanks Ethansmom for the links...I have read through them.....good info to have.
Shairose

Another piece of information I've picked up on boards is that some companies do not want to state *nut free* (the way they will say peanut free) because there isn't a reliable test and, even if there was they would have to test for each indivual nut, which would get rather expensive.

I do trust Cadbury Canada and Cadbury UK. If peanuts/nuts are not added ingredients, and there is no *may contain* warning on the package I will eat it.

At the moment there are only tests for almond and hazelnut. So it's not that tests aren't reliable - it's that they don't exist.

If a company were willing, they could test for almond and/or hazelnut and declare that the product was almond-free and/or hazelnut-free, but not for any other nuts.

I was recently told by a reliable source that two other nut tests are in the works, but I'm not sure what they are. And they aren't on the market yet.

K.

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Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

I am a new member, this is my first response to a posting. Please bare with me.

Our son was diagnosed with a PA three years ago when he was two. A co-worker who also has a son who is allergic to peanuts said she noticed Cadbury took off their warning label, from their Caramilk bar. She wondered if there was a change within their manufacturing. She called them and was told nothing had changed, simply the warning was removed.

Keep in mind this was three years ago. Hope this helps.

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6 year old son ana to peanuts, cashews, asthma, eczema
Almost 3 year old daughter, not tested yet
Husband, lucky guy with no allergies
Self, trees, weeds & grass girl, cats, dogs, chemical sensitive, eczma & now peanuts, fish, shellfish & penicillin

When I spoke with Cadbury a few months ago about their Swedish Berries and other such gummy candies, I got the sense that there is a relutance on their part to fully claim to be free of any of the top allergens. Likely, as one of you suggested, due to lawsuits. That's why I'm so impressed with other companies who ARE "brave" enough to go peanut/nut free!

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*Son, 5 years old: Asperger's, allergic to eggs, peanuts, and mustard seed (outgrew dairy and soy)
*Son, 23 months old
*Hubby: allergic to cats and trees (non-specified types)
*Self: allergic to penicillin