Talking Allergies

I was browsing the Halloween aisles at Walmart and I think that there are more milk/egg/nut free options this year. Hersey's "Jolly Rancher" has made creepy lollipops, Kerr's has a number of new products and also Wrigley's appears to have a safe variety pack. I have to call and confirm ingredients but they appear from the ingredients to be okay. Oh darn... I just looked more carefully at the Jolly Rancher suckers ... they have sodium lactate. Well I will check out the new products from Kerr's.

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11 year old daughter -- lives with life-threatening allergies to milk, eggs and peanuts; seasonal allergies (birch, maple, ragweed); pet allergies; asthma; and eczema
9 year old son - no allergies

That's great! Just wondering, from what little I've read, could the "sodium lactate" not be derived from the natural fermentation of the sugars from corn or beets instead of a dairy source? Maybe worth a call to confirm whether or not their source is dairy?

Katec,
I was under the understanding that sodium lactate was not derived from milk. I did a quick google search and according to FAAN this is not an issue for those with a milk allergy. Have you read this somewhere else? Let me know what you find out.
Thanks
Stephanie

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myself -Shell Fish, asthma, environmental allergies
Husband - Environmental allergies
7 year old- peanut, environmental
5 year old- eggs, nuts, fish, peas, environmental, and asthma.

I haven't read it anywhere lately. I don't think I see that ingredient very often either. The word lactate just caught my attention. I will have to call Hersey's and ask them about it.

I found another safe candy today at A&P also. They were selling Disney Princess candy necklaces which were made by Regal. I called Regal and received a voice mail message that there are no traces of egg, milk or nuts in the product. I want to speak to someone in person yet but this product looks promising. I bought 2 bags to use for Halloween, Valentines and other special occasions. My daughter doesn't get a lot of candy for Halloween and it is nice to give her something new rather than the same old things (licorice, suckers and chips).

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11 year old daughter -- lives with life-threatening allergies to milk, eggs and peanuts; seasonal allergies (birch, maple, ragweed); pet allergies; asthma; and eczema
9 year old son - no allergies

Katec,
Was there a boys version of the necklace?
Stephanie

I looked for a boys' version too for my son but I only saw the Princess necklaces.

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11 year old daughter -- lives with life-threatening allergies to milk, eggs and peanuts; seasonal allergies (birch, maple, ragweed); pet allergies; asthma; and eczema
9 year old son - no allergies

If you're interested in a generic candy necklace, I did see packages of mixed "Rockets" candies in a Halloween bag. In it were candy necklaces along with other versions of the candy. I saw them at Zellers but they could be in other stores too. When I checked last year, Rockets were free of: peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, egg, fish, shellfish, soy, and do not contain gluten (from wheat, barley, oats, rye).

To follow-up my comments on the "Rockets" necklaces, see Cheryl's comments here: http://www.allergicliving.com/forum/vie ... 7940#17940

bump

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

Does anyone know if twizzlers are dariy, egg and peanut/treenut free?

boys' mom

I have a list of 6 or 7 candies I'll be checking out. I'll post what I find out.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

Responses to my product inquiry so far asking about peanut/tree nut/dairy/egg and any specific concerns are in brackets beside the product:

Maynard’s Fun Treats 26 Count
57700 21948
Sour Patch (Natural Flavour)
Swedish Berries (Natural Flavour, colour)
Fuzzy Peach (Natural Flavour, colour)
Fruit Mania (Lactic Acid)
1-866-782-3267 Customer Service Representative Amanda, states that if any of these products contained any of the top 8 allergens they would have to list this by law. The package would state “may contain or may have come in contact with…” even for the artificial flavourings etc.

I didn’t think the may contain was a legislated requirement. According to her all of these should be OK. The lactic acid still makes me nervous though.
________________________________________________________________________
Life Savers Gummies 12 Count
64900 0706 (Natural Flavour, colour)
1-800-974-4539 Customer Service Representative Brenda, states there is a chance that this product may have come in contact with dairy.
_______________________________________________________________________

Wonka Nerd’s
79200 10100
1-800-387-4636 Customer Service Representative Jane, states Nestles products will always list or have a may contain statement if the product contains or has come in contact with one of the top 8 allergens.
_______________________________________________________________________

Sample of e-mail sent
"Hello...

I have a child who has severe food allergies to peanut, tree nuts, dairy and egg.

I am inquiring about a product of yours to see if it contains any of these allergens, is made on a production line which produces products which contain any of these allergens or is manufactured in a facility which produces products which contain any of these allergens.

The product in question is:
------- UPC ----- -----

I would appreciate any feedback that you are able to provide.

Thank you,"
_______________________________________________________________________

Response from www.necco.com
Asking about Necco Wafers UPC 11215 02553 (Natural Flavour, colour, chocolate)

"Dear,
Thank you so much for contacting Necco for your Child's allergy concerns.

Conversation Hearts are all made on dedicated lines and do not contain any nuts or nut derivatives. We do however recommend that if your child has severe allergies that you do not allow him/her to have the small cellophane pouches as these are packaged in numerous areas of the facility. We take every precaution to insure that the lines are free of any allergenic materials but this particular packaging configuration is the riskiest. The best option is the 1 oz boxes that are available almost anywhere and the loosely packed candies in bags.

If we can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us again/

The Chocolate is Chocolate Liquor not Cocoa.

And these also do not contain any nuts or tree nuts dairy or egg.

Necco Wafers, Canada Mints, Gummie Coins ( Cherry & Cinnamon ), Juju raisin, Candy Buttons.

Sincerely,

Theresa Denis
Consumer Correspondent "

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

I just received my reply from Regal Candies, makers of Rockets, when I inquired about the safety of the Rockets (made in Canada).


What do you think? Do you consider it safe?

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Me - Kim - No allergies
DH Ben - 31 - Allergic to nuts and peanuts, lots of environmental allergies.
DD Anne - 4 - Asthma. Allergic to dairy, eggs, mustard, kiwi, peanuts, wheat and barley... for now...
DS Francois - 1 - No allergies so far...

Ewww, you mean they don't make people wash their hands before they go back to work? What if they used the restroom?

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

Here was the response I got from CeDe Candy Co. a couple of years ago: http://www.allergicliving.com/forum/vie ... 3520#23520

When I spoke to the rep. at CeDe Candy Co. directly (at the time) she was very definitive in her answers to my questions. I didn't get this kind of "fear of liability" response. Did you speak to someone at CeDe directly, or was this relayed from a rep. at Regal (the company who distributes Rockets in Canada)? Maybe things have changed over at CeDe...? I think I'll be giving them a ring again to see if I get the same response...