Talking Allergies

Sigh.

Obviously store bought is out as are many of the little cake decorating goodies. Had contacted this company requesting to speak with someone about their allergen and labelling policies and got this as an email reply:

"Unfortunately, we can not guarantee any allergy restrictions with our products. If you have any further questions please let us know."

Their labels had given me hope, I didn't see allergens listed. I just read their reply as such a dismissal, no effort. Think of the market share they could have...

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renie
daughter: ana for egg, sesame, dairy, pistachio/cashew/hazelnut. allergic on contact. allergic to soy protein isolate. other lesser allergies (e.g. dogs, dust mites). well controlled asthma. eczema.
son: p-p-p-p-peanuts

That emailed response from them is pretty pathetic.
McCormick makes sprinkles, etc. that you can readily find at the grocery stores (find them around the spices and baking ingreds.). The woman I spoke to earlier this year was very knowledgeable about allergies and was able to give me definitive info. You could check them out and see if they're free of your daughter's allergens.

Hi there,

That is a very weird response. I have started making cakes for parties that my daughter has been invited to (will be taking the wilton decorating course in January). I use the Wilton products and I always have received wonderful customer service via the phone. The customer service people have told me to always call in even if I am using the same products and read them the bar code. They then type it in and are able to tell if anything with peanuts/nuts(which is the allergen we check for) has been processed on the same lines as the product I am calling about.

I would call in instead of emailing. Just this summer I was on the phone for a good 20 minutes because I had 14 different items including food colorings that I wanted to make sure was safe and the lady was very patient and checked through every bar code that I read to her.

It's sad to say but like any other company there are always those few employees that just don't want to take the time to help someone out.

I hope this helps.

Take care,

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7 year old daughter-Allergic to Peanuts/Nuts
6 year old son-No allergies
4 year old daughter-No allergies

I find it helpful, when e-mailing to state specifically which allergens I am trying to avoid and ask :
1. Is the allergen used in making the product
2. Is the allergen used in making another product on the same production line
3. If yes to question 2. what is their process for cleaning the line, do they test for allergens after cleaning?
4. Is the allergen used within the facility?

I would like to think a company can answer a straight question and if it can't I would advise them of my disapointment. With the answers to these questions you should be able to decide how comfortable you are in using the product. You just might give them something to think about.

I also ask them if I can share their answers with this forum. (would love to have some statistics on our current # members, etc)

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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

This is why I was so dismayed with their email - my email included her allergens and a request to talk with someone to understand their policies and make an informed decision once risk could be understood.

Carla - do you have their phone number? I woudl prefer to call. When I looked them up the "contact us" on the webpage lead to filling out a form (vs giving me a number. I never rely on email replies only, unless it is because a product is clearly unsuitable).

Susan - more than one company has heard either my praise for good information, practices and customer service - even if the product is unsuitable for us. I also share my opinion ( try to do it in a manner that encourages them to take me seriously) with those that are lacking - in such cases never with only the customer rep that answers the phone but with mgmt.

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renie
daughter: ana for egg, sesame, dairy, pistachio/cashew/hazelnut. allergic on contact. allergic to soy protein isolate. other lesser allergies (e.g. dogs, dust mites). well controlled asthma. eczema.
son: p-p-p-p-peanuts

Renie, you sound like you ae doing all that you can to find the answers, good for you and don't give up!

I too, think it's a good idea to give both positive and negative feed back- as long as it's constructive criticism, I think it's a good thing.

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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

Hi Renie,

Their customer service phone number is 800-794-5866. The last time I called was last month. I hope that you get a straight answer.

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7 year old daughter-Allergic to Peanuts/Nuts
6 year old son-No allergies
4 year old daughter-No allergies

Thanks Carla! I hope so too. I am hoping that their non-peanut/nut information is just as good. I'm fearful that because we're egg and dairy that they may feel they can't be safe for those allergens ...
Here's hoping!

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renie
daughter: ana for egg, sesame, dairy, pistachio/cashew/hazelnut. allergic on contact. allergic to soy protein isolate. other lesser allergies (e.g. dogs, dust mites). well controlled asthma. eczema.
son: p-p-p-p-peanuts

So the update - despite the email which I felt lacked any customer service and was in my opinion dismissive, I subsequently called Wilton and got good information. Turns out you need a number (forget what it is called already) that differs from the usual UPC bar code to have them pull the information. However, they DO have excellent allergen information available. Unfortunately (for us) it is only "in product" and "in plant" (as opposed to "on the line"). And, if you have severe egg/dairy allergies, well, you likely have to look elsewhere. Still, I was happy that they have the information, take allergies seriously and although "seeds" are not prioritised in the US, they have information on that too.

Disappointed that their products are out for us but since I had originally posted that they have room for improvement, I felt obligated to commend where it is due also. (wonder who pee'd in the cereal of the person who had emailed me originally...)

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renie
daughter: ana for egg, sesame, dairy, pistachio/cashew/hazelnut. allergic on contact. allergic to soy protein isolate. other lesser allergies (e.g. dogs, dust mites). well controlled asthma. eczema.
son: p-p-p-p-peanuts