Talking Allergies

My daughter has an egg and dairy allergy. We have know since she was a baby. She is now 6 yrs. I have recently noticed that the pasta I have been buying now has a "may contain trace amounts of egg" on the ingredients list. My daughter has never reacted to eating this pasta (Italpasta brand). (Only the Italpasta lasagna products are completely egg free.) Should I switch brands, and if so does anyone know of a company that has pasta that is completely egg free? Thanks!

Y&Y brand 3 minute Chow Mein noodles are egg free. They are the only wheat noodles that I know of. We get them from Loblaws $1.99/pkg. They are pretty good. They look like ramen noodles but are made from ony wheat and water.
Rizopia makes egg-free, gluten-free, wheat-free, cholesterol-free and sodium-fre brown rice pasta in assorted shapes (fun and good for crafts). We also find them in the organic section of the Great Canadian Superstores.

This is so weird---I composed and am 99.9% sure that I posted a message in this section..but it didn't show up. I'm a fan of Rizopia pasta too. (by the way, for those in the Toronto area, the best price on this pasta that I've seen anywhere is at the Big Carrot on the Danforth.)

Sometimes "may contain" means "probably does contain"...sometimes it just means that there is a slight slight chance of cross contamination. And sometimes a product "may contain" an allergen but there is no label warning one of the fact. If you don't want to give up Italpasta entirely, you might want to contact them to find out the reasoning behind the labelling. i.e. if the plant contains egg-containing products but those products are kept away from the pasta it might be relatively safe (but not 100% safe) But if the eggless pasta is processed on the same line as the eggy pasta.....then I would avoid it. Just because the one batch is safe doesn't mean that the next one is (it might depend for example on whether it was the first batch produced after the egg-containing pasta or the last batch).

Our daughter seems to love her rice stick noodles as well, but I can't stand them (to mucilaginous (mucus) for my liking.

Argghh! This is the second time I've written a message for this topic that got lost in cyberspace. I posted it and everything...maybe i'm clicking on 'preview' instead or something.

Here goes again---the Rizopia noodles can get a bit mushy. Have you tried Tinkayada? (they are wheat free...in spite of the egg allergy, i haven't called about the egg) they are firmer....although for some reason i like the rizopia noodles better.

Thanks for the noodle ideas! I will try the Rizopia ones. Man these allergies are a pain!!!

I have just recently found this site after visiting every pasta site and talking to every pasta manufacturer in Toronto!! Jo, I too have a daughter with a severe egg allergy and am getting more and more frustrated with this issue of egg-free manufacturing facilities. It appears there just isn't one, however, when I last spoke with Italpasta in May, they told me that they produce their non-egg pasta on a separate line than their egg noodles and that they have very strict sterilization procedures in place. Unico tells me they produce all their non-egg pasta first and then their egg noodles on the same line at the end of the day and then a strict sterilization takes place. I am not sure if I am comfortable with Unico's procedures, but I am seriously considering Italpasta (we too have eaten Italpasta before we knew our daughter was allergic and had no problems). I also have this issue with her daycare centre - they can't feed her any pasta products until we can find one that is safe. I have received info from Sick Kids and have recenlty joined Anaphylaxis Canada, but as I live outside of Peterborough, I just don't have the product choices offered in bigger cities such as Toronto and Ottawa. Just as a note, Primo as assured me that if their packaging doesn't contain "may contain traces", it is 100% safe - now try and find a Primo pasta product that doesn't have their disclaimer - good luck!
[/b][/i]

kt,
If you don't have many health food stores in your area, you might try Loblaws (which definitely carries Rizopia) or Zehrs (which I *believe* does). Even if the store in your area does not sell it, the store might be willing to order it for you if the chain carries it. There is a relatively small Loblaws near where I live, and they were happy to order some Oak Manor millet for me--which probably doesn't have nearly as much of a chance of selling as rice pasta does. (There are so many people out there with celiac disease and with a wheat allergy, and rice pasta is a staple.)
Lisa

Copied from the e-mail I recieved in response to an inquiry about egg or milk in pasta:

January 28, 2004

I thought Catelli pastas were egg-free? Does anyone know if this is or is not true?

_________________
Carrie

I also thought Catelli pasta was egg free? I'm waiting to hear if anyone else knows differently.

I just called Catelli about their dry pastas, and learned that eggs are used in the same facility. I suggested they should add a warning on the box. The CSR wasn't very good (argumentative is the nice word that comes to mind), so I'm thinking of writing a letter to learn more about their practices.
Marla

_________________
*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

Wow...that sucks!!! Thanks cdnmama...what promted you to call...seems like you just beat me to it. Their customer service sucked 2 years ago, and I was not looking forward to the phone call.

I sent back a box of catelli pasta about 2 years ago after my yougest got a few hives on her face after eating them. Catelli did not respond to me after that but basically said that it was not their pasta that caused the problem. At the time we had not gone "all allergens out of the house entirely" so I was not evtirely positive it was the pasta. We had pasta last week and her face was red (my allergist said red around face from sensitive skin, but it does not happen with all foods...I was starting to feel it was from trace allergens, or chemical sensitivities, which some of her reactions are), yesterday, she had a hive on her chin.

I was really concerned about this one...as I had decided a few days ago NEVER to give her catelli pasta anymore. Not sure why the catelli was a problem until now...EGG. We had been using the whole wheat pc blue menu...but they changed the product and now it is GROSS! Any suggestions on pasta? Preferably whole grain, or even non-wheat would be fine as long as it is free of our allergens.

As for rizopia, I have never heard of it. Susan, do you get it at a large grocery chain (superstore, sobeys) or is it a health food store kind of item?

_________________
DD age 9 1/2 -peanuts, nuts,
DD age 7 1/2 - milk, eggs, chicken, peanuts, treenuts, cats, dogs,
DS age 2 1/2
Husband- asthma, eggs, treenuts, fish, shellfish environmental
Self - penicillan, eurithromiacin, mild laytex allergy.

saskmommy I posted this under shopping a little while ago:
http://www.allergicliving.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=645

saskmommy, I decided to call to check up on Catelli b/c other brands (Primo, etc.) seem to have a "may contain traces of egg" warning, and I was surprised that Catelli didn't.

As a side note, I also called a company called "Prairie Harvest," as I had been buying their wholewheat pasta at Costco. Unfortunately they too use egg in their facilities where the pasta is made, but customer service was better than Catelli's!

Today I was at Superstore and called re: their blue menu ww pasta. Egg in the factory there, too. The CSR was really great, and nicely explained that their suppliers put warnings when they believe there is really a risk, but that of course it's up to me with my comfort level, etc.

So I think it's off to the store to find rizopia. I bought some of their wild rice pasta for Alexander a while ago, and he really doesn't like it. We'll try some other types.

What really confuses me when companies are jerks about allergy inquiries is how they fail to realize that we could be potential customers down the road when our son outgrows his allergies *fingers crossed*. Also, isn't it just good customer service to be empathetic to a caller instead of giving them grief? Just my crazy perspective...

_________________
*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