Talking Allergies

Hey Canuckmommy, That's great that your father is going to advocate for "nut-free" McDonald's. Can you ask him (and I'm serious about this!) if they would also consider going sesame-free??? I've actually considered contacting McDonald's Canada to strongly request this... our son has multiple food allergies (including peanut, tree nuts, sesame, sunflower, egg, fish.... (I won't go on)), but having said this, our son could still eat the chicken nuggets and fries - and he has about a half dozen times, without incident. However, I know of 2 individuals with sesame allergies, that have eaten chicken nuggets and fries, and have had a reaction due to the fact that sesame is in the restaurant. Sesame appears in Canada's top 9 most common food allergens, so it is of real concern. McDonald's would be on the "leading edge" if they moved towards a sesame-free bun (okay, they'd have to change the jingle to "Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-free bun",) but that would be GREAT! People with sesame allergy could eat there once in awhile. Our family does not eat in ANY restaurants... McD's was our only option (once in awhile), until I learned of the seious possibility of a sesame reaction, so we must steer clear of it.

I'll check with my Dad to see if he can ask Head Office if there are any plans in the works. Leaving off sesame seeds isn't a big deal to those of us who aren't allergic to them but it's a HUGE deal to people like you who have family members with serious allergies to them. Quite frankly, I'm not even sure why they're on the buns to begin with. It's not like they add flavour to the bun!

You could probably email (or write) McD head office yourself for an answer too. If more of us inquire they may see it as something to look into. I'll keep you posted!

_________________
SAHM of 3 children. Oldest DS (1999) is anaphylactic to peanuts.

Thanks Canuckmommy - much appreciated! These "movements" have to start somewhere, and maybe your dad can help influence decision making where it counts! I definitely will contact McDonald's Canada myself as well - like I said, I've considered it, but I just haven't done it yet.

Hey everybody, before anyone jumps all over me for wanting to feed my children McDonald's once in a blue moon, I'll defend my position right up front. I am HUGELY interested in nutritiion and physical fitness. Our family eats a healthy diet and we're very active. Yes, I've seen "Supersize Me" and done lots of related reading. A trip to McDonald's, for our family, would be a rare treat. And that's it!

Yes, McDonald's is not the greatest place to eat, but it's a nice outing once in a while...and let's face it, we all need a break from cooking now and then.

I agree completely that we don't need the sesame seeds on the buns, they add a little bit of flavour but it's nothing earth shattering and I don't think people would miss them.

And yes, they are almost nut-free, so why not go all the way. I personally don't like peanuts on my sundaes...It would be nice if all the blizzard ingredients were safe too. I think the Smarties and the Oreos are safe, but the strawberry stuff, I'm note sure, and they also have special flavours every now and then that I'm not sure about, like the Cadbury caramel eggs and the Rolos. I'm sure they could find alternatives. If there's one good thing about McDonald's is that they are PR oriented.

Ah - I would love to find a place that we could all go and eat out as a family! Even if it was McD. But our daughter is severly allergic to peanut & sesame. It would be great to see more fast food places give up the sesame! I was never much for cooking but have had to step up to the plate since discovering the allergies, but it would still be SO NICE to have another option. Especially for travelling. We make quite a few trips back to our home town which is about a 4hr drive. We usually travel at night when the kids are sleeping so we don't have to stop.

I actually picked up a Happy Meal for my daughter the other day (for the first time in AGES) and was surprised to find the granola bar in the bag. At first I read the ingredients on the package only to humour her (fully intending to throw it away) but then I was shocked to see the "Peanut free" symbol on the front.

Too bad it's a limited time offer. I think it's a step in the right direction. I just wish they'd offer more nutritious snacks too (in addition to the apple slices).

I just got an email from my Dad (owner/operator of McDonald's). He wrote an email to the Product Development Manager requesting that they remove all peanuts from all of their restaurants.

Here's a bit of what he wrote:
"McDonald's has always been a leader in product development and innovation. My grandson, Ethan, now 6 years old, is allergic to peanuts. He carries 2 Epipens to school each day, in fact, everywhere he goes. In my business meeting in March I suggested that we eliminate peanuts from our menu, totally. There is a reference to "may contain traces of peanuts or other nuts" now on our cookies and we have peanuts available for our sundaes. Schools do not allow peanuts, and McDonald's is a place for kids. Think about it!!! ".

It's a step in the right direction. Maybe if we write in to McD's head office and start requesting removing all nuts it might get done in the near future.

I also talk to my Dad about removing sesame seeds from their buns. He didn't think that would go over as well. I informed him that sesame allergies is one of the top food allergies. Maybe I can convince him to bring that topic up at head office too.

_________________
SAHM of 3 children. Oldest DS (1999) is anaphylactic to peanuts.