Allergic Living » candy and allergies http://allergicliving.com The magazine for those living with food allergies, celiac disease, asthma and pollen allergies. Fri, 24 May 2013 19:30:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Valentine’s Day: The Allergy-Friendly Candy List http://allergicliving.com/index.php/2012/02/07/last-minute-safe-valentines-day/ http://allergicliving.com/index.php/2012/02/07/last-minute-safe-valentines-day/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:16:34 +0000 Jenny Kales http://allergicliving.com/?p=12770 Here’s some sweet news for all you last-minute Valentine’s Day shoppers: Supermarket and drugstore seasonal candy finds are becoming more and more allergy-friendly and gluten aware. We found several options right in the local aisles.

Updated for 2013 with files from Erin Stevenson, Website Coordinator

Available in the United States and Canada

• Double your love this Valentine’s Day by giving Divvies’ Two Hearts. These gourmet chocolate hearts can be enjoyed solo or shared with someone special. Contain soy. Available at Whole Foods locations in the U.S. and Canada. For more stores visit www.divvies.com.

• Allergy-friendly candy company Gimbal’s offers Cherry Lovers fruit chews, in charming heart shapes and made with real cherry juice. Free of the top 8 allergens, they are gluten-free and gelatin-free, plus contain no high-fructose corn syrup or trans fats. Available at grocers throughout the U.S. and in Canada at select Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart and London Drugs stores. Also buy online at www.gimbalscandy.com.

• Got fans of gummy candies on your list? All-natural, organic Fruity Hearts from Surf Sweets are available for a limited time in a seasonal heart shape. Enjoy mouth-watering cherry and watermelon flavors that are gluten-free, GMO-free and free of the Top 8 allergens.

• Class parties get a boost from Skittles Candy and Stickers, a candy kit with 25 Valentines (includes one for teacher!), along with small boxes of the original fruity candy. No peanuts, tree nuts, gluten, eggs or dairy – or gelatin.

• What would Valentine’s Day be without chocolate? Heart-shaped Valentine’s Dove Dark Chocolate Promises are dark, delicious – and nut-free. They’re gluten-free, too (but do contain milk and soy lecithin).

• Andes Crème de Menthe Mints are another great free-from chocolate option for your allergic sweetie. Wrapped in seasonal Valentine’s packaging, these luscious candy favorites are the perfect gift: no peanuts, tree nuts, eggs or gluten (but do contain milk and soy).

U.S. Only


• Kids (and kids at heart) will adore Smarties Love Hearts, the classic candy wafer with a Valentine’s twist. Free of gluten and the Top 8 allergens, each candy is imprinted with a heart design and a sweet saying. Have fun comparing love messages.

 

 

Canada Only

• In Canada, look for Canuck-style Smarties (from Nestlé Canada) in an attractive heart-shaped box with that eye-catching peanut-free logo. Also, no artificial flavors. Contains dairy, wheat and soy.


• Give kids twice the delight with a Kinder Surprise Egg. The certified peanut- and nut-free chocolate egg contains a small toy ready to assemble for an extra dash of fun & learning. No egg either, but contains dairy and soy lecithin.

Next: Online Goodie Shopping

]]> http://allergicliving.com/index.php/2012/02/07/last-minute-safe-valentines-day/feed/ 0 Mall’s Allergy-Safe Halloween Event A Huge Hit http://allergicliving.com/index.php/2011/10/13/a-mall-halloween-event-safe-for-everyone/ http://allergicliving.com/index.php/2011/10/13/a-mall-halloween-event-safe-for-everyone/#comments Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:43:14 +0000 Michelle Chow http://allergicliving.com/?p=11730 When I heard that our local mall puts on holiday kids’ events throughout the year, I was excited. So was my son, Nolan.

In the spring of 2010, I packed Nolan in the car and headed to Place D’Orleans mall Easter event. It started off great – we even ran into friends, and the two boys were soon happily working away at the craft table. Then I looked up and had one of those “Where did everyone go?” moments. Parents and kids were racing off in all directions. Unbeknownst to me, the event included a store-to-store trick or treat-style Easter candy gathering.

It didn’t take long before I parted ways with our friends, as it became apparent this wasn’t going to work. Our son was too young to understand he wouldn’t be able to have any of the candy and chocolates, but he was very aware that he wasn’t getting ‘something’ to hold like everyone else. I tried to be creative; I asked one shop owner to put ticket-gun price stickers on his hand. But that wasn’t enough to quell the tears welling up in his eyes.

Sure, I could have just bought him something, but that wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to be a part of the festivities. To compound the issue, now there were endless children eating very unsafe treats, who in turn were touching everyone and everything in the mall. I left the mall that day with my son in tears, causing the mommy guilt tears to flow also.

The next day, I wrote an e-mail to the mall’s management company. I thanked them for hosting wonderful children’s activities at our mall outside of Ottawa. But I also explained that, while not intentional, these events were in fact excluding children with food allergies.

A woman named Kirsty Allaire at Primaris Retail Management received the e-mail. Kirsty was empathetic, supportive and eager to know what changes could be made in order to make mall events safer and more inclusive.  She promised to see she what she could do for the next big mall event: Halloween.

Halloween rolled around, and I didn’t hear from her. Turns out she purposely hadn’t told me ahead of time what accommodations she had made. She wanted to see the look on my face.

Next page: Author is awed by the allergy accommodations

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