Our experience:  reading labels (3x) is essential, but it's not enough for many manufacturers. They don't have to label for shared equipment.

Some do. We trust the labeling of:

Hershey
Guittard (in your area often only found at World Market --and worth the search$
General Mills
Keebler
Pillsbury
Betty Crocker

It doesn't mean everything they make us safe, but when their label reads safe, I trust that it is.


Other nice, yummy allergy friendly companies:
Divvies (cookies, caramel corn)
Vermont Nut Free chocolate (in addition to the chocolate they have year around, including novelty shapes, they have Easter Bunnies and heart boxes and things for other holidays {Hershey also has Choc bunnies}
Fancy Pants frosted cookies
Enjoy Life


HTH

Also keep in mind that some here are in Canada and some are in the US (and some are in other countries, though it doesn't seem to be as many). Brands that label well in Canada may not do the same in the US.

I bet Fancy Pants Bakery has a cute sugar cookie for Easter.  Do you have a Whole Foods near by?  My kids think they are a great treat.

Quote from: EmilyAnn on March 18, 2013, 12:43:44 PM
can I trust the lables? if it doesn't have a warning is it safe to assume it is safe? I thought they didn't have to lable for possible cross-contamination?

I guess what I am trying to figure out if the lable will give me all the info I need or if there is more to it than just reading the lables.

I would not trust labels alone for high risk foods like chocolate and baked goods and others.  But for many other types of candy you are probably OK with label reading alone with your allergy set.  But you might want to contact companies to be extra sure of their labeling policies.  Some companies have a policy to put a warning on labels if there is a chance of cross contamination and others do not have this policy.  So, lack of a warning may mean a food is safe or it may not mean much of anything.

Chocolate is notorious for not being safe for people with peanut, tree nut, milk and egg, and probably soy and other allergies because when makers of chocolate switch from one type to another they don't clean the equip first.  They use whatever is left of the old flavor/type in making the new type because chocolate is expensive.  So, there is usually cross contamination.  I would be very, very careful and picky about which chocolate you use. 

You probably know this but most bakery food is not safe, either.  Most bakery places do not label for potential cross contamination and most have potential nut and peanut cross contamination.  You may know of Dr. Wood (a famous allergist)'s experience eating a cookie a colleague made specially 'allergy free' for him.  The cookie was made on the same pan or touched with the same spatula that the colleague's wife had used to make pb cookies earlier in the day.  Dr. Wood needed many epi pens and had a multi-day stay in the hospital. 

I think lists can be very helpful starting points but it is good to do your own research.

Quote from: EmilyAnn on March 18, 2013, 09:35:01 AM

Quote from: candyguru on March 17, 2013, 11:35:47 PM

There are often safe products posted in the Manufacturers thread here as well

where is that?

Manufacturers Safe and Unsafe is one of the Discussion Boards forums on this website- just click in Discussion Boards.

Enjoy Life foods is another incredible company that makes peanut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, and more products such as cookies, chocolate chips, chocolate bars, etc

http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/#page=page-1

here is an example of one of their products:



Ingredients:
Flour Mix (White Rice Flour, Buckwheat Flour, Millet Flour), Chocolate Chips (Evaporated Cane Juice, Chocolate Liquor (Non-Alcoholic), Non- Dairy Cocoa Butter), Palm Oil, Evaporated Cane Juice, Brown Pure Cane Sugar, Natural Flavor, Salt, Vanilla, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Xanthan Gum, Rosemary Extract

Allergen Info
Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Peanut Free, Tree Nut Free, Egg Free, Soy Free, Fish Free, Shellfish Free.

A lot depends upon the allergic person's threshold.

With a very LOW reaction threshold, the answer to that question is "no, not always-- sometimes you have to investigate further to know what a company's policy is, and what it means."

With a more moderate threshold-- which, if you've not been seeing reactions and you've been relying upon labels for several months, seems likely-- then yes, relying upon labels is MOSTLY going to be just fine.  You may want to be cautious about new items, and those manufacturers that you're new to/unfamiliar with, and of course follow general cautions about particularly high risk foods (baked goods, deli items, restaurants, etc.).

Why choose the latter approach?
For one thing, it's far far less restrictive.
Secondly, it's far easier to teach OTHERS how to do it.
Thirdly, there is increasing evidence that points to 'excessive' avoidance as a means to depress that triggering dose down into VERY low amounts of the allergen...

The reasons that I would go with that approach unless you see a reason why it needs to change are that eventually, you'll need to turn this over to your child, most likely during adolescence as he starts to gain independence from adults, but even before then as he attends parties, playdates, classes, camp, etc.  Your child and other adults without your expertise will need to do whatever it is that you opt for, so basically you want to spend your time now TEACHING how to do it right.  It is really a tall order for adolescents and inexperienced adults to just read every label every time, frankly... and anything more than that is likely to lead to occasionally APPALLING lapses, which are super-dangerous.

You can always reevaluate at any time if you are still having problems with that approach (trust the label), after all.   This would NOT be good advice for an allergen not included in FALCPA's mandatory labeling, incidentally.

HTH. 

can I trust the lables? if it doesn't have a warning is it safe to assume it is safe? I thought they didn't have to lable for possible cross-contamination?

I guess what I am trying to figure out if the lable will give me all the info I need or if there is more to it than just reading the lables.

QuoteMaster list-not really because everyone is dealing with different allergies. (My DS is allergic to tree nuts, but not peanuts)
My other problem with the list is who made it and do I trust them and manufacturers can change their ingredients or procedures without telling you (hence read the label every time).

This.

The other thing that I strongly recommend is to take a glance through a few months' worth of recall info (in the recall forum just below this Manufacturer's one here, we have listings that have pertinent info in headings).  Why is this a useful way to quickly construct a comfort zone?  Well, it lets you know which packaged foods are VERY high, high, and moderately high risk... and sometimes you can pinpoint manufacturers to steer clear of, too.

Quote from: candyguru on March 17, 2013, 11:35:47 PM

There are often safe products posted in the Manufacturers thread here as well

where is that?

Something to keep in mind with items like Dum Dum lollipops, Tootsie Rolls, and Smarties.  They are generally only safe if they are packaged by the original manufacturer.  It's not uncommon to see these items repackaged under a store's label, such as CVS.  The companies that repackage these items for stores often use shared lines.

Dum Dum lollipops are a safe choice.  My daughters both eat them (and they are allergic to almost everything)

No matter the food allergy, whether it is gluten, nuts, soy, wheat, or dairy, Dum Dums won't trigger a reaction. In fact, the only reaction that might be triggered when enjoying a Dum Dums is a smile.
http://www.dumdumpops.com/gluten-free-halloween-candy


As Hezzier mentioned, many Hershey products are safe.  But you have to always read the labels as some are not safe. This year, I have seen safe Hershey eggs and bunnies (though read the labels to be sure).  Many Hersheys kisses are safe as well.  I bought my daughter some caramel kisses last week.


There are often safe products posted in the Manufacturers thread here as well  

Master list-not really because everyone is dealing with different allergies.  (My DS is allergic to tree nuts, but not peanuts)
My other problem with the list is who made it and do I trust them and manufacturers can change their ingredients or procedures without telling you (hence read the label every time).


Hershey's - some
Skittles
Tootsie Products
Vermont Nut Free Chocolate
Dove - some
Gimball's jellybean (walmart usually has them)
Mike N Ikes
Starburst
Smarties
Canadian products are usually better labeled than US (we are lagging behind in this)


Many things can be ordered on peanutfreeplanet.com.  I order our granola bars from there.

Is there a list of candy that can easily be found in stores that is safe for a child with peanut and tree nut allergies? I know I need to read lables on everything, but is there some kind of master list to get me started? My son was just diagnosed 2 weeks ago so I am still learning. And his grandparents are asking me what he can have and I am trying to figure out what to do for Easter (basket and egg hunts.)

I have found a few lists online, but they seem to contradict. One says Kellogs Rice Crispy Treats are safe, another list says all Kellogs products have cross contamination.

So I was wondering if there was a list of trusted companies or something? Is the Snack Safely list a good one? I am a little concerned because it says "They do not contain peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs as ingredients and their packaging lists no warnings that such allergens may have been introduced as part of the manufacturing process." Is a lack of a warning the same as saying something is safe? Or do I need to call every company and ask? (hard to do with 3 little boys running around the house, but I will do it if it is what's needed.)