was it or wasn't it?? stomach pain

[CMdeux]

So, DD at this point trusts Trader Joe's considerably more than I do, that's for sure...

that as the preface to this.

Last night, we're running late, stop by TJ's to pick up a few staples on our way home (they carry Vinta crackers, among other things)--

DD desperately wants this carton of shelf-stable tomato soup that she found mis-shelved by the crackers.  I (wisely, I thought) told her that we'd have to go look over by the soup to check it more carefully)...

no warnings on package.  None, nada.

She took it home, poured the entire liter into a saucepan, made a few phone calls, got herself a bowl of this tomato soup, and had-- I kid you not-- about three TEASPOONFULS, complaining that it 'tasted odd.'

She then (within about ten minutes) began experiencing agonizing stomach cramping-- so bad that she laid on the floor, and at one point curled into a ball.  Dad, apparently, was unconcerned other than asking her if she were okay... (I was busy working on something on the computer elsewhere in the house).

By ten, she felt somewhat better (so ~2 hr post soup), but I also gave her some benadryl (half dose) just to help with any residual stomach cramping.

She thinks it was definitely something "allergic" but wasn't *quite* ready to point a finger at the soup... 

I'm not so sure, though.  I think that I'm going to use this as a learning opportunity for her-- by having her CALL TRADER JOE'S about it and see what she can find out.

I strongly suspect that one of two manufacturers is involved-- Imagine (which is Hain Celestial.. booo, hissss); or Pacific Foods, which.. um... makes a cashew version of some things on what I know are shared lines.  Oh, but not to worry, because just as organic-conscious consumers can rest assured that their food hasn't touched any nasty NON-organic food because of "cleaning" procedures... yeah, apparently allergic consumers have that same reassurance.   

ANYway.

Wanted to report to the community about this one, and will let y'all know what, if anything, we learn from TJ's.

[CMdeux]

SO nice that their website is now virtually useless for obtaining allergen information.

Hell-- ANY information.

No phone number.

Thanks to GetHuman, however, I think I have one anyway.

1-626-599-3700 ext. 3035

The TJ's website now states, (re: food allergens):

8. What are the Allergen Labeling Standards for Trader Joe's Private Label Products?
As with all health and safety related issues, we take food allergy concerns very seriously. We strive to ensure that all of our Trader Joe's brand products are labeled with reliable, accurate, and easy to read ingredient statements.

Trader Joe's strictly adheres to all Federal labeling guidelines. You can be assured that if any of the top eight allergens (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat and soy) are present in our private label products, they will be clearly labeled in familiar terms in our ingredient statements [e.g. casein (milk)]. You can also be certain that if "natural flavors" or "spices" contain any components that are allergens or are derived from allergens, they will be listed separately within the ingredient statement.

At our customers' request, we are including a "Contains" statement on most of our labels. This statement is an at-a-glance tool where Top 8 allergens present in the ingredients are clearly identified. What this statement doesn't include (there is only so much room on the label) is that all Trader Joe's private label suppliers follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP's). We work closely with all of the companies that manufacture our products and require that they are vigilant about minimizing and monitoring any potential cross contamination risk. Some of the steps taken to prevent cross contamination include education and training of employees about allergens, careful labeling and segregation of allergen ingredients, cleaning of lines between production runs and stringent scheduling of product runs. Manufacturers may even use alternate days to process products that contain allergens from those products that do not.

We provide you with all of this information so you can feel confident that you are making informed buying decisions. We want you to feel safe, comfortable and thrilled by with the food choices you are making.

As manufacturers and ingredients can change, we strongly encourage our customers to read ingredient information every time they buy a Trader Joe's brand product (or any product, for that matter).

Want to learn more about food allergies? Check out The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network at www.foodallergy.org.

Oh, well, then.  I guess if the ALMIGHTY food allergy GODS at FAAN say that shared lines aren't a problem, well, then, it must. be. true.   

[maeve]

The first thing that popped into my head when I started reading this was that the soup was likely made by Pacific.  I'm sorry about your DD. 

[Janelle205]

This sounds exactly like my soy reactions.  No hives or typical symptoms, but heinous stomach pain.  Laying on the floor, curling up into a ball, crying stomach pain.  Sometimes, but not always, accompanied by nasty lower GI stuff.  Though I seem to welcome that more - if I have the nasty GI stuff, the pain does seem to resolve faster.

[2boyz4me]

definitely sounds like a reaction to me.

It was how little man's most severe reaction started .... except he didn't full on react (screaming in pain, diarrhea/vomiting, sheet white complexion) until 4hours later. But he only ate a couple of bites of the offending food.

[Carefulmom]

I stopped buying TJ`s stuff about ten years ago, because at that time so much of it was cross contaminated and not labeled as such.  That was a long time ago, so that may have changed.  On the rare occasion that dd has tried unbaked milk, if she has symptoms, it is often abdominal pain, sometimes with no other "allergy" symptoms.    When she had milk desensitization (which we stopped doing), when her dose was increased to one teaspoon of powdered milk she had severe abdominal pain.  I think someone on this board undergoing peanut desensitization may have had abdominal pain as a symptom also.  Good luck in finding out exactly what caused this.

[GoingNuts]

Let me just say that the phrase "Good manufacturing practices" makes me see ten shades of red.

So sorry your DD experienced this.  I'd be quite suspicious as well.

[CMdeux]

The really odd thing is that the soup's ingredient label doesn't precisely match either anything in Hain's Imagine line or in Pacific's soup line.

Of course, it could be a proprietary blend made under contract with one or the other-- it's just that usually, this kind of thing is far more blatant in that the ingredient label and nutritional content matches precisely.

DD still hasn't called-- but we kept the packaging so that she can on Monday or Tuesday.

[Ra3chel]

[quote
You can also be certain that if "natural flavors" or "spices" contain any components that are allergens or are derived from allergens, they will be listed separately within the ingredient statement.
[/quote]


I'll be over here, seething.

[CMdeux]

Yeah, I thought of y'all with sesame and other seed allergies when I saw that butt-concealing statement, I'll tell ya what...

[CMdeux]

INFO update:

shared lines.

TREE NUTS.

MILK (which is an ingredient, so, yeah... uh... DUH.)

SOY.

EGG.


(This is the point at which I took the phone from DD, because she was shocked speechless...)


The CSR that we spoke with is investigating (at my insistance) which treenuts.  (With the manufacturer, fwiw.)

I also made it CRYSTAL clear that the 'new and improved' labeling policy is inadequate for the most sensitive persons with LTFA-- and we just PROVED IT.  I think that my exact words were: You are going to KILL someone.  People TRUST you because your previous policy of labeling was so thorough and reliable.

[CMdeux]

ALMOND.

HAZELNUT.


CASHEW.



Well, then.

I guess we know who the likely culprit is here.  (I am also thinking that this probably means Pacific is the manufacturer... since Pacific is the one with the cashew-ginger variety.    <SIGH>)

She said that the manager of (something-or-other) was sitting near her when she took the original call-- and when I asked if there are plans to change the labeling policy (ie-- removing the 'discretionary' component of 'empowering' manufacturers to identify when clean is clean 'enough'), she said that they WILL be using this as an example in favor of more OPEN labels in the future.

So, maybe the call did some good.

I will say that they were helpful-- and relatively prompt.   

[GoingNuts]

B@stards. 

Is it so much to ask that when we read a label, the information should be consistent and reliable?   

[Macabre]

Oh my cm. really sorry to read this!  So glad it wasn't worse

[YouKnowWho]

I had all but given up on Trader Joes because so much was cross contaminated with wheat or gluten but their change in food allergy policies is ridiculous.  Shopping with 1-3 kids is not conducive to calling to find out what is safe in my cart, kwim.  Not to mention getting burned from their parent company, Aldis (which oddly enough is supposed to be labeling "better" these days).

Sunbutter only and frankly at this point in the game, I would rather throw my money towards buying it at my local grocery store for three times the price because they have a btter allergy free section.

Hugs to your daughter CM.  I find it odd when shopping at Walmart for Great Value brands that I can pick up say their brand of stock and Swansons and see the exact same ingredients but only Walmart has a may contain for wheat/gluten.  That certainly explains a lot in the beginning of the allergy journey.