If you trust Great Value labeling, read this!!

[Jessica]

I read recently that someone on a facebook group called GV and was told that some manufacturers label for shared lines/facility and some do not. In the past I was told that they will always label for them. So I called and here is what is posted at the FB group (copying it here).

I called Great Value just now and at first the rep said anything made in a shared facility or shared lines would be labeled as such. BUT IT WAS A LIE. I gave her the codes to GV products in my home. Here are some of the results:

Great Value cream cheese. Contains milk. MADE IN A FACILITY WITH PECANS. not labeled that way.

Great Value pure maple syrup. Made in a facility with milk, anchovies, wheat and soy. Not labeled.

Great Value cream of chicken soup. Contains milk, wheat and soy. Made in a facility with egg.

The rest were labeled correctly:
Honey, instant chocolate pudding, mustard with horseradish, pizza sauce, extra light olive oil, spaghetti sauce (traditional flavor), quick oats, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, condensed milk.

In addition, this could change since many items are not always from the same facility and even if they are production within the same facility can change. The number above the UPC shows the supplier code but some items don't have this number at all.

I am really upset that I have recommended Great Value so often and now to find out that it may not (and probably is not) always safe. So if a product has a 'made in a facility with' and none of your allergens are listed it's *probably* safe. If there's no such statement you have to call for every one.

[SilverLining]

Product pages on Facebook are playgrounds.

Is this page an authorized one? 

[Jessica]

It's not a product page. It's a support group. I'm the one that called Great Value today-I called them after someone else had called and were told they don't always label well and she told the group about it. Today I spoke with a lady on the phone for about an hour reading her UPC and supplier codes from packages I have in my house and then she looked them up to see about the facility they were made in. As you can see in the post, there were 3 items that would have had warnings if they labeled everything like they've said in the past, but these 3 items did not have any type of warning on them. I already threw out the cream cheese but the soup and maple syrup are fine for us so I kept them.

eta: I only mentioned the facebook group because a post there is what prompted me to call, and also I posted the same thing there so in case anyone saw it in two places they'd see it was posted in both places by the same person.  Also this is in the US. No idea if Walmart/Great Value in Canada has the same policies.

[SilverLining]

I am sorry I misunderstood.  Thank you for clarifying.

[twinturbo]

What did the rep say after she saw it with her own eyes? Thanks for taking that time out to call and verify everything first hand. I count on GV for my PA child. Guess that was too good to be true.

[momma2boys]

Hmmm, and I always thought they over labeled.

[Jessica]

What did the rep say after she saw it with her own eyes? Thanks for taking that time out to call and verify everything first hand. I count on GV for my PA child. Guess that was too good to be true.

After each item that was incorrectly labeled I said "that wasn't on the label" and she said she would note that and let the appropriate department know. She seemed surprised about the first item (which, at the time, was the maple syrup). I told her the inconsistency was the worst part. A lot of the allergic community is trusting their labeling unconditionally. At least with companies like Cambpell's or Kraft we know their overall policy but if a brand labels only for allergens in the actual ingredients sometimes, and shared lines or facilities sometimes, and not at all sometimes, that is a serious problem.

One Great Value thing that I use and have no other brand substitute that I trust for right now is cream soups. I don't use them much though, and it won't be a big deal to call each time, but I can't usually call from the store due to the hour, and don't like the idea of buying and having to return food items. I don't want to get numbers, go home and call, and then go back and buy because what if the supplier number changes-then I have to call again anyway.

For oats I emailed Mom's Best and was told they don't have nuts in the facility where the oats are made/packaged.

[Jessica]

Hmmm, and I always thought they over labeled.

Me too. And that's the problem-on some products they do over label and on some they don't. And there's no way to distinguish between them.

The way this whole thing started was that someone on the FB group found Great Value ice cream with no warning. So they called and were told that the ice cream was made on shared lines with nuts. Then another person called and was told that some of their manufacturers label and some do not. And that was when I called. 

[twinturbo]

Can you sub Better than Bouillon? They have milk in many of their bases. I know because they're safe for my PA kid but deadly for the other. I think there's a creamy mushroom one I seem to remember out of sheer fright for horrifically low threshold MA child. I digress. BTB should he safe for nut, plain ingredients, concentrate lasts a while so not so bad once price is aggregated.

[Jessica]

Thanks TT. I emailed them to make sure-I think I've seen it at Walmart.

[YouKnowWho]

I have lots of words not fit for public consumption to put in here.

We don't do much in the way of GV but I have to say it was eye opening and lots of aha moments in regards to mystery reactions DS1 has had over the years because when labels read exactly the same as a name brands (GV broth vs Swanson) but one has a may contain wheat warning it's like ding, ding, ding.  I am not crazy.

Jessica - there are lots of recipes out there to make your own cream of soups.  I have yet to find one that works for both kids because of the allergy differences (and I would post ours but pretty sure you don't need a GF version).  I usually start at Allrecipes though others on a discount board said they found theirs through Pinterest.

[Jessica]

I've looked at diy recipes but I'll be honest-when I'm making a recipe that uses a cream soup it's because the recipe is quick and easy on a day when I don't have much time. If I have to take the time to make the ingredients first, I probably won't bother. HOWEVER, if I can find a freezable substitute I wouldn't be above making a batch and freezing it for future uses. I'll have to look for an option like that.

[YouKnowWho]

I've looked at diy recipes but I'll be honest-when I'm making a recipe that uses a cream soup it's because the recipe is quick and easy on a day when I don't have much time. If I have to take the time to make the ingredients first, I probably won't bother. HOWEVER, if I can find a freezable substitute I wouldn't be above making a batch and freezing it for future uses. I'll have to look for an option like that.

I totally understand that and I know on one of the frugal living posts they mentioned freezing it as well as making said meals using cream of ahead and freezing. 

I only use once in a blue moon these days - have learned to work around them because it took me awhile to find a recipe that worked with all of our allergens, tasted decent and didn't cost me an arm and a leg due to specialized ingredients, kwim?  Cream of soups are supposed to be a frugal staple and frankly, for us because of allergies they are added cost. 

[mkevsmom]

I freeze my homemade cream of ___ soups, and while it's not exactly the same, it's good reheated. I just make sure to boil it so it all comes back together.
I don't use a recipe. Just equal parts butter/olive oil and flour. Wisk in a hot pan and let it cook for a minute or two. Then I very slowly add milk and keep wisking and wisking. I do replace part of the milk with water to make it lower in calories. I typically cook whatever I am adding in a separate pan. Mushrooms sauteed in butter or celery in butter or olive oil, usually. I season with salt and pepper and sometimes garlic or onion powder. I combine it all and let it simmer for a bit. Then I cool it and freeze it in quart-sized ziplock bags, which I lay flat in the freezer so they stack neatly and are easy to reheat.

[Jessica]

I don't even want to have to boil it. I just want something I can throw in the recipe and not worry about it and not worry about dirtying another pan. So I guess I'll keep using the GV and call for every can.