food service/restaurants and cumin recall

[Macabre]

See, without knowing all suppliers, I don't know that we can actually trust what any restaurant says at this point.

Case in point:  two weeks ago when I thought this just involved Adams and had no idea who imports the cumin that Adams uses, I called the Texas Tamale Company--both a restaurant and a manuafacturer.  They had not *heard* of the recall. We enjoyed theIt tamales (sold nationwide) Christmas and frankly, I want them as an option for spinach and black bean tamales (wish they also made sweet potato tamales!)

Anyway, I told them. They were appreciative. They called me back last week to tell me they don't use Adams cumin.

Well, fine. But now that information is not enough. I want to call them back, but I want to know the right questions to ask.

Does Chipotle have the right information in order to tell us it's fine?

[CMdeux]

 


EXCELLENT!!!   Thank you so much for sharing their response to you, Jessica.

[setsail]

I contacted Taco Bell twice by phone and email. The customer service reps were unaware of any recall and could not verify if cumin is included in the blanket 'spice' statement. I was told that a nutritionist would call me back within 3 business days to follow up on what products contain cumin, and who their supplier is. I'll update when I have information.

Miriam at Taco Bell called me back this morning. Their supplier is not included in the recall, and the nutrition team is aware of the recall.
The only thing my family gets there is refried beans and those specially do not contain cumin. The blanket statement of spice in the ingredients for the beans is chili powder, and natural flavor is garlic and onion.

[CMdeux]

Thank you very much, setsail. 

[CMdeux]

Qdoba-specific information:

Regular allergen and ingredient listings:

http://www.qdoba.com/downloads/Qdoba_Allergen_Info.pdf

Again, no cumin spelled out-- but cumin WILL be there in "spice" or "flavorings."  Guarantee it.


http://www.qdoba.com/talk-to-us



Prefer Phone?

Guest Help and Feedback: 1-858-522-4571

or mail?

QDOBA MEXICAN GRILL
7244 W. Bonfils Lane
Lakewood, CO 80226
Reception Desk: (720) 898-2300
Fax: (720) 898-2396

I've got a call in to Qdoba.

They are checking.

My intro was "hey, so there is this HUGE recall happening right now in N. America for peanut contamination in cumin.  Just wondering if Qdoba can tell me whether or not any/all of Qdoba's suppliers have/can verify that their cumin supplies are/are not part of this recall effort?"


(Someone else had already called them-- so they had already been checking!)


As far they know at this point-- their vendors are NOT NOT NOT part of the recall.

"As of this point in time" was the verbiage used, however...  which I questioned him about, but no great answer for that.  Pretty much "we only know what our vendors can tell us at this time, which is that they aren't part of the recall."

So that could change?  "Not to the best of our knowledge at this time.  We don't have very many vendors for something like that, and they have all checked out."

[Macabre]

Well heck yeah it could change.

That's why I'm wanting to know the name of their cumin supplier.  So that I will know next week if I can go there. 

[Macabre]

Moe's would be another place to contact.

Moe's Corporate office:  (404) 255-3250  8-5 ET

I've left a message. I will try again tomorrow.  I asked the name of their cumin supplier. 

Moe's has amazing allergy information.     

http://www.moes.com/food/allergens/

They label for sesame.  Srsly. 

From their allergen page:

(checkmark) Contains allergen

The only soy-derived ingredient used in the recipe or for cooking purposes is highly refined soybean oil, which studies have shown is safe for consumption by most individuals with soy allergies. Please reference www.foodallergy.org

♦ Our corn chips and corn tortilla shells do not contain gluten as an ingredient. We do, however, fry our corn chips and corn tortilla shells in the same fryer as our flour salad shells; therefore, there is a risk of cross-contamination during preparation

Moe's Southwest Grill® attempts to identify ingredients that may cause allergic reactions for those with food allergies. We strive to educate our food staff on the severity of food allergens and critical points of cross-contamination. Because allergens are present in the environment, there is a potential risk of cross-contamination. Based on the information listed, if you have a food allergy to any of the ingredients prepared or served in our restaurants, please keep in mind when deciding which food items are right for you that there are products containing wheat/gluten, soy, milk, and eggs in our restaurants. Cross-contact may occur during food preparation and storage. Variations may occur due to differences in suppliers and/or ingredient substitutions.

Our food does not contain shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, or sesame.

[nameless]

ya'll are focusing on mexican food, when cumin is a popular spice in indian food too...fwiw

[CMdeux]

Yeah-- it's just... if you already have a peanut allergy, that one is already high risk, so...  it's just a lower priority, that's all-- I mean, yeah, it's still a thing for people who are very definitely not tree-but allergic, sure.

But I don't know of any chains (only locally owned restaurants) and I also don't know much about what would contain cumin other than curries.

[Jessica]

we ate at chipotle today. No problems. dd has never ingested or reacted as far as we know (dx through skin test and uknow test). She has had hives from being around bins of peanuts though. And very possibly cc when she was younger (in the days before we had internet and before we had an allergist and were pretty much clueless about cc and companies were not allergy friendly).

[Macabre]

Yeah, we absolutely never go to Indian restaurants.  I make curry at home (except that last year my broad palate DS told me he does not like it   ), but I already know my spices in my cabinet are fine.  But yeah--I can't imagine there are many Indian restaurants that are safe for us with our allergies.  Like I no longer go to Ethiopian restaurants or Thai restaurants.  I just can't imagine eating out that "exotically" anymore. But Mexican food is home.  It's staple food for me. 

[nameless]

nevermind

[Irene]

We also eat at Chipotle a lot so I sent them an email this morning.  Received a reply within an hour saying that their cumin supplier is not affected by the recalls.  Hope they are right!
Incidentally, we had lunch at a Bertucci's (MA) today and I asked the manager about the recalls.  It did not seem like he knew about it but he said they do not use cumin in any of their dishes.  Hope he is right. 
I hate this - reminds me of when I am outside the U.S. and I cannot trust what labels say and what people say about ingredients.

[Macabre]

Thanks Irene! 

Here's another member who heard the same thing.  This is a huge, huge relief.

CONFIRMED BY ME: Chipotle NOT affected! I suggested the put a notice on their website or FB page to make lots of worried folks happy!

(myname),

Thanks so much for getting in touch. As a Chipotle lover with food allergies, I totally understand how important this is. I'm happy to say we were not impacted by the recall. I'll also suggest we're a bit more forthcoming about this.

I hope you enjoy a burrito bowl soon!

Sincerely,
Amanda C

Customer Service Consultant
Chipotle Mexican Grill

[setsail]

Miriam from Taco Bell finally called me back, again. Their cumin supplier is not part of the recall at this time, and I specifically asked if the chili powder contains cumin. She said it does not.