A Farewell to Arms … er, Eggs

With Easter coming up, one of our favourite treats is – or rather was - the Cadbury Easter Creme Egg. This year we found to our dismay that they contain a may contain peanuts warning.

Sigh.

So now as we watch the clucking bunny commercials, we mourn the loss of this Easter-time staple in our house. Now while I don’t think that companies need to change their products to suit consumers’ allergen sensitivities, it’s always encouraging to see companies that put in the extra effort to make allergen-sensitive products and lines.

… and equally discouraging when companies change recipes or production facilities that introduce allergens into their products.

Sigh.

Eating out Allergen-Free

I’ve noticed a number of visits to the website through Google searches for peanut-free restaurants in Canada.

Earlier on in my blog I listed a number of restaurants that we tend to frequent as a family, which provide either peanut-free menus or peanut-allergy-friendly options.

There’s a restaurant in town called “Frankie’s Ristorante”, which prides itself on being 100% gluten- and wheat- free. As well, they are a peanut-free and nut-free environment. We haven’t been yet, but have heard nothing but great reviews from our friends. As their website states, “We feel that anyone, with almost any food sensitivity, should be able to eat an enjoyable, fulfilling and tasty meal without the risk of cross-contamination.”

List Update …

Also, Wild Wing originally listed in Uxbridge has undergone a makeover. The owners remain the same, but they are no longer a part of the aforementioned franchise. Now called Clem’s Custom Wings, they allow you to customize (fancy that) your wing order. For example …

1 & 1/2 lbs of original wings, tossed in Frank’s Red Hot sauce and blue cheese dressing, and dusted in Southern Heat BBQ spice.

This was my first foray into their menu, and I wasn’t disappointed. You get to choose the type of wing (boneless or bone-in), what topping(s) to toss, coat, and/or dust them in, and a plethora of sides and beverages to match.

And our favourite heart attack waiting to happen …

Some people may mistake this for poutine, but this is more. This is fries with cheese, gravy, and … wait for it … bacon!

… like I said, our favourite heart attack waiting to happen.

So if you’re in the Uxbridge area, check out either of these fine eateries. And, by the way, Clem’s is also in Port Perry.

Baking Stuff

Just a quick note about Wilton’s cake-decorating supplies.

The icing colours are no longer safe. The lady on the other end of the phone wasn’t too clear as to why … either they’ve changed manufacturing practices, or the labelling was never consistent in the first place.

It used to be that they were all peanut-free, then we started finding ones (in our own cupboards) that listed the dreaded may contain tagline. So Krystyne called, and since then we have had to scramble to find other alternatives.

So far, we’ve used liquid food colouring and Kool-Aid mix. Between the two, the liquid food colouring works better, but nothing like the way the Wilton icing colours did.

The search continues …

Candy? Can Do!

My wife, Krystyne, is a bargain shopper. In fact, she may be the Queen … nay, Empress … of bargain shoppers.

One thing that becomes difficult when your child has a special diet is finding treats for a decent price. When it comes to peanut-free chocolate, we shop our local grocery and department stores.

“Buh-duh.”

However … while this isn’t rocket science, in order to get the best bang for your buck make sure to shop after one holiday for the next holiday.

After Christmas, buy for Valentine’s Day.
After Valentine’s Day, buy for Easter.
After Easter, buy for the Summer break.
After the Back to School rush, buy for Halloween.
After Halloween, buy for Christmas.

… And repeat.

For example since Valentine’s Day just finished, Krystyne picked up our Easter treats on February 15^th. She found Hershey’s Kisses for 80 cents per package at WalMart. She bought … let’s just say she bought lots!

This means that the kids will be happy come Easter. There will be lots of Easter eggs for the hunt (we have hollow plastic eggs that we fill with treats), chock full of yummy Valentine’s Day chocolates!

… Provided we don’t eat them all before that.

What a Year!

After a gruelling year of allergy tests, family trauma, exhilarating highs and excruciating lows …

LIAM IS NO LONGER AIRBORNE-ALLERGIC TO PEANUTS!!!

Now, he is still touch-allergic and definitely taste-allergic … anaphylactic at that … but after blood tests, smear tests, and even a blind peanut challenge, we now have had at least a large amount of stress removed from our shoulders.

I remember many times us saying, “if even he were not airborne-allergic …”, and now that’s a reality. It means that we no longer have to monitor what everyone else eats (a relief to both us and other parents), and we can return to only watching what our own family eats.

And, speaking of which, we’ve found another peanut-free (and diet-friendly) snack.

Cheecha Krackles are a Canadian puffed potato snack product that are produced in a nut-free facility, come in a variety of flavours, and also offer a gluten-free line. Oh, and did I mention that there are 0 Trans Fats, Less than 3 grams of fat, and only 89 calories in a 2-cup portion! Careful, though – they are very tasty and therefore extremely addictive.

Quaker Crispy Minis changed again

I realize that this blog has been quiet of late, but I felt it important to let people know that there have been changes to the recipe for Quaker’s Crispy Mini Rice Chips – which had been a staple in our peanut-safe classroom. They changed the recipe once before to include trace amounts of peanuts (and other allergens). Now I am happy to report that they have reduced the number of allergens in 10 flavours of this product.

Here is the notice, forwarded through Anaphylaxis Canada …

**********************************

NOTICE FROM: PepsiCo Canada

March 2010

IMPORTANT NOTICE: QUAKER BRAND TO REDUCE ALLERGENS

IN SEVERAL CRISPY MINIS® RICE CHIPS

As part of its ongoing mission to deliver healthy and convenient options that fit into a healthy lifestyle, PepsiCo Canada's Quaker brand is making changes to its manufacturing and allergen control procedures for its Crispy Minis rice chips.

The changes will reduce the number of potential allergens in most flavours of rice chips products only. Allergen labeling on other Crispy Minis products, including Crispy Minis Bite Size rice chips, Crispy Minis Delights cookies and Crispy Minis rice cakes, remains the same.

The reduced allergen Crispy Minis rice chips are now on store shelves in major Canadian retail outlets. Accordingly, ingredients listings will be changing, and precautionary labeling will be adjusted only on affected products, as follows:

CRISPY MINIS RICE CHIPS FLAVOUR	CURRENT FORMULA	NEW FORMULA
Ketchup	Contains Milk and Soy Ingredients. May Contain Wheat, Egg, and Peanut	Contains Milk and Soy Ingredients
Sea Salt & Lime	Contains Milk and Soy Ingredients. May Contain Wheat, Egg, and Peanut	Contains Milk and Soy Ingredients
Salt & Vinegar	Contains Milk and Soy Ingredients. May Contain Wheat, Egg, and Peanut	Contains Milk and Soy Ingredients
Caramel Kettle Corn	Contains Sulphites. May Contains Wheat, Milk, Soy, Egg and Peanut.	Contains Sulphites. May Contain Soy.
Crunchy Dill	Contains Milk and Soy Ingredients. May Contain Wheat, Egg, and Peanut.	Contains Milk and Soy Ingredients.
Butter Popcorn	Contains Milk and Soy Ingredients. May Contain Wheat, Egg, and Peanut.	Contains Milk and Soy Ingredients.
Sweet Chili	N/A new flavour	Contains Soy and Wheat Ingredients.
BBQ	Contains Milk and Barley Ingredients. May Contain Soy, Egg, Wheat, and Peanut.	Contains Milk and Barley Ingredients. May Contain Soy.
Cheddar	Contains Milk and Soy Ingredients. May Contain Wheat, Egg, and Peanut.	Contains Milk and Soy Ingredients.
Sour Cream & Onion	Contains Milk Ingredients. May Contain Soy, Egg, Wheat, and Peanut.	Contains Milk Ingredients.

The Quaker brand reminds consumers of these important tips regarding the importance of carefully reading food ingredient labels:

• Food-allergic individuals and those buying for them are encouraged to read food ingredient labels at least three times: once when purchasing the item; a second time when putting the item away; and a third time just prior to serving the item.

• Take steps to improve your understanding of labeling regulations and their limitations. It should never be assumed that all sizes and flavours have identical allergen profiles, so check the label every time.

• Products with a "may contain" warning could be problematic for individuals with life-threatening food allergies. If there is a precautionary warning, it is possible that the product contains traces of the allergen.

Beware at Zehrs

I was at our local supermarket this morning, and saw a box of Farmers Market cookies. What caught my eye was that the label on top of the box said “No Nuts”, as you can see below.

sorry about the quality – the macro on my cell phone sucks

So, having trained myself to religiously read labels, I flipped the box over – only to read the following underneath the ingredient list …

MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF PEANUTS, NUTS, SOY AND/OR OTHER ALLERGENS AND CONTAIN THE OCCASIONAL PIT

WHAT??? According to the label from Zehrs, this product contains no nuts, but according to the manufacturer (Farmers Market – and kudos to them for clearly listing the allergens, BTW) there may be trace amounts of nuts (and apparently perhaps a fruit pit as well, but I digress).

The store manager won’t be in until later today, but we’ll need to ask them the reasoning for, and if they could change the confusing front label.

To some it may seem that I am unfairly targeting Zehrs, but they are the only supermarket in our small town and the closest competitor is 20 km away. Not many choices for parents looking for quick and easy snacks to send with their children to school.

Again, make sure you Read the Label every single time.

So Close, and yet So Far

Peanut-Free Snacks!

This is the sign that greeted me last night when I walked into the local grocery store. Hallelujah! Along with all of the Back to School binders and pens and backpacks, here were some school-safe snacks for parents to pick up as well. I wandered over to check out the stash.

Large packs of Mars bars, Tootsie Rolls, Wonka candy, and Dare Bear Paws all stared at me with smiling "No Peanut" symbols. But then, what was that? There's some Cadbury boxes on the shelf. Has Cadbury finally joined the ranks of companies offering peanut-free lines? Is that a Caramilk package I see?


I went in for a closer look. Yes, it was a Caramilk package. I eagerly turned it over, ready to scan through the ingredient list for the may contain warning, newly free of peanuts.

Nope. There it was in bold lettering - may contain peanuts, tree nuts ... Then I saw the Mr. Big package next to it.

Now I knew there was a problem. One of the main ingredients in a Mr Big bar is peanuts. Read the label - there it is. Mind you, the may contain warning only listed "tree nuts", but up just one line from it was the word "peanuts". I grabbed a bag of both and walked to the nearest cashier.

"Is there a Duty Manager I could talk with about the Peanut Free section?", I asked. Now, I know that a 6'4, 350-lb man coming up to you late at night may seem intimidating, so I smiled and made sure to stand a "safe" distance from her. After a second-take and a little blink, she called upstairs and shortly thereafter, the night manager came downstairs.

"First off, thank you for the peanut-free section," I started (It's always good to start and end with praise, sandwiching the concern in the middle - Management 101). "But I noticed there are a few things in the section that contain nuts."

"Oh? Well my understanding is that it's only the one wall that is peanut-free, she replied."

Wait, what? - that part was thankfully only in my head - "Ok, but couldn't that be a bit confusing?", I asked as we walked towards the small corner at the store entrance.

She looked over the layout which was "only supposed" to be peanut-free, and nodded in approval. "Yep, this is the side."


This side mostly contained cookies. The candy bars behind me were apparently a mixed bag of nut and no-nut treats and separated from the safe snacks only by a small block of drink boxes.


"Ok," I calmly retorted, "but again, couldn't this layout be confusing?" I then turned to the Cadbury boxes and pulled out another bag (I still held mine) for her to read the label. "See, it says 'peanuts' right here. If someone picked up one of these, thinking they're peanut-free - because it's in the 'peanut-free' section - and gave it to their child for lunch, and then that child ate it while sitting next to my airborne-allergic son, that would be enough to send him to the emergency room."

"Oh, but ... Oh!" Her eyes went wide as the lights came on, and she grabbed the 'peanut-free' sign and moved it next to the end-cap of the side with the cookies. "I'll get the Grocery department to change this for tomorrow," she apologized (it was almost closing time). "The last thing we want is to send a child to the hospital."

She then picked up one of each bag of candy to check the ingredients. We then spent a few minutes reading the backs of the packages together, discussing shared manufacturing lines and differing label laws for Canada and other countries. She then figured out which ones would need to be moved from the section to make the whole corner "peanut-free" rather than one side of the shared shelving unit. I thanked her and then went deeper into the store to find the oil that I originally went there to buy (100% Vegetable Oil; Ingredients: canola and/or soybean oil).

For those of you pissed off that the food police are at it again, let me say that we're not trying to remove all peanut-containing products, or asking manufacturers to change recipes for a minority of consumers that can't eat their products anyway. We're only trying to make it easier for all consumers to make informed decisions. Not everyone is as used to reading the labels so carefully as the parent of a food-allergic child.

Allergy awareness happens at all times of the day, in all places. My wife or I will probably drop in later this afternoon to check on the section again.

Hidden Allergens

There's a commercial for peanut-free Quaker Chewy Bars up here in Canada that shows a mom about to put a cupcake in her child's lunch when all of a sudden a peanut jumps up through the top of the cupcake. The purpose of the commercial - other than to sell the Chewy Bars of course - is to highlight the hidden allergens in some products. At the end of the commercial we see the peanut "in jail" within the box of cupcakes that declares on its side may contain peanuts.

The point is, we can't tell what's in a product unless (a) we make it ourselves, or (b) the manufacturer clearly labels what is present as an ingredient or may be present due to cross-contamination from shared lines. And these allergens can be anywhere. Check out the short list of non-food items that I posted earlier that contain peanuts.

I have also noticed for the past month or so that there have been visits to the blog from someone typing "allergy to freezie" in Google. I don't know if that means that they are looking on behalf of them or a loved one to understand how they can be allergic to a freezie, not realizing that it may be through cross-contamination with nuts or some other allergen. Whatever the reason, my heart goes out to them.

As parents of food-allergic children, we each have lists of "safe" foods that our kids can eat and longer lists of foods to avoid. All we can do is share our discoveries, prayers and experiences with each other. For that reason, I'm listing a few links here in the hope that they help you as they've helped us. I caution you that these lists are far from exhaustive, and as always, may change without warning. Always read the labels, and ask questions whenever possible. Also, note that legislation, labelling and products are different in each region.

Our family restaurant list
Peanut free snacks
Our "safe snacks" letter for schools
A list of "safe foods" from the Toronto Catholic District School Board

Mmmm, Zucchini Bread

We saved up our zucchini from last week’s and this week’s farm share from Cooper’s Farm and decided to make some zucchini bread.

8 cups of pre-shredded zucchini :-)

Here’s the recipe we ended up using (shortened here for 2 cups of zucchini instead of 8 cups, though – we bake a lot) …

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit ( 165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Mix in oil and sugar. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder and salt; stir into the egg mixture. Divide batter into prepared pans.

Optional
We decided to make chocolate zucchini bread too. If you want to make some, add 1 cup of melted chocolate chips and another 1/2 cup of un-melted chocolate chips and mix them through just before you divide the batter into the loaf pans

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until done.

A Better Selection

On the heels of yesterday’s exclusion of the Selection brand of foods, I am happy to report on finding a peanut-safe brand of flours for baking.

Oak Manor Farms, located in Tavistock, Ontario, sells a number of certified organic products, including spelt flour, which is milled onsite. I called them to ask about cross-contamination, and was pleased to hear that they do not produce any nut products onsite – although they can’t state that they are “peanut free”. The example I was given was that one of the harvesters may be eating peanuts while harvesting the grains … which is far enough out of the production cycle for us. :)

So if you’re looking for a good supplier for peanut-safe and organic flours to be used in baking, I’d give the folks at Oak Manor Farms a look-see.

Risky Selection

One of the endless tasks in living with food allergies is reading package labels and ingredient lists. From party snacks to groceries, we have to be diligent in looking for allergens – like peanuts – or possible trace amounts.

We’ve found our favourite brands – those that we know and love and use daily – and brands that we need to avoid. One of the in-store brands that we absolutely love is the Compliments brand from the Sobeys family of stores (see Camping with Allergies), because of their clarity in allergy labelling. Sadly, we’ve had to add the Selection brand from the Metro family of stores to our “do not touch” list.

In an attempt to find allergy information for baking supplies, Krystyne called the customer service number and was told that there are no allergy warnings on any of that brand’s packaging. The reason given was that the manufacturing facilities change often enough to (they feel) preclude them from changing the labelling.

The customer service rep on the other end of the phone was very understanding – she has friends with food allergies – and she recommended to us that we avoid the Selection line entirely to err on the side of caution.

So we will be avoiding the Selection brand whenever we come across it in our shopping, at least until the national legislation on food labelling for allergens comes through. However, to the Metro chain’s credit, they do carry a number of products that are CAC-certified to be free from specific allergens.

Certified Allergen Control

Reading labels is a familiar practice when you live with food allergies. I’ve mentioned a few times before the many different ways that manufacturers list allergen information in Canada (under the Food label at the right).

However, I was not familiar with the method for labelling allergens on products manufactured within the province of Québec. We recently found the Leclerc brand of soft-baked cookies, which the boys love.

 

These little (25g) cookie packages have the familiar peanut with the “No” symbol on the bottom left corner, next to the branding CAC, which stands for Contrôle Allergène Certifié – or Certified Allergen Control. A quick search on the Internet brought me to the program’s official site, which was developed by the Québec Food Allergy Association to recognize products in which their manufacturing process was highly controlled (the CAC program does not use the term “peanut-free”).

The four allergens currently tested for by the program are:

• almonds
• peanuts
• milk
• eggs

Participation in the program is voluntary, so not all products labelled as “peanut-free” are automatically included. Again, this underscores the need for a common labelling standard, but this method of certifying products is certainly appreciated. Check out their list of certified foods here.

Camping with Allergies

After a week of “winter camping” (seriously … 12°C in Central Ontario in July???) I think I’ve finally gotten used to the hot spots in the small BBQ at the trailer. Maybe when it warms up a bit more we can enjoy some time in the lake when we go up.

But major kudos go to the Sobeys family of supermarkets for their Compliments store brand and their clear allergy labelling! Here’s the label on the back of a package of hamburger buns bought recently.

 
all glare aside, it’s quite clear labelling

The white exclamation point within an orange circle is how allergens are highlighted across the Compliments brand, and they clearly list – in English and French – any allergens that are or may be present in the item. And on the front of the packaging, they draw your attention to allergens by placing the same symbol on the label ….

the exclamation mark is there to remind you
to read the label

We also had the counsellors from the boys’ day camp ask us to check the food they were using for their weekly campfire. The only thing without clear allergy labelling was a package of marshmallows by DOUMAK. A quick Google search brought up this page, which was a declaration from the company that their marshmallows are free from milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans.

I’ve never thought of marshmallows possibly containing nuts, but it was good of this company to have allergen information easily available. Companies like these certainly make shopping for camping much less stressful.

Peanut Free Snacks

While grocery shopping today, we noticed a larger number of peanut-free products on the shelves. As we passed the familiar brands we started seeing new packages – some were newer labelling, others were new products – smiling back at us. There are many times Krystyne and I have each been on our phones while standing in the aisle; her on hold for a customer service agent, and me surfing to the company’s website (I love my iPhone).

However, this is becoming more and more rare, as more products are coming into line with the proposed legislation on food labelling. On food products manufactured in Canada (bakeries seem to be exempt), companies must declare – in both official languages – any trace amounts of food allergens down to 10ppm. It’s up to them where they place that warning – whether in bold inside the ingredient list, or after the ingredients, or elsewhere on the package – and to the exact wording, but normally we just have to flip a package over and look for the May Contain list. If it says something like “May Contain wheat, milk”, then we can be assured that there are no trace amounts of peanuts in the product.

But it gets even better! More and more packages are coming out with the familiar “NO” symbol covering a peanut, placed on the front of their boxes and bags. Check out some of these displays ….

Thanks to Chapman’s Ice Cream, we can also pick up some of our childhood favourites like fudgicles and revellos (yes, I know they’re brand names, but that’s what we called them). Look at Chapman’s Super Frosty vanilla ice cream treats … see the “nut-free” sign? :)

And Dare has dedicated facilities for nut-free products, not just nut-free lines in a shared facility. Their products proudly state “Baked in a nut free / peanut free facility”

To my friends in the US, If you’re looking for a cheap (your dollar is still worth more than ours) and peanut-friendly getaway for your family, then by all means come to Canada. At least grocery shopping on vacation will be a bit less stressful. :)

Ice Cream!!!

Although it hasn’t been all that warm up here lately – some places along the 49th parallel had snow last week – there’s nothing that kids love more on a summer day than ice cream.

While we can’t go to either of the local parlours, we can still enjoy peanut-free ice cream at home, thanks to Chapman’s. They are well aware of the joy that could be missed by children not being able to eat a favourite summer treat, so they produce not only peanut-free ice cream, but also lactose-free treats, and all of their original flavours (2L and 4L containers) are gluten-free as well. Check out their nutrition page for more information. They even have individual-sized treats which make it cheaper to pick up on the go than going to an ice cream parlour anyways. :)

MMMmmm, Dutch Chocolate.

Summertime Cooking

Who wants to cook indoors on a hot summer day? I thought I’d share a recipe we love to make in our slow cooker overnight. It’s become a family (and co-worker) favourite!

BBQ Pulled Pork
Inspired by Ted Reader's Root beer Ribs

1. In a slow cooker, place a boneless pork loin - cut as necessary to fit (it’s going to get shredded anyways)
2. Rub pork loin with spices ... I've used Montreal Steak Spice, or Ted’s Bayou Bite Cajun seasoning, but my favourite is definitely his Bone Dust BBQ Spice).
3. Cover the meat (fat facing up) with pop (Coke/Pepsi) ... the best is root beer, but apple juice will do in a pinch.
4. Add BBQ sauce, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, and lots of garlic. :-)
5. Place the cover on the slow cooker, and cook on low overnight, or high for 4-5 hours.
6. Once the meat has cooked (it will fall apart as you try and take it out), remove it from the slow cooker and get rid of most (save 1-2") of the cooking juice.
7. Using two forks, shred the pork by pulling the forks away from each other through the meat.
8. Once it's shredded, put it back in the slow cooker and add your favourite BBQ sauce and other spices to taste.
9. Mix the sauce well through the meat.
10. Heat on high for another hour before serving with buns or biscuits.

School Snacks

If you’re looking for a place to get good, peanut-free snacks for school or church and you’re in the Toronto area, might I suggest the Kraft/Peek Freans factory outlet. They are located on O’Connor Drive at Bermondsey (south of Eglinton Ave.), and they sell Nabisco, Peek Freans, and Christie products at a fraction of the cost. For example, a 5-pound bag of individual Nabisco’s Barnum’s Animals Crackers 100-Calorie packs (regular or chocolate) costs $5.

kid-sized packaging 

parent-sized value

Everything in the outlet store is clearly labelled – even the 7-pound bags of loose Chips Ahoy! cookies – and almost everything in there is peanut-free!

Note: I say almost everything because from time to time, they will sell Dad’s cookies, which are not peanut-free.

Read That Label – Part Two

On a recent shopping trip we picked up some pre-packed kits of Dole’s Asian Crunch salad, which are now called Asian Island Crunch. We have often bought these in the past and since they were on sale, we bought a few of them. It wasn’t until we got them home and started to get them ready for a quick lunch that we noticed they are now packaged with almonds – which was only listed on the front of the package in small print under the product name. We quickly cleaned up the counters and later gave the unopened kits to a friend of ours.

There’s more proof – even to us – that you need to read the label every single time. What was “safe” before may become “unsafe”, and the reverse is true as well. Last Christmas we started to see “safe” batches of After Eight chocolates – Nestle confirmed that they had sent peanut-free batches out, but read the label to make sure.

But back to the salad kits … A customer service agent at Dole confirmed that the Asian Island Crunch salad kits are made in a different plant than the other non-nut kits in the Dole product line to avoid cross-contamination. So we may have lost our favourite of those kits, but at least we can still enjoy others!

Restaurant List

Krystyne enjoys baking, so we often have a supply of goodies to help feed our sweet tooth cravings. We (yes, me too) also enjoy baking bread from scratch. Since bakery foods are off-limits to us (and even more so to other people with gluten allergies), we often make our own specialty breads – multigrain, sourdough, oat and honey, as well as the standard white and whole wheat. The joy of baking at home is that you can control the ingredients, but what about when we choose to eat out as a family? For that reason, I would like to post the allergy information from some of the restaurants we visit to help you in making safe choices for your own family.

Please Note: The materials provided are current at the time of posting and are for informational purposes only. Restaurant management, food-handling procedures, and ingredients are subject to change, so please confirm the information with restaurant management and inform your server of any allergies before ordering. We do not accept responsibility for any allergic reactions to products served at these restaurants.

Unless otherwise noted, all information listed is for restaurants in Canada.

Restaurants for the boys

• McDonalds Allergy statement; Full ingredient list.
• Wendy’s Allergy information; Gluten-free menu options.
• Swiss Chalet Allergy guide.

Restaurants for Mommy and Daddy
When the boys aren’t with us, we are able – but not necessarily willing – to  eat products with trace amounts of peanuts, so we stick to a short list of restaurants where we avoid menu items with nuts.

• Burger King ingredient list.
• Montana’s nutrition and allergy guide.
• Outback Steakhouse allergy guidelines.

Local Shout-Outs
There are a few places in our area that we have frequented in which we have had enjoyable experiences with peanut-safe food items. I’d like to list them here as well.

• East Side Mario’s, Stouffville
  After the manager informed us that his location does not serve some of the items that other franchises serve in order to maintain a peanut-safe restaurant, we have gone many times – even for a birthday party.  For other locations, all of the franchises have an Ingredients Listing Manual which lists all of the ingredients in their core menu items.
• Wild Wing, Uxbridge
  A house with 4 men in it has to have chicken wings. We often get take-out from here. We haven’t gone past the wings, onion rings and fries on the menu yet, but when the local one opened, they told us that the only nuts on the premises were the people that worked there and pre-packaged desserts for the kids. Their corporate menu changes often, so make sure to keep the communication open!
• Canadian Pizza House, Uxbridge
  A great place for pizza-by-the-slice when you’re in a hurry. Great prices, too!
• Jade’s Finest Chinese Food, Stouffville
  Our favourite Chinese food place! They take extra care to make sure of no cross-contamination when we order. Excellent food and unbelievable prices!
• Cutie Pies & Cakes, Sandford
  If you’re looking for a cake or other baked goods for a birthday, wedding, shower, or conference you can’t go wrong here! Suzie’s a good friend who also ensures no cross-contamination when you ask for peanut-free goods.