Back to Nature Products Made in a Facility with Peanuts

I have been struggling to find foods that are both #peanutfree & processed in a peanut free facility. So I’ve created a website where you can see my lists for No Peanut foods, foods that are safe for those of us with a peanut allergy & Do Not Eat, a list of foods to avoid due to the risk of cross contamination from other foods with peanuts made in the same facility.

I began creating my lists by looking at the food brands I had in my own pantry. I had a unopened box of Back to Nature's Harvest Whole Wheat Crackers. I looked on the box of crackers, and on the Back to Nature website, to see if I could find out if the facility that the crackers are made in is peanut free. The Back to Nature website states that "any items that are labeled Peanut Free do not contain peanuts and are made in a peanut free facility" I visited my local Venice Whole Foods location and checked the Back to Nature products, and I could not find any with the "Peanut Free" label. I reached out to Back to Nature and they responded to my email saying that they needed a "UPC code and photos of the top, bottom, front and back of the package" to answer my question. They did not tell me which of their products, if any, are made in a peanut free facility. I replied to their email, sending them the requested photos of the box of Harvest Wheat Crackers, since this was the only product in my pantry and thus the only box of Back to Nature food that I could photograph. I asked them, 'are the Harvest Wheat Crackers processed in a facility with peanuts? Do you manufacture any products in a peanut free facility? If so what Back to Nature products are processed in a peanut free facility.' I was very disappointed with their response. Here is their response:

Dear Elizabeth,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us at B&G Foods.

As per your inquiry, please know that the Back to Nature Harvest Whole Wheat Crackers are made in a facility that does produce products that may contain peanuts and tree nuts. To avoid cross contamination, we employ the use of Good Manufacturing Practices which require if any of the top 8 allergens (Dairy, Eggs, Fish, Shellfish, Tree nuts, Peanuts, Soy or Wheat) is run on a line, the line must be cleaned and evaluated prior to running a product that does not contain the allergen. Since ingredients and facilities may change from time to time, always check the label on a specific product for current ingredient and allergen information.

Thank you again for reaching out and for being a loyal consumer.

Sincerely,

Alex Corporate Consumer Affairs B&G Foods, Inc.

The email let's me know that those crackers are not safe for me to eat, and are made in a facility with peanuts. But, they still did not answer if they manufacture any foods in a peanut free facility. It is disappointing that they could not just tell me weather or not any of their products are produced in a peanut free facility. Back to Nature foods are on my Do Not Eat-Peanuts in Facility list because they failed to answer my question.

What I am finding, as I reach out to more and more companies, is that many larger brands do not understand the seriousness of food allergies, or choice to ignore it. They need to leave the choice of risking eating something processed in a facility with peanuts to up to the consumer. They need to always state any cross contamination risk on the package with a 'may contain' list. Informing me that the risk cross contact is low, as Back to Nature and many other brands have, is condescending, and incredibly unhelpful. I do not want even the smallest possibility of going into anaphylactic shock by cross contact. Until the FDA changes the food labeling law when it comes to allergens I choose to not consuming anything where there is any chance, however remote, of any cross contact with peanuts.

#peanutallergy #nopeanutfoods #peanutfreefacility #foodallergy #fdamaycontain #maycontainlist #peanutinfacility #peanutcrosscontamination #backtonature #peanutcrosscontact #backtonaturecrackers #foodcrosscontact #wheatcrackers

Be Careful, there might be Peanuts in your Olive Oil

I started No Peanut Foods because I found out that the olive oil I was using, Montebello Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, was made in a facility with peanuts & “not safe for consumption for anyone with a peanut allergy”. This information is not on the product label or on the company’s website. I found out when I reached out to them directly. This is scary and frustrating.

I started looking into which olive oils are made in a peanut free facility and I found a couple, you can read a separate blog post about that here and these brands are listed on the No Peanut Foods website No Peanuts List.

But, I would like multiple options of safe olive oils so I am still emailing companies. Today I received a response from Colavita Foods. It’s frustrating to receive responses like this. Here is there email to me:

Dear Elizabeth,

Thank you for your inquiry.

The raw material oils that Colavita utilizes to produce its olive oil products are sourced from facilities that may also process other food oils. Colavita requires documented authentication of each raw material purchase.

Colavita does not produce, store or distribute nut-based oil products. Colavita production processes are in fact formulated to minimize food safety risks. It needs to be noted however that all of our products are agricultural at their core and as such are subject to a variety of growing conditions.

As for our Colavita vinegars, there is no presence of peanuts in the facility.

We urge consumers who are affected with food-related allergies to exercise the same prudence with Colavita products as they do with other naturally grown products. We also ask consumers to consult with their medical professionals on specific inquiries relating to the advisability of utilizing such products in their diets.

Please contact us if there are any further questions.

Sincerely,

Marisa De Sapio

Quality Assurance

Colavita USA

1 Runyons Lane

Edison, NJ 08817

Phone: 732.404.8300 Ext. 152

Fax: 732.287.9402

They clearly state that their vinegar is safe to eat but are very vague about their olive oil. It is a yes or no question, and not difficult to answer! 😣Because the Colavita Vinegar is safe from any peanut cross contamination I have added Colavita to my Some Products OK list.

#peanutfree #peanutallergy #oliveoil #nopeanutfoods #peanutfreeoliveoil #oliveoilnotjustoliveoil #peanutfreefacility #colavitaoliveoil #peanutinoiliveoil #colavitafoods #montabellooliveoil #crosscontactoliveoil #peanutcrosscontact #peanutcrosscontamination

#foodallergy #foodallergyawareness #oliveoilcrosscontact #oliveilcrosscontamination

Welcome to No Peanut Foods

No Peanut Foods: A Place to Find Foods and Products that are both Peanut Free and also Processed in a Peanut Free Facility. I have created this site because I have a severe peanut allergy and this has always been a source of a huge amount of anxiety and stress for me. I have been bullied and ridiculed by many about this, it is something that I have been made to feel ashamed of, and I have been told many times by those I trusted that, ‘You have an epipen’, as if it is a magic wand, which it is not! I recently became aware that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration​ Does Not require foods, or products such as bath/body/oral care, that are processed in a facility containing peanuts to be labeled as such. The only law is that if it’s in the ingredients it’s listed. This is complete insanity! I could easily eat something without peanuts in the ingredients, but still have an allergic reaction & go into anaphylactic shock because something else in that facility contained peanuts, and it inadvertently got into what I was eating due to cross contamination or cross contact. I searched online and could not find a list of which companies go the extra step and label for any cross contamination. So I have decided to take matters into my own hands😉. I have been reaching out to every company that I found in my own kitchen and my own bathroom cabinet and asked, ‘is this product made in a facility containing peanuts?’. I have created a list of companies that are safe for those of us with a peanut allergy and lists of what is not safe due to the risk of cross contamination.

You can view these lists on No Peanut Foods Lists.

I hope my research helps those of us with a peanut allergy feel safe eating again😊

#peanutallergy #peanutfree #nopeanutfoods #nopeanuts #peanutcrosscontamination #peanutcrosscontact #fdacrosscontact #adultwithapeanutallergy #foodallergy #FA