Nature's Path's Detailed Response to Allergen Question

I was delighted with Nature's Path's response to my allergen questions.  I specifically asked about egg and sesame in their bagged cereals.  The cereals are free of egg and sesame!  The response is quite lengthy, but I decided to include the whole text.  I have reduced the size of the font!  Email Customer Service your specific allergen concerns and check back periodically with them at www.naturespath.com over time because recipes can change.

"Thank you for your query regarding the use of nuts in Nature’s Path products. We endeavor to always provide a good quality product.  Nature’s Path is committed to producing quality organic foods, using the best ingredients available, while adhering to strict quality control procedures.  

Nature's Path products do not contain sesame seeds and are not at risk of cross contamination with sesame. 

North American Government Regulators have advised us that because we utilize peanuts, nuts, soy or dairy in some of our facilities we are strongly recommended to print a disclaimer underneath the ingredients listing.  
In the United States, the warning statement ‘Produced in a facility that uses …(peanuts, tree nuts, dairy or soy)"  and in Canada, the warning statement ‘May contain …(peanuts, tree nuts, dairy or soy)’ is printed on Nature’s Path products made in those factories. 
Government regulator opinion is that if there is a remote chance of cross contamination that the consumer should be advised of this possibility. 
These allergens are not indicated in the warning statement if they are already listed as an ingredient of the product. 

At Nature's Path we have an extensive planning and cleaning schedule which includes protein testing, for all our production facilities in order to prevent any cross contamination of our products with non-declared ingredients. All of our products that do not contain peanuts, nuts or soy  or dairy – as listed on the ingredient label are theoretically dairy, soy, peanuts & nut-free. However because of the remote chance of contamination from machinery or peanuts, nuts & soy or dairy in the plant we can not imply that there is no possibility of minute amounts of these allergens in our products. 

After handling peanut butter or any product with nuts or other allergens, we do a full allergen clean-up on the production lines. We use various cleaning methods such as rinsing, hot scrubber machines, vacuums and organic compliant cleaning solution followed by protein tests on the equipment. Cleaning is supervised and checked off by Q.A. 

No matter how small the chance, we feel it is our obligation to inform customers of this possibility. Our main concern is the health risk to any of our customers who may have a life-threatening allergy. We feel that consumers must make the final choice in consultation with their healthcare provider about eating Nature’s Path products. 

Please also visit  http://www.foodallergyinitiative.org/section_home.cfm?section_id=3⊂_section_id=6 
for allergy information.

The following products do not share equipment with peanuts or tree nuts; 

Nature’s Path Toaster Pastries- Frosted Toaster Pastries contain dairy. Unfrosted Toaster Pastries share equipment with dairy. No egg in facility.
http://www.naturespath.com/products/toaster%20pastries?tid=All&brand=All&nutri=All 

Nature’s Path Frozen Waffles – all flavors- Share equipment with dairy, egg.
http://www.naturespath.com/products/waffles?tid=9&brand=All&nutri=All 

Nature’s Path does manufacture some of its products in a dedicated nut free facility.
Here is the list of Nature’s Path products made in a peanut & tree nut free factory 

Nature’s Path Puffed Bagged cereals – Puffed Rice, Puffed Corn, Puffed Millet, Puffed Kamut- Share equipment with wheat. No egg or dairy in facility.
http://www.naturespath.com/products/cold%20cereals?tid=5&brand=All&nutri=All 

Envirokidz Animal Cookies –vanilla – Contain soy. Casein/ dairy free.  Share equipment with egg–Made is a separate facility to any other products listed herein- extremely minimal risk of egg cross contamination due to stringent cleaning procedures applied to equipment. 
http://www.naturespath.com/products/cookies?tid=94&brand=All&nutri=All 

Nature’s Path Buttermilk Pancake Mix
Nature’s Path Flax Plus Pancake Mix
http://www.naturespath.com/products/baking%20mixes%20and%20ingredients?tid=All&brand=All&nutri=All 

Please also check our website www.naturespath.com for more info on all of these including ingredient lists and store locations. 

NB: people with life threatening peanut & nut allergies, it is still advisable to check back periodically with food companies over time because recipes can change. 

Your email tells us that you are passionate about your health and wellness. If you would like to get more involved and share your opinion with us, please accept our invitation to join our research panel, The Cereal Bowl, athttps://www.naturescerealbowl.com/R.aspx?a=23 "

Gingerbread Spice Cake

This recipe is an adaptation of several gingerbread and spice cakes.  My goal was to incorporate leftover sweet potato or canned pumpkin, two ingredients I often have in the refrigerator.  I also like that this recipe also uses kefir, an ingredient I always have a lot of.  The cake comes out of the oven making you wonder if you actually baked a chocolate cake.




what you need:
1 cup whole-wheat flour (I have used spelt instead)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1-2 teaspoons freshly ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed (I use Wholesome Sweeteners)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg or EnerG egg replacer (what would happen with applesauce instead?)
1 1/2 cup sweet potato mash or puree (I am sure applesauce could be mixed in here)
1/2 cup yogurt or kefir
1/4 cup organic unsulfured molasses (I use Wholesome Sweeteners)
2 teaspoons alcohol-free vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated orange zest


what to do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  butter or oil loaf pan


In one bowl, mix in flours, baking soda, spices and salt


In another large bowl, and using an electric mixture, beat the sugar, oil and egg/egg replacer until smooth.  Incorporate the sweet potato puree, yogurt, molasses, vanilla and zest.  Slowly add the flour to the wet mixture.


Pour the batter into the pan.  Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about one hour.
Incorporate

Barbara's Cereals, are they sesame-safe?

I contacted Barbara's, http://www.barbarasbakery.com/, to inquire about sesame in their facilities.  Below is the response I received.


"Our cereals are made in facilities which are sesame free, however our
Snackimals, Fig Bar cookies and Crackers are made on shared equipment
with products which contain sesame.  These products are made in separate
facilities than the cereal products."

Whole Foods Response to 365 Ginger Snaps Allergen Label Change

In a previous post, I share the abrupt change allergen label change on the Whole Foods 365 Ginger Snaps.  
This is the written response from the Global Customer Information Specialist.  I am trying my best to make sense of it.

"I have been in touch with our Private Label team regarding the labels for the 365 Ginger Snaps.  The US and Canada labels for the 365 Ginger Snaps have differing allergen statements due to the different regulations around allergen labeling in both regions. Our US label does NOT have a "may contain" statement but our Canadian label does have a "may contain" statement. Our Canada buyer confirmed the Canada label has had a "may contain" statement for about one year now.The product itself is the same; only the labels are different.

There is a Q&A on the CFIA web site that specifies the allergen labeling in Canada: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/allerg/allergee.shtmlQuestion 14 is as follows: Q14. Is there any prescribed wording for precautionary statements? A14. In order to provide consumers with consistent messaging, the CFIA and Health Canada (HC) are asking the industry to limit allergen precautionary statements to the wording "may contain X" or "not suitable for consumption by persons allergic to "X", where "X" is the name of the priority food allergen.  I hope this information helps.

If you have any further questions please use our on-line response form."

Simple Strawberry Ice Cream

This ice cream takes seconds to prepare in the Thermomix.  It's great with chocolate chips! EnjoyLife has great chocolate chips free of top 10 allergens.





What you need:
500 grams frozen strawberries

300 grams (one can) evaporated milk
100-200  grams confectioner's sugar

What to do:
Add everything to the Thermomix bowl.  Blend until smooth, moving up to about speed 9. Serve immediately.  I freeze leftovers in a glass rectangular container.  I cover with wax paper before closing with lid.  Take ice cream out of the freezer about 20 minutes before serving. 

For a non-dairy recipe for both Thermomix and Food processor, visit:
http://www.winosandfoodies.com/2009/12/raspberry-icecream-in-the-thermomix.html


.

Pumpkin Trains or Trencitos

Pumpkin bread is one of my favorite treats.  I used to make a breakfast version with egg, and without much sugar, every weekend.  When I discovered that my son was allergic to eggs, I was instantly nervous that I wasn't going to find an eggless pumpkin bread recipe as good as my original. Bakin' Without Eggs had the perfect recipe.  No eggs needed, this loaf bread is delicious and moist.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!  The recipe below calls for a standard loaf pan.  I also like to make little trains, we call them trencitos, for my toddler to take to parties.  This past fall, I used them to make his birthday cake.  I include a recipe for the frosting and link to the train mold below:

what you need:
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I play around with flour mix)
1 1/3 cups sugar (I often use 1 cup dark brown sugar)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (I sometimes use allspice)
1 cup canned plain pumpkin filling (Great with roasted pumpkin!)
1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup buttermilk or yogurt/kefir
*I find that batter often needs more liquid/moisture so I eyeball and add applesauce and or more yogurt

what to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly butter loaf pan

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add pumpkin, vanilla, oil and buttermilk one at a time.  Stir until well combined, no need to over-mix.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
With an electric mixer, beat 4 ounces of softened cream cheese with 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar (we use Wholesome Sweeteners).  You can add some orange or lemon zest for flavor.  Mix until smooth and creamy.  


Train Mold by NordicWare: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/railway-train-cake-pan/
         ** The kitchen shop on upper level at Toronto's St. Lawrence market sells the mold.

Banana Bread

My toddler seems to only eat bananas if baked in cake.  I personally have not tried this loaf cake since I am allergic to bananas.  I made it for a friend who said that she couldn't believe how yummy and moist it is.  The original recipe is from Bakin' Without Eggs. This recipe has a few adaptations.  Photos coming soon!


what you need:
4 ripe bananans, mashed
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour ( I play around with flour mixture)
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup sugar (I make with 1/2 cup maple syrup for my toddler)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons orange juice

what to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly butter loaf pan

In a large bowl, mash bananas.  Add in flours, sugar/maple syrup, salt, baking soda, oil and orange juice.  With a wooden spoon, mix until smooth.

Spoon out batter into prepared pan.

Bake for about 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

*I add in a handful of finely chopped kale.  The kale specks blend in with the banana specks!

Baked Potato Buffet

A little inspiration for a fun party.  Check out the Baked Potato Buffet from recent CityLine segment with Anna Olson.  


For recipe ideas:
http://www.citytv.com/cityline/food/recipes/article/109720--baked-potato-buffet


To view video (a few minutes in)
http://video.citytv.com/video/detail/758088120001.000000/cityline-january-24-2011-around-the-house/

Rice Cakes and Possible Sesame Cross-Contamination

I like to travel with a bag of rice cakes.  I have checked with two brands, Koyo and Lundberg, about sesame cross-contamination.  


Koyo's response:  The rice cakes have no traces of egg.  They do have sesame-flavored rice cakes.  They clean the machine each time they change ingredients; however, since the plain rice cakes share the same machine with the sesame-flavored rice cakes, there are possibilities of cross-contamination.


Lundberg's response: They do not have eggs in any of their facilities.  They do have sesame in their rice chips and rice cakes.  They included an allergy sheet with detailed allergen information.  They consider sesame, sulfites, and soon mustard, to be priority allergens in accordance with Canadian law (So fantastic!).


I am curious to hear from other sesame-allergic families their thoughts on the matter.


Websites: 
http://www.koyonaturalfoods.com/rice_cakes.aspx
http://www.lundberg.com/

Allergy Warning Change: Whole Foods 365 Ginger Snaps. Please Read Before You Eat!!

Here is proof that one must read ingredient lists and allergy information every single time!!!!!!  Poof, out of no where, the Whole Foods 365 Ginger Snaps allergen label changed on us.  In an earlier post I explain why we love and buy these ginger snaps.  As of today, I am not sure if they are safe for my toddler.

The allergen information used to read:  Contains wheat and soy ingredients.  Good Manufacturing practices used to segregate ingredients in a facility that also processes milk, egg, peanut and treenut ingredients.


The allergen information now reads:  Contains wheat and soy ingredients.  May contain milk, egg, peanut and treenut ingredients.


I am currently investigating the issue.  I have been in contact with Customer Service at the Toronto Whole Foods location.  I have left a message with The Austin, Texas Corporate Office asking that they contact me.

I will be posting any learned information!

Whole Wheat Tortillas

he loves them!

These homemade tortillas are easy to make and pressing them out with a cast-iron tortilla press is very satisfying.  They are a great way to use up buttermilk and sour cream.  We like to make quesadillas with the tortillas.  We usually spread a mix of mashed sweet potato and sour cream on one of the tortillas then fill with shredded cheese, avocado, black beans, chopped cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.  If we have any leftover chicken, fish or meat, we throw that in too.  Grilled onions and peppers and some hot sauce is another nice addition.

The original recipe is from http://deliciouslyorganic.net/whole-wheat-tortillas/

Please visit the website and read about the importance of soaking grains.  I also recommend reading Wholefood for Children (listed in my cookbook list) for more extensive reading on the subject. 

cooking tortillas in cast-iron pan

What you need:                                          

2 cups whole wheat flour

2/3 cups buttermilk

6 tablespoons sour cream (I have used yogurt as well)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

What to do:

Combine flour, buttermilk and sour cream in a medium bowl.  Tightly cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for up to 24 hours.

After the flour has soaked, knead in the baking powder and sea salt.  Divide dough into 8 sections and roll each section out on a floured surface to an 8-inch round.  I use a 20 dollar cast-iron Mexican tortilla press.   Place tortilla on a parchment lined plate and as you roll out the tortillas layer a square of parchment paper between each tortilla.  Original recipe says to let rest for 30 minutes.  I skip this part and just press go directly to cooking tortillas.

black bean, cheddar, avocado
quesadillas

assembling quesadillas

Place a large skillet or cast-iron pan over medium heat.  Cook 1 tortilla about 1 minute per side until spotty brown.  Serve immediately.

plate of homemade tortillas

A Typical Party Spread, Easy to Assemble and Crowd Pleasing

The pictures below display a typical assortment of snacks I put out for small parties for friends and families. The snacks are free of seeds, peanuts, tree nuts, sulfites and egg.  I pick up much of the selection from St. Lawrence Market in Toronto where I enjoy speaking with the people I buy my food from.  Chris' Cheesmongers, for example, ensure me that the cheese is cut in an area without seed, nut and egg contamination.  It is important that each grouping go on separate plates and have matching ingredient labels. That way, I feel comfortable that guests know what they are eating.  Note that everything is simple, both dishes and presentation.  For the children, I like to cut out ShaSha sourdough spelt bread with round, fluted biscuit cutters so that they resemble cookies and then serve with avocado puree.   For the children, I feel that it is important to think about nutrition and not overload them with sugar and processed foods; a big plate of fruit and vegetable sticks are essential. Towering rice cakes are always good since they can occupy a toddler for some time, and they are allergy friendly (bread and crackers are challenging when you have allergies).  A bowl of organic, sulfite-free apricots or raisins are another good addition.  Presently, I am looking for a brand of pretzels produced in a sesame-free facility.  Once I find them, they too will be included in the spread.  Baked kale chips are also great for home entertaining, as well as roasted garbanzo beans in the absence of legume allergies. Round all this out with a heaping plate of anzac biscuits, another allergy-friendly dessert or two and beverages.

*Baguettes are from StoneMill Bakehouse in Toronto.  I am still not comfortable giving slices to my toddler.  An employee, with food allergies, at the St. Lawrence bakery has informed me that the baguettes are not run on lines with egg and sesame.  I have emailed the company for confirmation.

Pumpkin Smoothie

I have found a good way to use up leftover pumpkin puree after making pumpkin bread. This pumpkin smoothie is a delicious way to sneak some orange into your day.  No bananas needed in this smoothie!
This recipe serves one.  

What you need:

frothy pumpkin smoothie
with gingersnaps

1 cup ice
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
about 1 teaspoon honey, or touch more
pinch of nutmeg, cinnamon or ground ginger

What to do:
Blend all above ingredients until frothy.


Enjoy with some gingersnaps!

Personal Pizzas and Pizza Sandwiches for You and Your Toddler

spinach, roasted garlic
mixed cheeses
and tomato sauce

It is so simple to prepare pizza dough in my Thermomix.  I enjoy mixing up different flours and topping them with whatever we have in the refrigerator.  See my basic pizza dough with Thermomix method below.  Of course, you do not need a Thermomix to make pizza dough.  A new favorite topping of ours is ground lamb with chopped onion/shallot, garlic, fresh herbs and olive oil.  Just cook the ground lamb until half-way done and then top pizza with the lamb and veggie mixture. Sometimes, if we have it, we spread roasted garlic on dough before adding lamb mixture.  When pizza is hot out of the oven, crumble some feta, throw on some arucula and drizzle with fresh lemon juice and olive oil.  Does my toddler eat this? Sometimes, but without the salad/feta topping.
                                                         
A few days ago, I got really excited when I saw these:  hand-held, self-contained pizza sandwiches on, http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pizza-sandwiches.  Since I always bring my toddler's meals with us wherever we go, I must give these a try.  I will post pictures when I make them.  

farmer's market yellow cherry tomatoes
with roasted broccoli and mozzarella

What you need:

ground lamb pizza with
arucula/feta (ran out so used romaine)
topping

280 grams warm water

1 sachet dry yeast

drop of maple syrup

20 grams olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

200 grams whole wheat flour

200 grams white flour

100 grams spelt flour

What to do:
Place the water, yeast, oil, maple syrup and salt in TM Bowl.  Let rest for 5 minutes.  Mix for 5 seconds on speed 3.


Add the flour.  Continue mixing for 6 seconds on speed 8 to combine.


Set dial to closed lid position.  Knead the dough for 2 minutes on Interval speed.


Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with tea towel.  Let dough rise to double the quantity, about 30 minutes.

Break dough into portions and let rest again for 15 minutes.  Form your pizzas and add your favorite toppings.  


To make pizza sandwiches: roll out dough, fill one half and fold over, no need to seal.

salami, cheese and tomato sauce
pizza pockets

check out our favorite salami
 http://www.berettaorganics.com/products/?id=3125