Found
this great site:. She's investigated a bunch of labels to see if they label for cross contamination (a big issue for my super allergic little one). She notes whether she finds them reliable or not and why. As she hasn't included some of our favorite labels, I'm expanding on it here:
Trader Joe's: their PRIVATE label items are great! They label for cross contamination and for 'natural flavorings' and spices which is huge for us (soy hides a lot in 'natural flavorings' and of course technically it is natural). In addition they follow good manufacturing processes for equipment cleaning and component segregation. Can not wait until they open here next year! Here's a
link to it in their own words.
365 brand at Whole Foods: another good labeler. Again, it isn't all safe but they label for cross contamination which means I can actually figure out at the store if the item is safe for us or not! The exception is sometimes they don't put an allergen statement 'if there isn't room' (grrr) and advise us to call in that instance. To avoid needing to call about everything- I am only buying things there that do have an allergen statement but isn't allergic for us (i.e. 'made in a facility with milk products')- it isn't a perfect system but at least I can get information this way. We currently use two of their organic flours for baking with no issues and I found a bunch of items that weren't safe so the labeling really helped me eliminate unsafe products. Here's a
link to their allergen info and a
helpful FAQ.
Applegate Farms: oh my goodness, love love love them! They have a great tool on their website for plugging in your allergens and getting a list of safe products. I put in peanuts, tree nuts and soy and got a great list. In general, so many times soy safe foods are also organic so organic is a good place to start looking. Here's a
link to that tool.
Enjoy Life: this is just the tops of the brands! They make products that are top 8 allergens safe! So if we can find thir products, we buy them!
Ian's: this brand actually has some pre-made meat products safe for our allergies. And let's face it- some days you just need some safe chicken nuggets in the freezer! They also have a nifty food allergen calculator where we punch in our allergens and get some 'safe' foods.
Udi's: They are always gluten and nut free facility for baked goods. They do have some cookies with nuts but those are made in a different facility. They are excellent about labeling- says right on the front when they are nut and soy free! Looking forward to trying some of their muffins and cookies from the freezer section of my local natural food store. I can't find allergen specifics but here's a
link to their general website.
Katz: Also at the freezer section of our local natural food store. We just enjoyed their donuts yesterday! Ours were labeled right on the front (love that!) soy, dairy and nut free (as well as gluten free) but I think that is only some of their products. They don't have allergen specifics on their website but here's a
link to the general website.
