Living My Pop Cultured Life With A Nut Allergy

Living My Pop Cultured Life With A Nut Allergy (And How Companies Can Help)

This is a bit off topic from what I usually post about but with the Halloween season fast approaching, I just had to get this out there.

Halloween has always been my favorite time of the year. From when I was a small kid my dad would take me out trick or treating for hours on end. By the time we got back to the house and went over all the candy/chocolates that I'd worked hard for (Halloween in Canada typically includes snow and cold weather), I would have to give my parents about 25% of the stuff I had received because I wasn't able to eat it. That's right. I have nut allergies.

Before the days of nut free schools, every day that someone brought in food with nuts I would be outside the classroom eating my lunch, generally alone. I was never allowed to eat birthday cakes/candy/cookies that the other parents would bring in for classroom birthdays or during parties or school dances and no trading or sharing lunches with my friends. If it wasn't checked by my parents or brought from home I was not allowed to eat it. 

People who don't know about nut allergies don't understand that every time I put food in my mouth, I am risking my life. It could be as simple as the bread from a sandwich that was manufactured on the same equipment with almonds, or a spoon/fork/knife/bowl/plate that previously had nuts on it and wasn't properly cleaned. Every time I take the chance I could have an allergic reaction which could be fatal. When I go out to eat anywhere, I have to let the server know about my nut allergy. Most of the time the chef will come out and let me know what I can and can't eat. There have been several times where we've had to leave a restaurant because they couldn't guarantee any of their food or they didn't understand what I was asking and I couldn't trust that my food would be prepared correctly. I am the last person to try a new restaurant because it is such a hassle figuring out where and what I can and can't eat. I am VERY thankful to every restaurant that now has a separate kitchen just for nut (and typically gluten) allergies.

Growing up, there have been tons of products that I am no longer about to eat due to the severity of my nut allergy. My favorite chocolate bars used to be Caramilk and Twix, neither of which I can eat now due to warning that they "may contain almonds" or "may contain peanuts and other tree nuts". My main complaint with this is simple. Neither of these products actually CONTAIN nuts; they just "may" have come in contact with nuts. Why can't companies move these products to nut free factories so they can be labeled as nut free? It was very hard to find statistics but in 2010 it was reported that 1.93% of Canadians have nut allergies* so essentially the companys (Cadbury & Mars, Inc.) aren't able to sell their Caramilk or Twix to almost 1 in 50 people in Canada. In addition to the specific people having the allergy, so many of the schools here in Canada have become nut free meaning that people will be going to your competitors to buy nut free products because yours "may contain". Also because I can't eat nut products when I give out candy on Halloween, I will only buy products that are nut free because I know how much it sucks to be that little kid who can't eat the candy they receive. Companies that have items that don't include nuts but just "may contain" or are "made in the same factory" are losing out on money they would be making if they just made their nut-less products in a nut free factory. Companies wouldn't lose customers who already buy these essentially nut free products because you're not changing the product, just where they are made. I have never heard anyone complain that they will "No longer be buying a Mars bar because they are nut free" but I have in fact heard people with nut allergies say "Wow. I am so glad that I once again get to eat Mars bars".

I would also like to express my annoyance to the companies that think it's alright to put a peanut free label on their product only to put "may contain tree nuts or other nuts" further down the box. This is confusing for parents that are trying to by nut free items for school that see the peanut free symbol and think it's safe without knowing to read the rest of the box for more warnings. I have learned that not only do I have to read the ingredients section but I also have to read the rest of the box in case their warnings are not underneath their ingredients like they should be. There should be one symbol and one symbol only. If it's not COMPLETELY nut free, the label should not be allowed on the package. If somebody who sees the peanut free label and doesn't understand that the symbol DOESN'T include other nuts, it becomes a life or death situation if you have nut allergies.

Over the years, I have been able to eat less and less of my favorite foods. The last time I went out trick or treating with my dad was in the sixth grade and I ended up having to give away over 50% of the items that I had received due to all the different nut allergy warnings. After that I realized that trick or treating was no longer worth it. Within the last few years I have no longer been able to eat Cadbury Mini Eggs or the Cadbury Cream Eggs that come out around Easter time once again due to the fact that they are nut-less products but they "may contain" nuts. 

For all the companies who continue to make their nut-less products in facilities with nuts (I'm talking to you Cadbury and Mars, Inc.) or the companies that put the peanut free symbol on when they still may contain nuts, I challenge you to make a change. I challenge you to help make a difference in the lives of every person suffering with nut allergies. Move your products that don't contain nuts to different facilities and when you use the nut free symbol, make sure you mean it. Nut allergies are increasing every year and most of the children who are born with them will never grow out of them.

I would also like to send out a big THANK YOU to the companies out there who make my life easier:

Dare & Treasure Mills who already make their snacks peanut & tree nut free.

Jelly Belly who now makes candy corn that I can eat. (Halloween is saved!)

Chapmans for making yummy ice cream flavors that I can eat. (Cookies N Cream. Yum!)

(Canadian) Nestle who keep their regular Kit Kats/Smarties/Coffee Crisp & Aeros nut free.

Disney Land and Disney World resorts for having ingredient lists for all food items sold in their parks.

The Keg for always sending out a manager to let me know what I can & can't eat.

Delux Burger Bar for having a separate fryer for nut and gluten allergies.

Grandin Bakery for being nut free and giving me the opportunity to try all their yummy baked goodies!

**Happy Halloween Season and remember us nut allergy sufferers when you buy your candy for little trick or treaters!**

* A study that was done by Dr. Ann Clarke at McGill University Health Centre in Montreal in 2010, lists 1.93 percent of Canadians live with a peanut allergy.*
http://www.canadianliving.com/blogs/health/2014/02/19/the-latest-news-on-nut-allergies/