Tuesday, January 19, 2010
I wanted to share this nut allergy info that I received from Necco candy in response to an e-mail query I sent to them. I had asked about the safety of their Sweethearts candy hearts--a Valentine's Day staple.
I received detailed allergy info that I wish I could get from every food company that I contact! Here's the deal: the Sweethearts are all produced on dedicated nut-free lines. However, Necco does produce some nut-containing candies, so I wanted to know about the cross-contact risk. I was told that the "safest" bet for nut allergies are the 1 oz. boxes of Sweethearts (pictured above) as well as the loose Sweetheart candies sold in large bags. This was based on where these candies are packaged in their facility. However, I was advised to skip the small cellophane wrapped pouches of Sweethearts, since, according to the Necco rep, these are packed throughout the facility and may have more risk of exposure to nut allergens.
Some of us choose to avoid facilities that produce nut-containing foods altogether, but it seems that Necco (like Hershey) seem to have a pretty good grasp of the situation and I was impressed by the detail of their answers.
It's always nice to have supermarket options for Valentine's candy, so I wanted to share this info with you since these little heart candies seem to be everywhere at this time of year!