How do you determine if your products are allergy free? I am not uneducated in the process but I am just trying to get some tips on how each of you determine allergy-free. Some people advertise their products are made using the same equipment used to process nuts?
TIA!
Everyone with food allergies has a different comfort level based on the severity of their allergy. I have severe allergies to nuts and eggs, so I avoid food that was processed on shared equipment with either. I'm usually OK if the product was made in the same facility as other products with nuts or eggs as long as the manufacturer avoids cross-contamination.
I founded a business that specializes in allergy-friendly baked goods, we have designed our baking processes to make sure there is no contamination from other allergens (and we don't use nuts in any of our products, since that's the most severe and the most common of all food allergies). We also contact the manufacturers of our ingredients to make sure they are just as careful as we are.
Perfect Jason. That was the exactly explanation I was looking for. I did not feel comfortable just slapping 'nut-free' on my cake since I do have recipes that have nuts as well. I, of course, make sure everything is cleaned after every use but there is still that fear in the back of my head... I will be sure to let people know that I use shared equipment. Thanks for your input.
It is my understanding that just 'making sure everything is cleaned after use' in not enough for some people w/nut allergies.
I don't remember exactly what the process is but it was explained in a post a couple of yrs ago(?).
Thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing equipment and nonporous surfaces should be good enough for even people with the most severe food allergies (porous surfaces cannot be sanitized adequately), but it's up to the customer to make the decision as to whether or not they are comfortable with it.
Here are some tips for avoiding cross-contamination:
http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=65
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