Wednesday, August 22, 2012

So You're Child's Class is Peanut/Nut Free? Snack and Treats that are Safe

As you know, our oldest son has a severe peanut and tree nut allergy.  We have to be very careful what food we offer him and have to read every label.  For those of you that need some help with "safe" snack selections for your children in school, I thought I'd put together a list for you to refer to.  DISCLAIMER:  PLEASE double-check the label, as there are times when they may have an error on a manufacturing line that causes them to put a warning on that label.  These are some phrases you are looking for to indicate that the food is NOT safe:  "Processed or manufactured in a facility that uses peanuts/tree nuts, may contain peanuts/tree nuts, or shared equipment."  There are a few companies out there that will say "Peanut Free Facility."  One of the worst brands for nut safety is Wal-Mart's generic brand Great Value.

By no means do I feel that I can "guarantee" this list, but we read the labels and tend to trust what they say.  By law, a company must put on the label if it contains one of the top eight allergens, but it is voluntary to put on "may contains" or "processed in a facility."  Many companies will add this information, though, if there is a possible danger.  Handling allergies is a tricky thing to do!    

"Safe" Snack List:


Sunmaid Raisins
Keebler Bug Bites graham crackers
Keebler Scooby-Doo Cinnamon graham cracker sticks
Kellogg’s Multi-Grain All-Bran Crackers
Nabisco Honey, Cinnamon, and Chocolate Teddy Grahams
Nabisco Original Wheat Thins
Rold Gold classic style pretzel sticks
Graham Crackers (Nabisco, Honey Maid)
Fresh fruit (oranges, apple slices, grapes, strawberries, bananas, etc)
Fresh vegetables
Motts, Musselmans Applesauce
Ritz Crackers
Nutri Grain Cereal Bars – strawberry or apple cinnamon
General Mills Whole Grain or Regular Cheerios
Unsweetened fruit cups
Sliced cheese or string cheese *WALMART GENERIC BRAND IS NOT SAFE*
Keebler Original Crackers or Townhouse Original or Wheat Crackers
Yogurt/Go-Gurts
Sunshine Cheeze-its or Nabiso Cheese Nips
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish
Pirate Booty
Betty Crocker or Kelloggs Fruit Snacks
Carrots/celery and dip
Thomas Mini bagels
General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal, Golden Grahams, Lucky Charms
Kelloggs Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks
Nabisco Vanilla Wafers
Betty Crocker Vanilla, Chocolate, or Rainbow Chip Frosing
Kellogg’s Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts or Cinnamon Pop-Tarts
Kraft jet-puffed marshmallows
Nabisco Oreo Double Stuffed Cookies
Jell-O cups or Pudding Cups
Hunts Pudding Cups
Kellogg Rice Krispie Treats
Special K bars, strawberry
Nabisco Barnum and Bailey Animal Crackers
Nabisco Chips Ahoy or Chewy Chips Ahoy
World Gourmet Veggie Straws or Chips

If you're looking for "safe" candy treats, these are my "go-to" choices:

All Tootsie products 
Regular Hershey Milk Chocolate Kisses (though double-check around the holidays due to the special candies)
Twizzlers
Hershey Chocolate Chips (NOT White Chocolate)
Smarties
Dum Dums Lollipops
Sweettarts
Laffy Taffy
Skittles
Starburst



Keeping my little guy safe takes time, effort, and being incredibly thorough!  

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