I'm running the following post again, for those who may have missed it.With the holiday baking season upon us, I've had several e-mails about the safety of vanilla and other baking extracts. This is obviously a big concern for those of us who bake nut-free because most companies also produce almond extract.
A word about almond extract--you'll notice that some of these brands say that it is not produced from actual almonds, but from the pit of certain fruits.
Please be advised that apricots and peaches can be cross-reactive for tree nut-allergic people because these fruits are in the almond family.
I personally recommend avoiding almond extract if you are dealing with almond and other tree nut allergies. Also, with some of the more "gourmet" brands, you may be dealing with pure almond and also cross-contact issues on the production lines. Why even go there? I am uncomfortable using "almond" anything for someone with an almond allergy. Of course, please check with your allergist if you have more questions about this.
Now, back to vanilla. I contacted three of the biggest manufacturers of vanilla extract and baking products: McCormick, Nielsen-Massey and Wilton. I'm very happy to report that 2 out of 3 of them don't even use "real" almond for their almond extract. Wilton, as most of you may have discovered already, is the most challenging, since they do have peanuts and tree nuts in their facility, even though some items are not sharing production lines. If you'd like to use their products, I'd say it's your call to make. Also, you may have to do some digging about each individual product. Their response below contains more info.
Here's what each company had to say in response to my e-mails inquiring about the safety of their extracts.
McCormick: "McCormick and Co. does not use peanuts or tree nuts in any of our facilities. The Oil of Bitter Almond used in our Pure Almond Extract is extracted from apricot kernels, not the almond itself."
Nielsen-Massey: "All of our products are nut free. We do not process anything with tree nuts in our facility. In fact our Almond Extract is actually made from bitter almond oil which comes from stone fruit pits such as peaches. Please be assured that all of our products are safe from nut allergens."
Wilton: "I have attached a link from our website that displays our vanilla extracts and the following allergy information:
http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E30D833-475A-BAC0-52C00F6FD95206EF&fid=78453C7E-475A-BAC0-57C37A0C5D55907A
No Peanuts/treenuts in the product but there are peanuts/treenuts present in the facility
http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E314C89-475A-BAC0-56036B0DE5130990&fid=78453C30-475A-BAC0-5A9F9766D10A9E08
No Peanuts/Treenuts in the product but there are peanuts/treenuts present in the facility
As far as our sprinkles and decorations are concerned, because we are very specific when it comes to food allergies, if you would kindly provide me with a few stock numbers from our website of some decorations that you are interested in because we want to make sure that we provide you with the correct information."
10 comments:
This is good to know about McCormick! :)
So happy to have found your blog! As a mom of a child with wheat, soy, peanut, and tree nut allergies- it's more than just gluten free out there! Look forward to your info.
http://kymomcookingallergyfree.blogspot.com
I just discovered I have a tree nut allergy within the past 6 months. I love your blog.
Coming to this discussion very late, but found the post while doing some research on apricot kernels. Turns out that apricots (and peaches and some other fruits) are so closely related to almonds that if you/your child is allergic to almonds, they are also very likely to have a reaction to something made from apricot kernels, such as many of the almond extracts. See http://foodallergies.about.com/od/nutallergies/f/almondextract.htm
Regarding a reaction to apricot kernels--this may be true for some people but certainly not a given for those with tree nut allergies. My daughter is highly alleric to almond yet has always eaten peaches and apricots and though fruit allergies may be on the rise, they do not always go hand in hand with tree nut or seed allergies. As with any allergies or sensitivies, the best resources would be your allergist, formal allergy tests or past allergic reactions.
That said, I never use almond extract, even if derived from apricot, because I am teaching my child to avoid anything that says "almond" in the description.
Hello. First time to leave a comment. My daughter and myself are both anaphylactic. My daughter to all nuts and myself to that and so many more things This site is so amazing. It has been a very challenging for both of us for many years learning how to manage our allergies. My question is this. Is there a site for young teens to blog, share feelings about how they manage their allergies. My daughter is 11. I have not found a good site yet for teens. Any help would be great. We do read allergic living but kids need their own site to see and feel that they are not alone in this journey. Thanks for any help. Oh yes. Just found your site when I was googling a cake mate products.
Hi Sandy--Great question! I agree--teens and tweens need their own places to go and read about food allergy.
I have several suggestions for you. First, FAAN www.foodallergy.org has its own special teen section. Please go to their website and give it a look with your daughter.
You mentioned Allergic Living--they just did a story on teens and young adults and how they handle food allergies. Great article--in their current winter issue!
Lastly, www.allergicchild.com run by Nicole Smith has a section called "Morgan's Corner"--that's her 15 -year-old son's blog. He is a great food allergy role model and was profiled in the recent Allergic Living magazine I just spoke about.
I sometimes talk about issues facing older kids on this blog and it is something I will be doing more of as my daughter faces new challenges. She also is going to write her own post for me, so check back to see it soon!
Glad you found us and hope you continue reading!
Do you by chance have any suggestions for clear vanilla extract? Or have you ever used regular in icing and noticed any major issues with color? My daughters bday is Saturday and I just realized that Wilton is so non PA friendly. I'm hoping my hobby lobby carries americolor or I will be paying a fortune for shipping!
Please also look into Penzey's. They are a family spice company. They sell Almond extract, but they say it is manufactured by another company and is not done in their facilities. We don't use any almond extracts, but we definitely use the Penzey's vanilla and it is safe. WE are PN/TN and egg.
I find it interesting McCormick's tells some people they are safe. They told me that their spices and mixes are not safe. I did not inquire about the extracts at the time. I have pretty much stopped using their products because of this.
I've called McCormick's several times and they have assured me each time they are a nut-free facility. They said their products would reflect any allergen info. Everyone should use what they are comfortable using and do their own research, always. And check/read labels.
It's always up to the consumer regarding what you decide to use.
Rachel, I don't know of a clear vanilla extract other than Wilton, at least that I've seen at stores. Sorry!
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