Friday, January 8, 2010

Anyone for S'Mores??? Try these Egg-Free, Gelatin-Free, Gluten-Free and Nut-Free Marshmallows



The weekend is here, we've got record cold temps in most of the country and winter is pretty much here to stay for a while. So how 'bout some S'Mores?

A few days ago my husband went to Whole Foods to get ingredients for a seafood paella (almost worth another blog post--it was great!) and my youngest daughter started asking him for marshmallows to roast in the fireplace. Well, Whole Foods isn't exactly a marshmallow mecca, but he did finally manage to locate these tasty little numbers! Elyon Marshmallows are kosher and gluten-free. They do not use gelatin, egg or dairy ingredients as marshmallows often do, so people with egg and/or dairy allergies can enjoy them! Oh and they're also gluten-free. Still, a warning to people with fish allergies--there is fish gelatin in these marshmallows. I know, sounds funny but you can't taste it. It's there to replace the egg and dairy gelatin, so if you or your child has a fish allergy, don't go for these.

The marshmallows do not contain any nut ingredients, either, and after a spin to the company website it looks like they don't produce nut-containing candies. I've got an e-mail into the company for clarification but right now it's looking good.

I wanted to post about these since a growing number of you are facing gluten intolerance and/or dairy and egg allergies in addition to nut allergies.

Find these guys (and is that package cute, or what) at Whole Foods like we did or check the Elyson company website for more locations.

Happy Weekend!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I saw these marshmallows in my area's Whole Foods market quite some time ago and I called the company inquiring about egg and nut allergies. I was told they would get back to me and they never did. Also, this product I believe is made in Israel - the person I spoke with at the time could not tell me if there was any cross-contamination. Maybe their customer service/information has gotten better...?

jenny said...

just love Whole Food. We were up in the city last week and picked up Tickle Your Tummy nut free cupcakes, oh they are soooo good. What makes me even happier, BREAD, great taste and not big time commercially made bread. Mr. Z Best. I love them so much I ate all the 6 rolls in a day and my daughter only ate one or two bites. The bread is made in Chicago area, you should have no problem finding them!

Jenny said...

Anonymous, thanks for sharing your experience w/the company. I'll let you guys know what I find out and/or if I don't hear back from them.

Interestingly, according to a few folks who've written to me from Israel, they have similar food labeling laws. Also, any imported foods will be subject to U.S. labeling laws if sold here.

It looks like the company deals mostly in kosher gelatin, but I always like as much info as I can get.

Jenny said...

Hey everybody, Elyson sent me a detailed allergen chart.
Check out the info so you can make your own choice about whether or not to try these:

None of the marshmallows contain nuts or are processed on lines with peanuts or tree nuts.

However, peanut and tree nut candies are produced in the same facility.

So this would be the same type of situation as Hershey--separate lines for the candies that contain tree nuts or peanuts, but not a separate facility.

Beth said...

My daughter has a slew of allergies and I am looking for marshmallows that she might be able to have. I am having a heck of a time finding the ingredients for these marshmallows. I would like to know what is in them before committing to buying a case of them. Do you happen to have the ingredient list on hand and if so would you mind sharing it??

Jenny said...

Hi Beth: Here is the allergy info page for the marshallows.

http://www.koshergelatin.com/Elyon_Marshmallow_Allergy_Guide.pdf

If your daughter has fish allergies, I believe since this is a kosher firm, they are using fish gelatin instead of bovine gelatin so if your daughter has a fish allergy these will not work. But I sure hope they do! I bought them at Whole Foods in Chicago.

Beth said...

Thanks so much Jenny!! That is exactly what I have been looking for. She doesn't have any known allergies to fish, but is allergic to beef (and eggs and a bunch of other thing) which is a big reason why I have to stay away from regular marshmallows. I see eggs are processed on the same line, so I will have to trial them and be careful. Perhaps this year she will be able to roast marshmallows with her friends at the fall outing!