Food Allergy Alert: Tree Nut Oils and Rolling Pins

Baking season is upon us--pies, rolled out cookies and more items that might use rolling pins.

As if we didn't already have enough to think about with cross-contact of foods in the kitchen, recently Karen of the food allergy blog, Avoiding Milk Protein, shared some helpful but startling news with me about the Timber Treasure brand of rolling pins that are treated with nut oils. Click the link and scroll down to see the product.

I'm not an advocate of letting others bake for our allergic kids unless they deal with the exact same food allergies, or are part of that small group of family or friends that understand cross-contact, etc. Because cross contact can occur so easily in a kitchen, I think it's just safer to do the baking ourselves. Cookies and pies are about enjoyment, not about thinking "What's in this? Can it make me sick?" So not appetizing!

This rolling pin issue is just one more reason we have to be really careful when letting others bake for us. How many people are going to check to see if their rolling pin has been treated with nut oils?

One option is to use a plastic or metal rolling pin. However, I've used a wooden rolling pin for years, without incident but it was not treated with any oil. Usually the "nicer" or gourmet cooking tools have more bells and whistles, so I always check those. I don't want everyone worrying that everything they touch contains peanut or tree nut, but the bottom line is that you have to check even the non-edible items.

For more info on non-edible items that contain tree nut or peanut matter, check Karen's list, available on her web site, and if you have concerns about any of these items, check with your allergist for information on risk.

Thanks to Karen for her helpful info!

Peanut Allergies, Nut Allergies and Vanilla Extract

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."

Note: I asked specifically about extracts in my e-mail. McCormick now makes many spice blends beyond their basic extracts and spices; they make other products as well. If you have concerns about other products, give them a call.

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."

Consumers, please note: It is up to you to check each product you use. In fact, as practices change, it is a good idea to check labels or call for info from time to time. I do this with my favorite products as well as new ones, and I suggest you do the same for your own information and peace of mind. Thank you!