Here's what I wrote and sent them shortly after I posted. I haven't gotten an auto response. I'm much to sick to deal with the phone or FAAN right now, maybe tomorrow. Maybe then I'll be able to write something more rational, but I'm hoping maybe my honest reaction about the whole matter will get through to someone there. And I'm hoping beyond hope that maybe the wafers are processed in two different facilities and I got a batch that's actually safe because I really did love the ice cream.
To whom it may concern,
I am beyond angry right now. I have a horrible sore throat and haven't slept for 24 hours, so I went to the store to buy some ice cream to make my throat feel better and discovered the new Chocolate Nougat Crunch flavor. I checked over the ingredient listing, and it looked fine. I've always trusted Ben & Jerry's because of their stringent allergen wash practices and cross-contamination awareness.
I got home, I dug in. I loved it, so much so that I planned to tell all my facebook friends about it and link directly to the flavor on your website. Only to find this listed on the ingredient page: ALLERGY INFORMATION: FUDGE COVERED WAFER PIECES HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED ON SHARED EQUIPMENT THAT PROCESSES PEANUTS, AND TREE NUTS.
I HAVE A SEVERE ALLERGY TO PEANUTS. I double checked the carton, this is mentioned nowhere. So, now I get to spend the next four to eight hours waiting to see if I have a reaction because someone at your company decided that pertinent piece of information wasn't all that important to put on the label.
I realize that the law does not require shared equipment allergen warnings, but your food allergen information page on the same website explicitly states (and has explicitly stated since 2010): "Our policies and procedures are such that if peanuts or tree nuts (almonds, cashews, chestnuts, walnuts, pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts/filberts, macadamias, Brazil nuts, pine nuts) as well as eggs, milk, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, seeds, and lupin are not listed in the ingredient declaration or in an Allergy Information statement in boldface on the package, then the product is safe to consume for persons with allergies to those ingredients."
Frankly, I am so livid right now I'm shaking. On top of that, with the illness I'm fighting I can't even think clearly enough to come up with some way you could possibly placate me on this other than covering all my hospital expenses should I end up there. Your shoddy labelling practices and your website's claim otherwise has put my life at risk on a day when my immune system is already compromised. Thanks Ben & Jerry.
ETA: just fixed a spelling error.