Nut safe potato chip brands?

[jschwab]

Does anyone have any tree nut-safe potato chips brands to recommend, preferably organic but does not have to be? I have had luck with Lay's Regular and Trader Joe's ripple cut (but not their other chips). Any other tried and true?

[twinturbo]

If you're anaphylactic to traces of milk that may be your greater limiting factor.

[jschwab]

On that I have been lucky. I have not had problems with cross contamination with milk in manufactured foods. I generally eat things "made on shared equipment on in a facility with milk" with no problem and I only avoid things that seem a little suspect in manufacturing processes or which have a lot of ingredients. I have had one issue with Dirty chips and dairy but I could actually taste that it was contaminated with milk powder, so I think that was a special batch problem (I don't eat them any more). Before I had this almond thing pop up, I'd gone 18 months with no reactions to my other allergens. Beyond my previous restaurant and catering reactions and one reaction when someone stayed at my house and had butter in the fridge and must have double dipped something, they have not been so problematic. I've been lucky in that regard.

[twinturbo]

In that case Kettle brand chips are nut free. Some Cape Cod brand are nut free per facility you have to call. Last call Hyannisport facility were safe for nut. Lay's supposedly label well.

[jschwab]

Oh, thank you, that is very helpful. Lay's does not claim nut-free but I have had no issues at all.

[nonuteen]

Kettle brand are nut free??  I had NO idea!!

[twinturbo]

Kettle Brand, yes. Lay's Kettle Cooked are NOT nut free. Y'all wait while I find that very important distinction before I end up with bad karma. I'll find and post here.
Kettle Brand chips FAQ

Are your products safe to eat for people with peanut allergies?
All Kettle Brand® Potato Chips and Kettle Brand®TIAS!™ are processed in an environment free of peanuts and other nuts. We consider them to be safe for people with peanut allergies to enjoy.

Kettle Brand®  Quality Handcrafted Nuts are made in a separate facility from our various chip brands. All nut products share roasting and grinding lines with peanuts, and we include the following statement on the packaging: "Processed on equipment shared with peanuts and other nuts."

Okay, last I picked up a bag of Lay's Kettle Cooked, which is admittedly years ago maybe, it had peanut oil on the list. Now I can't find it but I think it's possible shared line. I'm out of date on Frito-Lay info.

U.S. Products Containing or Produced on Equipment that also Produces Peanuts and Tree Nuts



Nuts are among the top eight foods that account for 90% of allergic reactions to foods.  For those people with an allergy to nuts and/or tree nuts, the Frito-Lay products included here do contain nuts and/or produced on equipment that also produces nuts and should be avoided.

Please note: The information provided pertains only to products distributed in the U.S. Products sold in other countries under similar brands may be made using slightly different recipes and ingredients to accommodate local needs and preferences.

Last updated November 1, 2013

CRACKER JACK® (all varieties)
CRACKER JACK®'D (all varieties)
FRITO-LAY® Nuts (all varieties)
FRITO-LAY® Trail Mix (all varieties)
GRANDMA'S® Cookies (all varieties)
MUNCHIES® Crackers (all varieties)
MUNCHIES® Nuts (all varieties)
NUT HARVEST® Nuts (all varieties)
ROLD GOLD® Dipped Pretzels (all varieties)
SABRITAS® Nuts (all varieties)
STACY'S® BAKE SHOP™ Banana Nut Flavored Bakery Crisps
STACY'S® BAKE SHOP™ Lemon Poppy Seed Crisps
STACY'S® BAKE SHOP™ Vanilla Pound Cake Crisps

Frito-Lay products that contain peanuts or are processed on equipment that makes products containing peanuts, will always contain an allergy information statement. This statement can be found under the ingredient information on the package, or in the case of small packages of crackers, on the side of the back information panel.

Frito-Lay products that contain or may contain peanut/tree nut-related ingredients can easily be identified, since ingredients – as well as allergy information – are clearly labeled on the back of every package.

***Always check the allergen statement on the back of the package***

All Frito-Lay products are labeled accurately with the most current ingredient information. Frito-Lay makes every effort to maintain this list; however, since the ingredients in our snacks are subject to change at any time, we recommend that you check the label on a specific product for the most current and accurate nutritional information. If you need assistance, please contact Frito-Lay Consumer Relations toll-free at 1-800-352-4477 Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Central Standard Time.

Old entry on Frito-Lay from Onespot

[Jessica]

hm I thought Frito Lay always labeled for shared facilities as well. But since they seem to be very aware I think we can still trust them.

Did not know about Kettle brand though. When I see the word Kettle on potato chips I automatically figure they're not safe.

[twinturbo]

I generally trust Frito-Lay's labeling it's been very logical and forthcoming. Their Kettle Cooked was some weird curve ball that sticks out in my mind. I apologize I honestly don't remember exactly what which coincides with DS2's ever expanding allergen list. CRS, KWIM?

[rebekahc]

Their Kettle Cooked used to have an advisory label.  It stood out for me because it specifically mentioned peanut oil - manufactured on equipment also used for products containing peanut oil or something like that. 

[candyguru]

We have always eaten Lays potato chips and Hostess potato chips. Regular flavour.  Some of the Lays chips now have gluten-free on the label too :-)

[twinturbo]

This is from the older Onespot blog entry I linked earlier. It clarifies the Kettle Cooked issue which I believe has been changed ingredients or lines since then if Lay's is indeed labeling according to their policy.

Frito-Lay, which is known as Lays in Canada, now discloses that several products either contain nuts or are made on equipment that also makes products containing peanut oil.

Here are the foods that now have peanut allergy warnings on Frito-Lay's U.S. website, some of which many peanut allergic consumers previously considered safe:

CHESTER'S® Flavored Puffcorn Snacks (all varieties)
CRACKER JACK® (all varieties)
FRITO-LAY® Nuts (all varieties)
FRITO-LAY® Trail Mix (all varieties)
GRANDMA'S® Cookies (all varieties)
LAY'S® Kettle Cooked Potato Chips (all varieties)
MISS VICKIE'S® Potato Chips (all varieties)
MUNCHIES® Crackers (all varieties)
NUT HARVEST® Nuts (all varieties)
SABRITAS® Nuts (all varieties)
SMARTFOOD® Popcorn Clusters (all varieties)

Source: http://www.fritolay.com/your-health/us-products-containing-nuts-andor-produced-with-nuts.html Accessed 21 March 2011

You can view the allergen warning for a particular product on pages like this as well: http://www.fritolay.com/our-snacks/lays-kettle-cooked-jalapeno.html

I have Miss Vickie's chips and Lays Kettle cooked chips in my pantry. My peanut allergic son actually developed a swollen lower lip the other day while eating the chips, and I didn't question the safety of the chips at all since there is vegetable oil listed in the ingredients and no allergen warning on the package at all.   If Frito-Lay is doing things right on their US website, surely they would do it right on the Canadian version, right?  Wrong! I went on the Canadian version of the Frito-Lay website, which is www.lays.ca, and surprisingly, I found no allergen information or ingredients lists.

I called Lays customer service, and was first told that the only peanut allergy issue is that they can't call themselves peanut free, since they don't take all of the necessary steps to monitor this (like monitoring workers' lunches for allergens).  When I said I'd read the US website and I saw that they're cooking with peanut oil on shared equipment, this was acknowledged but minimized, as I was told the equipment is given a "wet wash" before being used to make another product.

The customer service representative agreed that a peanut allergic consumer should not eat the listed products, but that was only after I had to dig deeper to get this information. A less persistent caller may have been satisfied with the early assurances that the food is safe.

I was told that Ms. Vickie's chips sold in the US are made in Canada, and Lays Kettle chips sold in Canada are made in the USA.  This peanut allergy alert applies to Canadian products, so please don't consume any of the items on the above list if you're peanut allergic.

I am very disappointed with how Frito-Lay has handled this. Even on this allergen page on the US website, there in no listing for peanut allergen in Canadian products (click here).  Their failure to provide life saving allergen information in this case is shocking and incredibly dangerous.  I encourage you to share this information with your allergic friends and to write to Frito-Lay to voice your concerns.  You can click here for their contact information.

UPDATE 18 JULY 2011 – I was just contacted by a 10 year old peanut allergic girl whose lip swelled while eating Lays Original chips. I went back to the two links posted above to look at the allergen warnings and all reference to making the chips on equipment that also makes products containing peanut oil has been removed from those pages. This is very alarming.

[hezzier]

Lays has rolled out a new product that's chocolate covered potato chip called Wavy.  I read the back a week or so ago and know it had a warning for TN, can't remember if there was a warning for PN.