I've called M&M's manufacturer, Mars, in the past. Been given the idea that they could never be safe. So we've been avoiding them for 10 years now.
But I wonder if anyone is familiar with 1) ingredients and associated x-contam of ingredients, and/or 2) the manufacturing process and facility. If you have any in depth info, would you please share? I'd love to know how big a risk I'm taking (not for feeding to the person with PA, but for just having in my house and kitchen and being eaten by the person who cooks all the food - me).
Thanks,
Luci
This is based on hearsay, but my understanding is that they reuse the chocolate. That is, anything that drips is caught and used in another batch. And that they may use chocolate from the peanut lines to make the plain. as I said, based on hearsay. But it could explain why my friend's son had an anaphylactic reaction to just 6 plain M&Ms, spent several days in the hospital, and was still sick with asthma among other complications for a full month. Poor kid.
pre dx, my ds broke out in hives EVERY time he ate M&Ms. I suspect they are highly cross contaminated
For having it in your house and eating it yourself? I'd say you could definitely lower the risk of contaminating the food you prepare for the family member with PA by eating it in between meals and washing your hands very well after. You might want to be aware if you're the type to share drinks, utensils or somehow get some contamination by mouth. That would be a stretch so I would identify the biggest risk by having it in the house if the peanut allergic individual actually ate what is most likely a grossly contaminated product.
I eat pn may contains all the time. I don't typically not eat something because it could contain traces of nuts but I don't share drinks, utensils with my kids. I also am extremely meticulous about not eating anything when I prepare their food.
I've quit eating may contains. I have seasonal allergies and I'm worried that I'll be eating something and sneeze without warning. I do cover my mouth, but I'm sure it's not 100%.
Plain M&Ms reek like peanuts to me. :P
When I was a kid, they actually listed peanuts as an ingredient.
Quote from: twinturbo on December 08, 2012, 03:11:36 PM
I eat pn may contains all the time. I don't typically not eat something because it could contain traces of nuts but I don't share drinks, utensils with my kids. I also am extremely meticulous about not eating anything when I prepare their food.
Ditto. I eat nut products at work and out of the home as well. But my kids are almost 19 and 22, and not likely to sit and snuggle in my lap, or let me kiss them. ;)
Sorta. I don't eat any overt nuts, ruminant milk, egg, very occasionally eating an already made wheat product. On occasion I will eat pizza with DS1 who is "only" PA EA. That's only because the milk is baked and we immediately shower, change clothes, brush teeth when we get home. I have to segregate that laundry and keep my youngest out of that bathroom.
While we do eat extremely simple whole food homemade foodit would be nearly impossible to eat any manufactured food that wasn't a may contain for one of their combined allergens since we're talking 7 out of 8 of the top 8. Even Philly Swirl is a decent risk in our house for milk contamination and temperature.
DH eats may contains. But I've got to say that I couldn't have something in my house that my DS really wishes he could have but can't like m&ms. He's 14 and we have things in the house that he can't eat and that I can't eat (but he can). But a candy like that are so present in his friends' lives--I just couldn't have around him. He's quite mature about his allergies, but I couldn't do that to him. In our case it would almost be cruel to him (not yours--just talking about our situation--which would be very different if I had several children with different allergies).
I guess I see a scale of xc (cross contamination), and some products rate higher on that scale than others. M&Ms are higher on that scale by virtue of the stories of reactions I've heard about them. So from that perspective I probably wouldn't have them in my house but have other may contains. We keep a PF home).
Again--this is just our experience and my perspective.
Quote from: Macabre on December 09, 2012, 09:09:46 AM
DH eats may contains. But I've got to say that I couldn't have something in my house that my DS really wishes he could have but can't like m&ms. He's 14 and we have things in the house that he can't eat and that I can't eat (but he can). But a candy like that are so present in his friends' lives--I just couldn't have around him. He's quite mature about his allergies, but I couldn't do that to him. In our case it would almost be cruel to him (not yours--just talking about our situation--which would be very different if I had several children with different allergies).
I guess I see a scale of xc (cross contamination), and some products rate higher on that scale than others. M&Ms are higher on that scale by virtue of the stories of reactions I've heard about them. So from that perspective I probably wouldn't have them in my house but have other may contains. We keep a PF home).
Again--this is just our experience and my perspective.
Bold mine...I couldn't of said it better...have I eaten m&m when I'm out and about, yep - tho' after years of not having them and eating the non-peanut versions out there, they reek of peanuts to me, now...
I agree with Mac-- to a point. (And realize that some of this is the innate disposition of our respective children here, because I can't say that I wouldn't do exactly the same thing if her DS were my child instead of my own DD.)
That is, we also weigh "how much does this mean to _____{other family member}" relative to the ACTUAL risk it poses to the allergic person. If the risk is fairly low, and it means A LOT, then we've done it. We've gotten Chinese/Indian take-out and eaten it on disposable plates and basically decontaminated everything afterwards. I have even occasionally been treated to (or treated myself to) Almond Roca, which is LOADED with cashew contamination-- it definitely "stinks" to my DD, so we know...
The key to doing things like that is, IMO...
a) it can't cause the allergic person PAIN or suffering-- of any kind. I generally run such things past my DD to make sure that she's okay with it now that she's older... and when she was younger, I didn't bring stuff that seemed that appealing into the house to start with. (I'd eat it elsewhere, as others have noted.) But we are all multiply allergic, and we all like one another's allergens, to some extent. As long as it doesn't pose a risk of anaphylaxis, we tend to view such things with a fair degree of permissiveness. I've BOUGHT my own allergens for DH and DD. ;)
b) because of DD's threshold (VERY VERY low), I have a firewall between allergens (including may-contains) and FOOD PREPARATION FOR HER. That is really what I see as problematic in the OP's post-- if (and she didn't say that she WAS doing this) she is eating them WHILE preparing food for the allergic person. I can think of all kinds of 'what-if' things that would very easily lead to contaminated food in that scenario. I keep my stash away from our standard food-prep areas. I would be terrified to eat ANYTHING from my kitchen if I handled our fish food in there, and I consider it compassionate to afford DD the same level of consideration there that I'd want myself in her shoes. KWIM?
My answer is, therefore, a complicated one. How important are M&M's-- to you? Secondly, how important are they-- to your allergic child? (That is, are they an emblem of all that s/he CAN'T have/do? Or 'just candy that stinks'?) Finally, how low is the allergic person's threshold? (If cross-contamination that seems impossibly small has resulted in a scary ER trip, then I'd rethink it, but if s/he eats in restaurants and is regularly AROUND the allergen without any ill effects, then it might be pretty low risk.)
DS2's milk allergy has been scary enough long enough that I can't even produce the spark of thought housing the idea of safe chocolate to begin with. What did YKW say? It's like voting except pitting the kids' allergens against the least restrictions for each.
Upon seeing his brother's restrictions DS1 went from complaining about bringing his own pizza to birthday parties to being stoked he can even have pizza. Anyhow, OP if you're worried about peanut only we used to use Nestle Smarties. I never really cared for M&M's so I have no reference for taste comparison but my pn allergic child ate them without problem.
Vermont Nut Free has a M&M type candy called Skippers that is delicious. Here is and link to them:
http://www.vermontnutfree.com/Skippers/productinfo/2-2027 (http://www.vermontnutfree.com/Skippers/productinfo/2-2027)
No safety issues when you eat them.
Two of my kids like smarties better than skippers, and one likes skippers better than smarties. I say they're all picky. I like both.
We keep all of the allergens in the house but have strict rules in place. And there are limits. Like I can bake pre-made gluteny cookies but I cannot mix them up from scratch due to DS1's inhalant issues.
Neither child can say "Wow this is so good, I wish you could eat it". And we have also had long talks about not feeling bad for what you cannot eat, especially if a peer says it to them. It's a fact of life.
I made a huge error in judgement and once fed "Smarties" to the gluten but not peanut allergic child. I didn't read a label, was stressed and just assumed they were safe because I kept reading about them here. Well they have wheat in them and he had a significant reaction after eating three of them. As a result, the child who can eat M&M's or Reese's won't touch them.
However the kid who cannot eat M&M's bugs me to drive over to the import store for Smarties about once a month :)
It gets confusing in a MFA household. But in trying to give everyone a balanced diet and not remove foods, combined with dealing with foods that have labels that are unsafe for other allergic child, we voted to keep the foods in the house with strict rules in place.
Quote from: GoingNuts on December 09, 2012, 07:26:36 AM
Quote from: twinturbo on December 08, 2012, 03:11:36 PM
I eat pn may contains all the time. I don't typically not eat something because it could contain traces of nuts but I don't share drinks, utensils with my kids. I also am extremely meticulous about not eating anything when I prepare their food.
Ditto. I eat nut products at work and out of the home as well. But my kids are almost 19 and 22, and not likely to sit and snuggle in my lap, or let me kiss them. ;)
OK, forgot the original point. :dunce:
I do not keep his allergens in the house, with the exception of some super-dark chocolate that I know he would never touch with a ten foot pole. I keep it out of sight, but hey, I need my fix. :misspeak:
I feel like the rest of the world is a mine-field for him, so I don't keep anything in the house that he can't have. It's just too much of a tease.
And since he'll be coming home from school next week, I'll have to clean out all the contraband. ;)
... and by "clean out" she means.... Yeah. Scarf-o-licious. ;D
Quote from: CMdeux on December 10, 2012, 05:30:21 PM
... and by "clean out" she means.... Yeah. Scarf-o-licious. ;D
:rofl:
After all these years, she knows me sooooo well. ;D
Read this article. The mom researched M&M's and found out the pretzel ones are made in a separate facility. Having said that, even though my dh knows they're off limits, I found a wrapper in her purse not too long ago. Read her the riot act. Not in my comfort zone.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/food-labels-wrong-allergic-reactions/story?id=17894439#.UMYaq-Tpe8D (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/food-labels-wrong-allergic-reactions/story?id=17894439#.UMYaq-Tpe8D)
Quote from: SkyRibbons on December 10, 2012, 05:57:15 PM
Read this article. The mom researched M&M's and found out the pretzel ones are made in a separate facility. Having said that, even though my dh knows they're off limits, I found a wrapper in her purse not too long ago. Read her the riot act. Not in my comfort zone.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/food-labels-wrong-allergic-reactions/story?id=17894439#.UMYaq-Tpe8D (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/food-labels-wrong-allergic-reactions/story?id=17894439#.UMYaq-Tpe8D)
sounds like they'd be safe for TREENUT ALLERGIES, not peanut....
And I agree w/GN - some place in the world needs to be s.a.f.e. and it's our house. He can grab anything he wants and know it's safe (according to the label, at least ~))
Thank you for your replies. My main question is what is the risk of peanut cross contamination and how does it occur for M&Ms.
The reason I wondered about it was to help me figure out what the risks were compared to my craving for them. If the risks of allergic reaction to having them around was low because cross contamination levels were low, then it would be acceptable to me to have them in the house. Don't know if I'm expressing myself clearly here and really sorry if my muddled writing isn't getting the point across.
I think I'll try to call Mars Inc. after the holidays and get some more info - I can't remember the last time I spoke with them but it may have been 9 years ago so maybe they have had more training. If I get any useful info I'll post back here.
With respect to my kid's feelings about having candy around that he cannot eat, he regularly sees us not eat sweets that he is enjoying - not because we are allergic, but because we are trying to eat more healthy foods, or just don't feel like eating sweets everyday. He does not feel that we all need to eat everything that everyone else is eating at dinner (e.g. he and his dad won't eat the beets, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and spinach that I frequently cook and eat, and I don't eat the ceasar salads that I make for them several nights a week). After I started eating some of his safe Halloween candy he asked me not to eat any more of it and I said that the only type of candy I was craving was M&Ms which weren't safe for him. He said I should go out and buy those and eat them - anything to protect his Halloween stash! That's when I told him I'd try to investigate whether they'd be safe enough to have in the house.
With respect to having his home be an allergy free zone - we do not have his allergens in the house as a "listed ingredient" although we do have a very few "may contains" or "on shared equipment" products that I handle almost as if it were toxic. I encourage him to read every label every time. I don't want him to learn the habit of going into a cupboard and just grabbing stuff and eating it without checking labels first. I do this because I hope and pray he'll be able to live with other people (maybe go to college, maybe get married and have kids) and then he'll be sharing a kitchen with others so he won't be in control of every food that comes into the house.
Thanks again for your replies - just thought I owed you all an explanation for my question.
But people did answer what you asked. They are heavily contaminated (even according to your prior conversation with Mars).
They smell (reek) like peanuts.
The chocolate is re-used between batches.
It was pointed out that risk is higher in the circumstance you described (in the kitchen with the cook).
An article about the contamination was posted.
But most importantly, safe alternatives were posted (Smarties, Skippers).
I'm sorry you didn't get the response you were hoping for.
Never hurts to call them again and get more information, though. :yes:
Also, the more we call and ask, the more likely (hopefully) they will amend practices and maybe make a safe version. A pipe dream maybe, but I'm always hopeful.
I remember watching an episode of Unwrapped on Food Network, and they showed how they made M&M's. It was obvious to me that a wayward peanut M&M could get into a bag of regular M&M's. Plus, the same chocolate appears to be recycled.
That show explains a lot in general about cross-contamination.
"recycled chocolate"
It sounds funny. In a gross way.
Quote from: SkyRibbons on December 18, 2012, 06:58:39 PM
I remember watching an episode of Unwrapped on Food Network, and they showed how they made M&M's. It was obvious to me that a wayward peanut M&M could get into a bag of regular M&M's. Plus, the same chocolate appears to be recycled.
That show explains a lot in general about cross-contamination.
YES! Single best source for high-impact explanations
ever. I'll never forget my sense of HORROR watching the Annabelle's factory make AbbaZabbas; there's simply NO way that anything else made there could ever-- even with cleaning that lasted a decade or more-- be "safe" for anyone with high sensitivity to peanut.
On the other hand, I've learned that things that I thought would NEVER be safe are made in single-purpose manufacturing facilities. Like LingLing potstickers. (Blew my mind, that-- but before everyone gets too excited, they are NOT sesame free; just peanut/treenut and egg free.)
regular M&M's taste like peanut to me
I certainly have a hightened sense of smell/taste to peanuts
on a plane recently a lady opened some peanuts and I knew in about 5 seconds (she was very nice and accepted my grapes in trade for her children) - wait...I didn't trade for her children - I traded grapes for peanuts... ok
but anyway when I eat regular M&M's I am struck how much they taste like peanuts
now - either it is so well known that they aren't safe (for PA people to eat - not the OP's ? I know) OR the PA people who eat them have a high tolerance - or maybe they aren't that bad - because haven't heard of many reactions - or any recently from them?
I need coffee
We found and tried "Hershey-ets", seasonal in a candy cane shaped container.
Looked like M's but not as tasty to me. However, these are the safest and cheapest way to have this type of candy around. We cannot afford to keep Skippers around either money-wise or calorie-wise. I called Hershey's and told them there is a big market for this type of product if they could make it pnut and treenut free and offer it year round.
I emailed Mars about M&Ms and they just emailed back saying I should call (during business hours).
I'll post back when I've had a chance.
According to a site I looked at, Hershey-Ets has a "made on shared equipment with peanuts" warning.
Quote from: Jessica on January 06, 2013, 03:28:29 PM
According to a site I looked at, Hershey-Ets has a "made on shared equipment with peanuts" warning.
Jessica, link for that?
http://www.candyblog.net/blog/item/hershey-ets (http://www.candyblog.net/blog/item/hershey-ets)
http://www.shopwell.com/hersheys-hershey-ets-valentine/chocolate/p/3400000964 (http://www.shopwell.com/hersheys-hershey-ets-valentine/chocolate/p/3400000964)
these are both non hershey sites, so keep that in mind. The first says shared equipment. The second says shared facility. I have never seen hershey-ets that I know of but I'll look and see if I can find the valentine ones to see what the actual package says.
Cadbury brand (which is also Hershey in North America) had sugar-shell milk chocolate at Christmas this year. It was labeled as safe for peanut/treenut allergy. (no warning)
I forget what it was called. I got some for DD's stocking. Hm-- her package just says "Cadbury" Solid Milk Chocolates with a crisp sugar shell.
10 oz packaging.
I'm pretty sure that I've seen these before in seasonal colors for Valentines and other holidays, too.
We got the cadbury ones. They are kind of like the cadbury chocolate eggs (not cream eggs) that you see at Easter.
Quote from: luci on January 06, 2013, 02:25:35 PM
We found and tried "Hershey-ets", seasonal in a candy cane shaped container.
Looked like M's but not as tasty to me. However, these are the safest and cheapest way to have this type of candy around. We cannot afford to keep Skippers around either money-wise or calorie-wise. I called Hershey's and told them there is a big market for this type of product if they could make it pnut and treenut free and offer it year round.
I emailed Mars about M&Ms and they just emailed back saying I should call (during business hours).
I'll post back when I've had a chance.
We purchased these as well at our local Target. They look just like M&Ms. I've only seen them this year at Christmas.
Hershey's used to make an M&M-like product: It was candy-coated but in the shape of a kiss. They were called Kissables. I don't believe they make them anymore. We enjoyed them for a couple of years but then they changed the formulation to include shea butter, and we stopped eating them.
CM and Jessica, we picked up those candy-coated Cadbury balls/BBs too. As Jessica said, they're like smaller versions of Cadbury Mini Eggs. BTW, my local Wegman's already had a display of the teeny bags of Mini Eggs out on New Year's Eve.
They haven't made Kissables for a few years. :(
Quote from: Macabre on January 07, 2013, 05:24:02 PM
They haven't made Kissables for a few years. :(
Yup and we had to abandon them even before production ceased because of shea. :(
Found valentine hershey-ets today with no warning. DD is skeptical because of Hershey drops being unsafe.
I called Hershey's and they said Hershey-ets was peanut and treenut free - otherwise we could not have even tried them.
I sure hope the info I got from Hershey's was accurate.
We trust Hershey's labeling.