My e-mail
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I need to know if your K-Cups list *may contain* warnings for allergens. I noticed there are some nut flavoured coffees. If nut or nut oils are used in processing those, are they produced on the same facility as other coffees? Also, any chocolate drinks could be a risk. The specific allergens we are dealing with are peanut/nut and sesame. ~~ Please advise what brands your information covers. I was looking up Timothy's, but Contact took me to Green Mountain. Thank you for your attention.
Their answer:
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We do offer the Newman's Own Cafe Almond Biscotti which is labeled to contain nut extractives. This product has been tested and contains no nut proteins which are the cause of the allergen. Flavors such as Hazelnut do not have nuts or nut extractives.
All of our coffees are processed in the same building and depending on the severity of the allergy we suggest you consult with your physician.
What nut extractives don't contain nuts? Does this mean artificial flavour (which often does not include nuts)? It says it's tested for the allergen.....but I should consult with my physician.
And no comment about chocolate drinks. I guess I'll have to check if they run on the same line or not. I'm OK with same facility, but still debating about same equipment. It would be a risk of cross-contamination with a cross-contaminated product....not cross-contamination with a peanut. kwim?
No-- I read "nut extractives" there to mean a solvent extraction of flavor components, and either testing or (more likely, IMO) an assumption that because proteins are not the extraction target, that there aren't any present.
It's natural nut, all right, and it's extracted.
So if you wouldn't drink water swished around in a jar of nuts after you filtered the nuts back out...
Uhhh- yeah. I'm thinking this is in the "avoid" category.
Can they say *tested* if it's not? Keep in mind, almond is the one nut that can be tested for. I think with other nuts, all they can do is get letters from suppliers, but they can't actually test. (Or has that changed?)
From the Certified Allergen Control Program page.
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The CAC Program exclusively targets the allergens for which recognized and validated detection tests are commercially available. For time being, there are four allergens:
Peanuts
Almonds
Milk
Eggs
However, the possibility of extending the CAC Program to other allergens is currently under study, as allergenic agent detection is the subject of further scientific and technical research
fyi, this is a labelling program in Canada.
Quote from: SilverLining on November 09, 2011, 03:02:55 PM
Can they say *tested* if it's not?
Well, "tested" is not a very specific word, is it? I mean, to one person, tested may be a long process of specific steps done in a very scientific manner. To another, tested might be a quick visual inspection, or a taste test. If they don't say what they mean by tested, it very well may not be an accurate test.
Exactly.
Or the process may have been, at some point in time, "tested" prior to scale-up, or something.
I seriously doubt that they are conducting routine testing of multiple lots of product.
You people are not making my husband very happy. This is what HE wants for Christmas.
~~~~
Times like this I hate being me. I don't want anyone else being forced to sacrifice for me. I HATE HATE HATE THIS. Should be able to buy a stupid coffee without all this cr@p.
But...thank you. Really! I'm not shooting the messengers. :)
Well, if you aren't drinking it... as you noted, it's cross-contamination OF cross-contamination, basically... and second hand exposure to it at that.
I guess if it were for my DH, I'd probably be okay with that. IMMV, of course, but it seems to me that probably most soaps, lotions, shampoos, etc. are in this category.
No, we'd both be drinking it. Get rid of the coffee pot, put away (but keep) the kettle.
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I did find one brand that doesn't use any nuts and they don't make chocolate. I've now sent them an e-mail asking if their K-cups are produced in same facility or same line as other brands of K-cups. I explained that other companies are very unclear on whether or not their products are safe, and if theirs run with them, then I can't trust them either.
If there is ONE safe, he can have his variety. He won't chose a flavour with nut, so then we're back to a cross-contm. of a may contain.
Well, this sort of defeats the purpose of K-cups in my opinion (as a non-coffee drinker), but they do make a reusable k-cup filters so you use your own coffee.
DH has one of these, but I don't think he's ever used it.
http://www.amazon.com/Keurig-K-Cup-Reusable-Coffee-Filter/dp/B000DLB2FI (http://www.amazon.com/Keurig-K-Cup-Reusable-Coffee-Filter/dp/B000DLB2FI)
Not sure this is of any help, but DH said Starbucks has started to make K-cups
I saw that someone else had recently, too-- can't recall who it was, though. I'll look next time I'm at the grocery store (of course, it may not matter if they don't sell in up in Kanadia ;) ).
Several e-mails later and it appears there are some safe one. Van H(something or other), Timothy's, waiting to hear back from Folger's, and I think I need to start a petition to Tim Horton's to start making them. lol
Van Houte! Its a chain from Quebec that has yummie coffee.
That's the one. I've never tried it, but Jim gets it a lot when he travels.
For whatever reason we don't seem to have it here which is odd because I've had it even in Florida. Its a Montreal institution ;)
He said at firs it was only in the province of Quebec, then it started showing up in hotels in northern Ontario. I think it's heading out west now.
I've never seen it out west. They are in a lot of Pulbix supermarkets in Fla though as a concession. I'm pretty sure I've seen them some place else too that was odd (caribbean perhaps). Its too bad because the coffee is better than second cup.
Is he wanting the K-cup because he only drinks a cup or two in the morning? What about a small french press? That way he could drink whatever coffee he wants and you could each have your own. I never got the whole french press thing until I used one. I think the taste is so much better.
From the Keurig web-site
QuoteQuestion Back to top
What allergens are contained in your K-Cup® portion packs?
Answer
Flavored coffee K-Cup® portion packs made by Coffee People®, Gloria Jean's, Green Mountain Coffee® and Timothy's Coffee® do not contain any nut proteins. They declare that their flavored coffees are free of all nut allergens because the flavored coffees are all flavored in separate vats from the non-flavored coffees. Even though there are no nut proteins used, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters performs a thorough clean-down between flavors during the production process.
Hot cocoa K-Cups may contain milk, soy or tree nuts so please refer to the K-Cup® portion packs detail page for specific nutritional information about a hot cocoa K-Cup® portion pack:
Café Escapes Mocha Specialty K-Cup® portion packs
Café Escapes Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa K-Cup® portion packs
Café Escapes Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa K-Cup® portion packs
Green Mountain Coffee Hot Cocoa K-Cup® portion packs
Timothy's White Hot Chocolate K-Cup® portion packs
Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Packet
Additionally, all coffee and tea K-Cup® portion packs are egg, dairy and gluten-free.