Traces of traces?

Kate,

You said it yourself, totally a judgment call on that one.

For us-we do have a tree nut allergy, but if we didn't have a tree nut allergy and I found a food that was peanut free made in a facility with tree nuts-but no tree nuts IN the prouduct-honestly-I would feel okay with it.

Again, judgment call. If it makes you feel better, you can call and see about the tree nuts, how they are handled, what the manufacturing and cleaning practices are, etc.

Hope that helps!

mkate,

My 6 year old has tested negative for tree nuts and positive only for peanuts. Our allergist has told us to avoid tree nuts as well as traces of tree nuts, so we follow that religiously. After witnessing one scary severe reaction, I am too afraid to chance it.

I may be more risk-averse than the average peanut allergy mom. Hopefully, we'll get some other responses to help cover the different perspectives.

Best,
Jennifer B
www.foodallergybuzz.com

I agree with Ruth that this one is a judgment call.

I often find that I can get a good feel by calling the manufacturer and questioning them about how the product is handled. If products are manufactured on separate lines or if a thorough cleaning process is outlined to me, I may have a better feel for the safety of the food.

These are tough decisions. I try to gather all the information I can and make the best decision based on that information.

Our son is also only allergic to peanuts, not tree nuts. For a long time we avoided anything that said traces of tree nuts, even if it was peanut free. However, now that he has also been diagnosed with Celiac disease, our food choices have become even more complicated. Many gluten-free products have tree nut warnings. We checked with our allergist and he felt that products with traces of tree nuts warnings would be safe. I still avoid anything with actual tree nuts for fear of cross-contamination.