I used some Baker's sweet chocolate- it's a bar in a smaller green package. The semi sweet baking bar is the red package. I used both and both were labeled "made in Canada". My son seems to be getting a reaction from the candy we made with the sweet chocolate.
It's a relatively mild sneezing, runny eyes, whiny and irritated sort of reaction, rather than his typical peanut reaction. I'm at a loss to understand this, I really thought all the Baker's chocolate from Canada was made in a nut free plant and should be ok.
I fed him some Guittard semi sweet chocolate chips and it was the same as usual, no reaction. I was worried he might be developing a chocolate allergy, but this reaction seems to just be the sweet chocolate.
Has anyone used the Baker's sweet chocolate? This was our first time with it.
Sorry, this is in "Take Action". I can't delete it. I was in the wrong forum when I posted this, many apologies.
[This message has been edited by CVB in CA (edited April 27, 2003).]
Hi CVB,
I use Baker's chocolate all the time with no problem. We just used it twice in the past week for dipping strawberries in melted chocolate. When I emailed Kraft Kitchens Canada in 2002, they replied to me that it was made in a nut-free plant in Canada. I have had no problems with it.. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img] I'll think some more..... [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]
Could the reaction be caused by a different allergy .. milk? soy? I noticed Baker's chocolate contains milk ingredients and soybean lecithin.
Erik, I requested info from Kraft Canada recently (about bakers chocolate) and they told me they would not give out that information. They said "if it doesn't say anything about nuts on the package, there won't be any nuts in it. We feel confident in our cleaning procedures that if a product is run on a shared line, that all residue is removed. We use a special ALLERGEN wash."
I posted on a thread in manufacturers I think I will try and re-raise it.
I won't trust Kraft Canada.
Hi Cynde,
This is my reply from Kraft, however it was from 2002. I thought Kraft did use "may contain' warnings, as I thought I saw may contain on some of their products such as lunchables, mini-Oreos, etc.
Anyway, I am confident in Baker's chocolate, but I can understand that others may not have the same confidence as me.
=========================
Thank you for your recent e-mail.
If there is a risk of peanut contamination in the product, then this will be
included in the ingredient line as you have indicated. The BAKER'S
chocolate and Refrigerated JELL-O Products are manufacturered in nut-free
facilities. I hope this helps.
Please visit us again soon.
REF#: 15568755-1
Kraft Kitchens Canada
The ingredients listing is identical between the red package and the green package. The green package says german sweet chocolate and looks from nutritional info just to have more sweetener in it.
I'm wondering now if it is packaged somewhere else (due to difference in the size of the bar) and it's cross contamination. Chocolate chips also same ingredients list.
Kid has had much milk and soy lecithin exposure in other products. Actually drinks milk. Other allergies to mango, maybe kiwi and cashew. Maybe bar is packaged on a line with flavored chocolates? Does Kraft make other chocolate bars? Or maybe they purchase sweet chocolate bars somewhere else that makes other kinds of chocolate?
Hi CVB,
Yes.. if your child is reacting to Baker's chocolate, it is best to use a different brand.
I don't think it would be peanut cross-contamination as I would react as well, plus Kraft Canada told me they do not use nuts in that facility (although conditions could always change). Unless as you mentioned, it is made in a different facility than the Baker's chocolate we have here in Canada. Or maybe there is some other product that is cross contaminating the chocolate.
I don't think Kraft Canada makes any chocolate bars (excluding their Baker's chocolate line). In Canada, the chocolate bars are made by Cadbury, Nestle, Hershey and a few others.
But since a reaction is occurring, I would recommend using a different brand of chocolate. Vermont nut-free has been highly recommended on PA.COM so that is one brand which I would suggest [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]
(note- I use the Bakers chocolate in the red box - semi-sweet variety)
[img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]