NotNutz.com candy

I just wanted to let everyone know about this woman and her company. The candy is wonderful and totally nut free. There was an article about her in our local Chicago area paper. I hope I can cut and paste it below. Please check out her website and candy. You won't be disappointed. [url="http://www.notnutz.com"]www.notnutz.com[/url]
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Mom helps kids enjoy nutless candy
Posted Tuesday, March 09, 2004
Kristin Miller had a tough time finding candy last Easter for her 3-year-old daughter who suffers from nut allergies.

Miller discovered she wasn't alone as the number of people in the United States with this food allergy is on the rise.

Kristen learned that a person can't rely on product labeling to determine if trace amounts of nuts exist in food products.

She explained that manufacturers can unintentionally cross-contaminate non-nut foods when they prepare multiple products with the same cooking utensils or on the same production lines without properly cleaning the equipment.

Miller felt sympathy for her daughter, Mikayla, and decided to do something about it. She started a candy company catered to people allergic to nuts. She runs Not Nutz in Clarendon Hills. She manufactures the candy in Chicago.

The product line includes chocolate bars, caramels, gummy bears, sour gummy bears, neon worms, fruit slices and orange slices as well as an array of holiday chocolate molds.

The chocolate bars are about double the price of a Hersey's bar and the gummy lines are about 20 percent more than the regular varieties. "This is more of a gourmet candy bar," she said of her product.

It's a small food manufacturer, but it's safe, Miller said of her business. "I give this candy to my daughter," she said.

Miller, who grew up in Palos Heights, is very careful in how she operates her new manufacturing plant. She doesn't allow anyone, even repair people, into the facility if they have eaten nuts or even peanut butter in the past 24 hours.

Food options for people with nut allergies are limited. Even the smallest trace amount of nuts can lead to anaphylactic shock or even death.

"I am obsessed with only one thing and that is making sure this candy is safe for people with nut allergies," she said.

Miller doesn't believe children should eat a lot of candy, but hopes her products help kids live a "little more normal of a life."

"It's tough not being able to eat what everyone else is eating, she said.

For more information, call (630) 251-3750 or check out [url="http://www.notnutz.com."]www.notnutz.com.[/url]

Stay safe: Oxford Bank is holding a Kids' Safety Day from 10 a.m. to noon at Oxford's Westmont-Darien branch office, 6495 S. Cass Ave., Westmont.

The free event is geared toward children ages 3 to 11. Reservations are required by calling (630) 960-1100.

Quanto, the newest member of the Darien Police Department's K-9 unit, will be the highlight of the event.

Oxford Bank also has locations in Plainfield and two locations in both Addison and Naperville.