Hi Becca,
I tend to only eat products that are made on nut-free equipment. Of course, sometimes the manufacturer doesn't say if they use nut-free equipment, but I prefer to buy products made on nut-free equipment if possible as it is more safe.
Some manufacturers seem to be very allergy aware and have good cleaning practices (ie: Ben & Jerry's ice cream use an 8 hour cleaning process) so I do sometimes eat products made on shared lines. But I try to buy the nut-free product if possible.
As for Hershey's, I believe that they do label if a product is made on a line containing nuts. Maybe it is only Hershey Canada that does this, but I went to the drug store today, and the following products all had either the "Manufactured on the same equipment that process peanuts" or "Manufactured on the same equipment that process peanuts/almonds" warning message:
Skor Bites
Milk Chocolate Almond Bites
Classic Caramels - traditional
Classic Caramels - chocolate filled
Hershey bar regular size 43 grams & 100 grams
Almond bar 43 grams and 100 grams
Almond & Toffee bar 43 grams and 100 grams
Mound bar
I have found many Hershey products that say "Manufactured on the same equipment that processes peanuts" so my belief is that if there is no warning message on a Hershey's product, it is made on a nut-free processing line.
And my comfort level is that I will always prefer to buy products from nut-free lines.
p.s. I found another nut-free Hershey USA product today - a chocolate bar called Hershey Caramel. Milk chocolate bar filled with creamy caramel. Hershey Canada imports it to Canada also.

I had posted a concern I had about Regal Confections in the "American's who want smarties" thread, but it really belongs here. Here is what I found out:
I spoke with Regal Confections this morning (based out of Quebec). They are the distributer for such Canadian products as:
CeDe (i.e. rockets)
Concord (i.e. double bubble gum)
Wonka (nerds, sweet tarts, etc.)
The rep. assured me that Regal Confections does no packaging - packaging of products is done at the primary company plants (i.e. CeDe packages the rockets, etc.), and Regal simply distributes the products.
The rep. went on to say that Regal Cofections distributes hundreds of different products, and there is no chance of cross contamination issues within their distribution centres, because they don't distribute any nut or peanut products, only candy confections.
She did say to alway source the ingredients label for any "may contain" statements that the actual candy producer may put on items at any time, if there is a chance of cross-contamination on the factory floor.
Now, I'm on to sourcing out the main manufacturer of the "candy necklaces & bracelet watches" that CeDe Canada imports from Holland to check into their manufacturing practices to see if it is safe for our kids.
[This message has been edited by Syd's Mom (edited October 21, 2002).]

My dd eats those candy necklaces and watches. I also find a lot of this kind of candy at our dollar store here in the U.S.
Tamie

Eric: Are you sure CeDe candy is safe? I thought they were manufactured by a company called Regal and I understood that this was not a safe company- even though they don't put the warning on their products. Please let me know if you or anyone else knows for sure.

Hi Annshel,
The only Ce De Candy product that I am aware of is Canadian Rockets/American Smarties. They do not use nuts in their factory so I would consider the Rockets/Smarties to be safe.
And I did read a posting recently from someone on this site that they had contacted Regal, and were told that Regal does not manufacture the Rockets/Smarties. They only distribute the product to retailers.
If you do a search on "Ce De" or "Rockets" here at pa.com there is a lot of information which can be found. In fact, they have recently begun putting a message on the bags of Rockets/Smarties stating they are nut-free.
I raised a post for you called "Great Labelling" in the "Main Discussion Board" which gives more info.
Have a great day! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]
[This message has been edited by erik (edited October 29, 2002).]

Thanks a bunch Eric! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

Does anyone know if Adams chicklets are safe, double bubble or Tootsie blow pops? Sheesh! I'll be glad when Halloween is over. My son's school called and asked for a list of safe halloween treats--today. They are going to send a copy home with all the children. So awesome of them though! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

My pa son has eaten Peppermint Patties for years with no problems (we are in the US).

Hi Annshel,
I noticed in your profile that you are in Canada. If you school wants a list of safe treats, why not suggest the following:
Nestle "Safe to Share" bars:
- Aero, Kit Kat, Smarties, Coffee Crisp
Trebor Allan products:
- fuzzy peach, Swedish berries, sour cherry blasters, sour patch kids, Crush candy, Swedish fish, Maynard wine gums, etc
Wonka Nerds:
- I saw Wal-Mart was selling bags of treat-size Nerds
Skittles and Starburst fruit chews
You should be able to find most of these prducts at a grocery store (Loblaws, A&P, Dominion, etc) or a drug store (Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharma Plus, etc) near you.
This should be more than enough ideas for your school. Have a Happy Halloween! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

Thanks so much Eric. You are the "candy guru"! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]