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Hi Sue,
YES! My 11 year old dd (not PA) spoke at her school assembly last Friday and is in the process of preparing posters for each grade that the children will sign, the poster has a statement something to the effect...
SOS Save our Smarties!
"We the children of the grade ** classes of **** school which is "peanut free" are pleading with you to reconsider your decision to stop making peanut free "SAFE" treats."
She will forward the posters to Nestle later this week! The CTV affiliate here, CJOH has said they want to do a follow up story before the posters are sent to Nestle. I think it is important that Nestle hear directly from the children and this way, they will! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/biggrin.gif[/img]
Regards,
Katiee (Wade's mom)
Quote:Originally posted by KarenT:
[b]I just returned from an all day conference by the AAIA in Kingston ON. I had an opportunity to speak with a rep from Nestles. The most important piece of information I received from her was - When people are writing, e-mailing and phoning Nestle rather than only telling them why you want the plant to remain nut free, give them solutions. Maybe you will have an idea that just might work. If they could come up with a better alternative for their company and the consumer maybe they would reverse their decision. Try to avoid bashing the company. Praise them for the years that they have had a nut free plant and have been allergy aware. People listen better when they are not on the defense. She also said that the response has been overwhelming for the company.
[/b]
sure...they have received overwhelming support-let's get real!I'd love to know who could possibly support a decision to prevent nut allergic people from having these bars?It's of no benefit to those who eat nuts,that nut free bars cannot be eateb by the nut allergic,and those with nut allergies can't be supportive...face it,only nestles believes it's good for nestles-when they add up their numbers they feel it financially worthwhile to sacrifice the nut allergic community for greater profits(they hope!)our best chance is to prove them wrong by avoiding these products now and finding replacements.can somebody provide a list of nut free safe chocolate bars available in canada.finally,for them to tell you we should provide solutions is a transparent effort of a skilled communicator to put you on the defensive and remove your wind,don't fall for it-they themselves know their options available and they chose what they felt would be their most profitable...the only thing i can say is i feel it's a short term view and they are not looking ahead at building consumers,the 1st target of which should be the maintaining of their current consumers...many of whom are totally being forsaken!
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Quote:Originally posted by doug:
[b] Quote:Originally posted by KarenT:
[b]I just returned from an all day conference by the AAIA in Kingston ON. I had an opportunity to speak with a rep from Nestles. The most important piece of information I received from her was - When people are writing, e-mailing and phoning Nestle rather than only telling them why you want the plant to remain nut free, give them solutions. Maybe you will have an idea that just might work. If they could come up with a better alternative for their company and the consumer maybe they would reverse their decision. Try to avoid bashing the company. Praise them for the years that they have had a nut free plant and have been allergy aware. People listen better when they are not on the defense. She also said that the response has been overwhelming for the company.
[/b]
sure...they have received overwhelming support-let's get real!I'd love to know who could possibly support a decision to prevent nut allergic people from having these bars?It's of no benefit to those who eat nuts,that nut free bars cannot be eateb by the nut allergic,and those with nut allergies can't be supportive...face it,only nestles believes it's good for nestles-when they add up their numbers they feel it financially worthwhile to sacrifice the nut allergic community for greater profits(they hope!)our best chance is to prove them wrong by avoiding these products now and finding replacements.can somebody provide a list of nut free safe chocolate bars available in canada.finally,for them to tell you we should provide solutions is a transparent effort of a skilled communicator to put you on the defensive and remove your wind,don't fall for it-they themselves know their options available and they chose what they felt would be their most profitable...the only thing i can say is i feel it's a short term view and they are not looking ahead at building consumers,the 1st target of which should be the maintaining of their current consumers...many of whom are totally being forsaken!
[/b]
one more thing...we have thanked(praised?) them for their past,by suppoting their product-why would I now "praise"them?my son sure doesn't feel like praising them-come on!really,they desrve our scorn for their move,but hopefully with enough copmplaints (not praise)they may feel threatened that their business will suffer and reverse their decision.
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Doug! If you are going to quote someone do not change what they said. I did not say that Nestle was receiving overwhelming support, I said they were overwhelmed by the response. Therefore they have been inundated with calls, e-mails and letters from those of us concerned for our children's treats. I am concerned and was just trying to share a different view point on how we may be able to deal with this company productively for our children's benefit. I have dealt with many people in my life time and feel the positive approach gets you further in life than the negative. I am sorry for you that you chose the negative road. Please do not try to take me down that road as I will not follow. Thank you for your opinion and please remember we are all in this together for our children.
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Karalot
Doug! If you are going to quote someone you should get the quote right. I did not say that Nestle's was receiving overwhelming support - I said they were overwhelmed by the response! Therefore they have received many phone calls, e-mails and letters from people concerned for our children's treats. In life, I have learned that people respond better to a positive attitude than a negative one. Businesses everywhere are restructuring and downsizing. They may have thought of every alternative solution but they may have missed a very obvious one that one of the members on this board has come up with. I would be very proud if one off us was able to help Nestle safe our children's smarties. Doug, I am sorry for you that you have chose the negative road but you will not take me down that road with you. Thank you for your opinion. Please keep in mind we are all parent trying to work together for the benefit of our children. Insulting each others opinion will not help anyone.
Some of this message is repetitive since I thought the first one had been lost.
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Karalot
[This message has been edited by KarenT (edited May 06, 2001).]
Quote:Originally posted by KarenT:
[b]Doug! If you are going to quote someone you should get the quote right. I did not say that Nestle's was receiving overwhelming support - I said they were overwhelmed by the response! Therefore they have received many phone calls, e-mails and letters from people concerned for our children's treats. In life, I have learned that people respond better to a positive attitude than a negative one. Businesses everywhere are restructuring and downsizing. They may have thought of every alternative solution but they may have missed a very obvious one that one of the members on this board has come up with. I would be very proud if one off us was able to help Nestle safe our children's smarties. Doug, I am sorry for you that you have chose the negative road but you will not take me down that road with you. Thank you for your opinion. Please keep in mind we are all parent trying to work together for the benefit of our children. Insulting each others opinion will not help anyone.
Some of this message is repetitive since I thought the first one had been lost.
[/b]
SORRY IF I MISUNDERSTOOD YOU,IT SOUNDED LIKE YOU WERE SAYING THAT THEY BELIEVE THEY HAVE RECEIVED SUPPORT AND UNDERSTANDING FOR THEIR POSITION.ANYHOW WE BOTH AGREE THAT A FLOOD OF MESSAGES TO NESTLE DECRYING THEM FOR THEIR DECISION IS THE BEST ROUTE.THAT AND REPRESENTATIONS BY THE AAIA WILL HOPEFULLY HAVE A POSITIVE RESULT.I HEARD KATHRYN ROWAN INTERVIEWED,AND I SPOKE WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE CONFECTIONARY DIVISION BOB LEONIDAS,AND I DID NOT GET THE IMPRESSION THAT THEY WERE OPEN TO CONSIDERING REVERSING THE DECISION,WHICH REST ASSURED,IS NOT THEIRS TO MAKE.NOTHING LESS(IN MY OPINION)THAN AN ONGOING PROTEST THROUGH A FLOOD OF MAIL,EMAIL,FAX,CALLS,PLUS LETTERS TO THE EDITORS,LETTERS TO RETAILERS URGING THEM TO TALK WITH NESTLE ETC... AND MOST IMPORTANTLY A HALT OF PURCHASES OF THESE 5 BARS WILL ACCOMPLISH THIS.THAT IS I BELIEVE THE REALITY.THEY KNEW IT WOULD UPSET THE ALLERGY COMMUNITY,BUT THEY WENT AHEAD ANYWAY FOR WHAT THEY SAW AS SOUND BOTTOM LINE BUSINESS REASONS.HOPEFULLY IF THERE IS A MAJOR DROP OFF IN SALES OF THESE BARS,THEY'LL THEN DO AN ABOUT FACE,AND AT SUCH TIME WILL NO DOUBT CREDIT IT TO AN ACT OF CONSIDERATION FOR THE NUT ALLERGIC POPULATION,THOUGH I'LL BET IT'LL BE THE LOSS OR CONCERN OF LOSING BUSINESS THAT'LL HAVE CAUSED THEM TO RE-THINK THEIR PLAN.ANYHOW THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS AND HOPEFULLY OTHERS WILL JOIN AND THE MORE VOICES HEARD THE BETTER.FROM MY POINT OF VIEW,ALL POINTS OF VIEW AND STRATEGIES ARE HELPFUL,AS A TRUE REFLECTION OF US ALL,WHO WHILE WE MAY SHARE THE DESIRE FOR THE SAME END RESULT,MAY SEE DIFFERENT ROADS TO GET THERE.THE BIGGER ISSUE TO ME IS THE LABELLING RULES THAT ALLOW A "MAY CONTAIN NUTS"ON WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE NUT FREE PRODUCTS.I HOPE ONE DAY THE PRODUCTION /LABELLING LAWS BECOME SUCH THAT IF AN ITEM DOES NOT CONTAIN NUTS ,IT IS THE LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PRODUCER TO ENSURE THIS, THROUGH NUT FREE PRODUCTION ENVIORNMENTS.A HOST OF PHARMACEUTICALS ARE PRODUCED IN SAFE ENVIORNMENTS WITHOUT A "MAY CONTAIN"SOME OTHER DRUG, PRODUCED BY THIS SAME MANUFACTURER.ARTICLES OF CLOTHING BY LAW MAY NOT SAY "MAY CONTAIN"COTTON IF IN FACT THE ARTICLE IS POLYESTER.WHY CAN FOODS BE EXEMPTED,WHEN THE IMPLICATIONS ARE SO SEVERE?OBVIOUSLY,IT'S CHEAPER TO WARN THE NUT ALLERGIC THAN TO TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS TO SAFEGUARD THE INTEGRITY OF NUT FREE PRODUCTS-THIS IN MY OPINION SHOULD NOT BE PERMITTED.AS YOU WELL KNOW,IT HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO FIND NUT FREE TREATS AND SNACKS WHICH DO NOT HAVE THE "MAY CONTAIN"WARNING.THIS SITUATION IS MORE COMMON,JUST AS THE NUMBERS OF NUT ALLERGIC PEOPLE IS INCREASING.UNTIL THE RANKS OF THOSE AFFECTED INCREASE TO THE LEVELS WHERE THEIR SHEER NUMBERS BRING ABOUT CHANGE(EITHER VOLOUNTAILY BY THE MAKERS,OR THROUGH LEGISLATION)OR UNTIL THAT TIME,THE VOICES OF THE NUT ALLERGIC ARE VOCAL ENOUGH (THROUGH CAMPAIGNS SUCH AS ARE NOW TAKING PLACE)THIS ISSUE WILL NOT BE RESOLVED TO OUR BENEFIT.
sent copy of this message also to retailers selling nestle products.get your friends to bombard nestle with complaints about their decision to foresake many loyal customers like us-the nut allergic and their families...
NESTLE CANADA INC.
25 SHEPPARD AVE
NORTH YORK, ONT.
M2N6S8
ATTENTION: LESLIE SCHARF
IT WAS VERY DISHEARTENING TO LEARN THAT OUR FAMILIES FAVOURITE CHOCOLATE BARS-KIIKAT, AERO, & SMARTIES, CAN NO LONGER BE ON OUR HOUSEHOLDS SHOPPING LIST, EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2002,WHEN YOU INTEND TO INTRODUCE NUTS INTO YOUR CURRENTLY NUT FREE FACTORY ENVIORNMENT.
OUR 10 YEAR OLD SON HAS A PEANUT ALLERGY, AND SO AS A CONSEQUENCE, WE DO NOT PURCHASE ANY PRODUCTS CONTAINING OR WHICH
I have also sent an e-mail to Nestle tonight. My 8 year son helped t write about how disappointed he is to be losing some of his favorite treats. Our family of four is going to boycott all Nestle products. My parents are as well. Even my cats are not going to get their favorite cat food any more. My mom has 6 cats, and boy will that make a dent. I am posting something at work on our bulletin board to tell everyone to write in their disappointment to Nestle. I'm disappointed that I missed the day in Kingston as I live a short distance away. Did anyone go? What if anything happened? If anyone plans a protest at the factory, or needs more letters sent, please e-mail me.
Ann
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Katiee had mentioned the possibility of approaching this through the Ontario Human Rights Commission. We had to write and ask for an intake questionnaire re our children's PA and then, it was the intention that if our claim was valid we could file a class action suit against Nestle. Well, as it turned out, Katiee was strongly advised not to approach Nestle in this way (although it certainly was a great idea). When she initially e-mailed for her intake questionnaire, so did I. Here is the response I got from the Ontario Human Rights Commission, which is interesting, even if it has nothing to do with Action re Nestle.
The Human Rights Code is anti-discrimination legislation and protects every
>person from discrimination. In order for a complaint to fall within the
>jurisdiction of the Code, it must satisfy two requirements; it must involve
>one of the social areas and one of the grounds set out in the Code.
>
>Based on the information you have provided, it would appear that the
>issue(s) who have raised do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Code.
>The agency that would best deal with your concerns is the Food Inspection
>Agency, Food and Drug Administration at 1-800-701-2737.
>
>Thank you for bringing your concerns to the attention of the Ontario Human
>Rights Commission.
I just thought it was important to post any attempts that we are making re this particular Action and any responses that we should receive.
I also should mention that I posted a different thread under Living with PA about the ANoC, AAIA, and MedicAlert and how ALL of them sent me a mailing re the Nestle decision. I thought this was excellent work on their part.
I did separate it from this thread only because I believed these three groups deserved some recognition, in their own right and separate from simply the Nestle "issue".
Best wishes! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]
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This article actually came in one of the health newsletters I receive - one from [url="http://www.medbroadcast.com"]www.medbroadcast.com[/url] I think it has been posted on the board already, but I'm doing so again. I believe this shows, if I receive it in a health newsletter, how much of an impact Nestle's decision has had.
Children with nut allergies get bitter lesson in commerce from Nestle
HELEN BRANSWELL
Apr 21, 2001
TORONTO - Children with life-threatening nut allergies got a bitter lesson in commerce last week when
Nestle Canada announced it will no longer be making five of its popular chocolate bars in a nut-free
factory.
The decision means that as of next January, treats that have been a staple in the already limited diets of
children with nut and peanut allergies will join the long list of foods that can kill them.
Production at the Toronto factory which currently supplies the Canadian market with Smarties and Kit
Kat, Aero, Coffee Crisp and Mirage bars will be expanded to include bars containing nuts. That means
Nestle will no longer be able to guarantee that those five confectioneries are free from nut-protein
contamination.
Ryan Jackson, who is allergic to all nuts, was in tears after hearing of the decision, which Nestle put
down to increased consumer demand for chocolate with nuts.
"Now it's like I can't eat anything. None. Zip," complained the angry 12-year-old, who lives in Oakville,
west of Toronto.
"I don't know why they'd do that. Because they know that people have nut allergies and that those are
some of the only chocolate bars on the market that we can have.
"And now they're just betraying us."
"He can't have so many of the chocolates and candies and things and that was always something he
knew he felt safe (with)," said Meredith Jackson, Ryan's mother.
"If other kids had something else, he always would fall back on an Aero or a Kit Kat or Coffee Crisp or
whatever. There isn't a lot left."
Kathryn Rowan, vice-president of corporate affairs, said Nestle's market research showed a need for more
products with nuts. Currently Nestle Canada imports the chocolate bars in its product line that contain
nuts.
"I know it's going to come as a great disappointment to those folks," Rowan said of families with food
allergies.
"We had to make this business decision.
"It comes back to consumer demand," she said in an interview. "I mean, we're a consumer responsive
company. We regret the disappointment this is going to cause. But at the same time, the majority of our
consumers are telling us that they're drawn to peanut and nut content when they're buying chocolate."
Firm numbers on just how many Canadians suffer from nut allergies aren't really available. But the
Anaphylaxis Network of Canada estimates that between one and two per cent of all Canadians - and as
many as eight per cent of children - are allergic to peanuts and/or tree nuts.
It's generally believed the incidence is on the rise in the industrialized world.
Canadian parents of children with nut allergies have long relied on the five Nestle treats, knowing they are
a safe alternative to the myriad snacks that are strictly off limits for their children. Many carry some
around at the ready, pulling them out as compensation when a non-allergic sibling is offered a doughnut
or a piece of cake which might contain nuts or nut oils.
"You need to have backup treats for these kids, because they can't always have the cupcakes that are
being served at school and that kind of thing," said Karen Sheen, whose son, Matthew, 6, has nut
allergies.
"There are so few chocolate bars on the market that we can give the kids that are safe. And that," the
five Nestle bars - "basically covers off most of them."
The president of the Anaphylaxis Network of Canada - a charitable organization representing people with
life-threatening allergies - called the decision "a huge emotional loss."
"It's one of those things that's hard to quantify," Dr. Jane Salter said.
"I mean, you can talk about it in a very logical way and say, 'Well, chocolates aren't that great for you'
and so on, but they're a very big part of our lives for emotional reasons."
Children who have to know from a very early age that nuts can kill them already feel different from their
peers, she noted. Add to that the fact that many of the most exciting times of childhood - Halloween,
Easter, Christmas - involve treats that could plunge them into anaphylactic shock, and "it's a pretty
painful feeling of exclusion."
"Halloween's a huge one and I don't know how that one's going to be dealt with," Salter said.
Salter urged people concerned by the decision to tell Nestle.
"My message would be that if consumers have a problem with this, they should really write to Nestle.
"The children should write."
Rowan said the company decided to announce its decision eight months in advance to ensure people
learn of the change. Nestle is launching an information campaign targeting schools, family doctors,
allergists and allergy associations across the country.
Some schools restrict the types of snacks sold in their cafeterias or instruct children not to bring food
items such as peanut butter sandwiches, because of the severity of the reactions of many nut allergy
sufferers.
Rowan said Nestle considered trying to configure the Toronto plant so that a portion of it could be
dedicated to nut-free production, but in the end it couldn't be done.
"We looked at a lot of options, actually. We tried to be as creative as possible. But none of them met our
standards for a nut-free environment," she said.
"We really are erring on the side of caution at this stage."
That's not going to be the way Sheen explains the decision to her son, Matthew, however.
"I know he's going to be upset. And my response it's going to be, 'Well, honey, this is life. And . . . I
guess you're going to have to learn earlier than I'd like you to that big companies don't care about kids.
They don't really even care about people. They care about dollars and cents.' "
---
For information on Nestle Canada, consumers can visit [url="http://www.nestle.ca"]www.nestle.ca[/url] or call the company's toll-free
number at 1-800-387-4636.
For information on the Anaphylaxis Network of Canada, visit [url="http://www.anaphylaxis.org"]www.anaphylaxis.org[/url]
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