Girl Scout Cookie Rally

Can you believe it's almost that time again?  Abigail is attending a Girl Scout Cookie Rally this morning where the girls will play games, do a craft and sample cookies all for the purpose of getting excited about selling them.  So, here I am, early this morning looking up the ingredients of each of the cookies to see which ones she can sample and which ones she'll have to skip.

There are two cookie manufacturers that provide cookies for the Girl Scouts.  In our region, it's Little Brownie Bakers.  Other areas of the country get cookies from ABC Bakers.  Both have excellent allergen labeling policies.  If you are concerned about peanut/tree nut ingredients and the risk of cross-contamination, you'll need to know which bakery supplies your cookies and/or double check the labeling on the box.  At Little Brownie Bakeries, the Thin Mints, Samoas, Trefoils and the Thank U BerryMuch cookies are safe for peanuts and tree nuts.  The Dulce de Leche and the new Savannah Smiles may contain traces of tree nuts, and of course, the Tagalongs and the Do-si-dos are not safe for either.  It looks like ABC Bakers has just 3 cookies that are safe which are Thin Mints, Thanks-a-Lot and the Lemonades.  That's a bummer!  At least the Thin Mints are safe!

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of my daughter selling Girl Scout cookies.  However, I do love her being a part of the organization, and we've found a really great Brownie troop in the new area where we live.  I was pleased to find out that her new troop is selling cookies to raise money to go on a mother/daughter trip when they're in 5th grade.  That gives them 4 years (the other girls started working towards it last year) to raise the money to spend a long weekend in Savannah, the birthplace of Girl Scouts.  So, I'll be out there in the cold with Abigail the first of January while she rings doorbells asking if anyone wants to buy Girl Scout cookies.  And, I'll even buy a box...or two.

GMO Food Labeling...Why Isn't It?

There is a ballot initiative in California to require labeling of genetically engineered (GE or GMO) foods. While there are lots of supporters, there is a consensus that there is not much hope that this initiative will get passed.  There just doesn't seem to be enough consumer awareness of the risks of GMO food or how wide spread GE ingredients are used in the food we all consume.  Why is that?  My husband forwarded me this great article on why GMO foods may not be in the media as much as some of us would like. The author, JD Rucker, did his research and came up with 4 big reasons why it isn't.

The first reason is that there is simply too much information, i.e., information overload.  There are too many other worrisome topics being covered in the news, the loss of jobs, healthcare, the withdrawal of troops and upcoming elections to name but a few.  If GMO food was such a big deal, how come someone isn't screaming about the risks from the roof tops.

Which brings me to his second reason, and to paraphrase the author, if GMO foods are so dangerous, how come people aren't falling over on their soy lattes?  The dangers aren't immediate, but there are many, cancer, fertility issues and food allergies immediately come to mind.  Rucker is right though.  If people were killing over on a regular basis, that would be news. Giving people statistics on research studies and declining health trends does not make an interesting story.

The third reason is that neither the mass media or the US government want to get on the bad side of Monsanto (which is why few are screaming about the risks from the roof tops).  While organizations like Organic Consumers Association are out there battling the giant, with campaigns like "Millions Against Monsanto", there is very little press from the big networks and media outlets.  Rucker found this video that he thinks explains it loud and clear.  It's worth watching.

The final reason why GMO food risks are being ignored is the impact to the cost of our food.  If consumers knew the risks and were no longer willing to purchase 80% of the food in our grocery stores which were now labeled for GMO ingredients, what would happen to the food supply? Governmental officials would have to commit to stronger protection measures with new regulations, farmers would have to go back to traditional growing methods and food prices would soar.

I loved finding this link to an infographic outlining the threats to our food. Click here to see it full size. It takes a fairly complicated subject and makes it easy to understand.

Bird Seed

I love watching birds at my backyard feeders. Our new house is further out and has a great mix of trees and open space, perfect for birds.  My feeders attract a wide variety of birds, and I have to fill them often.  Unfortunately, while Abigail can help me identify the birds from our kitchen window, she can't help me fill the feeders.  Bird seed either contains or is manufactured in a plant with peanuts and tree nuts.

Labeling guidelines do not apply to feed for animals.  Manufacturers of bird seed and pet food are not required to label for allergens, although lately, I have seen quite a few bird seed bags printed with an allergen statement.  To date, I've not seen or heard of a bird seed supplier that is peanut/tree nut free.  If you know of one, please leave a comment.

It's also that time of year when schools, preschools especially, make bird feeders using pine cones or bagels.  A lot of schools have stopped using peanut butter as the base for obvious reasons, but many teachers and care-givers forget about the risk of the bird seed.

I did some research, and if you do want to have your peanut/tree nut allergic child have some hands on experience feeding your backyard birds there are other options.  Here's a whole list of kitchen scraps like leftover rice, cooked pasta, over-ripe fruits, stale bread, dried cheese, etc., that can be fed to the birds.  Another neat idea is to use leftover bacon or other animal fat grease, strain it, mix it with the kitchen scraps to make suet.  I particularly like this idea.  Abigail can get involved, and I can save some money on bird seed.  The downside of having so many birds....they eat a lot of seed.

Rejected Treats

I signed up to take a sweet treat to my son's preschool Halloween party. I originally planned on making mini candy apples using a recipe I found in Family Fun (obviously ignoring the suggestion to use peanut butter chips and chopped nuts). I soon found that caramel doesn't stick easily to cut apples, and I couldn't find a peanut safe caramel dip (a little boy in his class has a peanut allergy). Butterscotch chips were recommended in the recipe, but I couldn't stomach the ingredients in the butterscotch chips. At the last minute, I was scrambling to find something to make that was fun, healthy and safe.

I modified a recipe and made popcorn balls. I mixed popcorn (popped safely in a brown paper bag), organic raisins and the peanut safe candy corn that I found at Dollar Tree, and topped it with melted butter and mini marshmallows. I formed them into sticky, sweet popcorn balls. They were yummy!

We're at the party, and each child is served a Cherrybrook Kitchen cupcake (my first time sampling...they were quite good), my popcorn ball and some pretzels. My son ate it all, but he was one of the few. I heard one child tell his mom "yuck" and to take his popcorn ball off his plate. I saw the majority of them end up in the trash can. In other words, they were totally rejected!

I tried.  It was all the right ingredients that preschoolers love.  I guess it was combining them that was the problem. I packed up all that was left, and my family has been enjoying them.

More Treats and Safe Candy Corn!

Again at Target (I shop there a lot), I found another healthy, peanut-safe trick-or-treat option.  Different Target this time though which explains why I didn't see them at my last visit.  An entire post could be devoted on the frustrations that occur when stores within the same chain don't carry the same products.  I run into the same issue with my grocery store and with Wal-Mart, but I regress.  There are 80 packs of fruit snacks in a box for $4.99.  Right on the very front of the box is a picture of a peanut with a red line slashed across it, and on the back a label stating that the snacks are made in a nut free facility.  The snacks from Florida's Naturals are made with real fruit and there were no artificial colors listed in the ingredients.  I bought 2 boxes and hope there are some left over to pack in the kids' lunch boxes.

Another good find this week was safe candy corn.  Not necessarily healthy, but peanut safe.  If was the first candy corn that Abigail has ever eaten, and she was hooked.  I find them too sweet, but Abigail loves sweet treats, and you can't get much sweeter than candy corn.  I found the bag at Dollar Tree.  The candy corn is manufactured in Mexico for Sunrise Confections.  It does contain egg and soy, but made in a peanut/tree-nut facility.

Kids were in too much of a hurry to try them to let me take a picture before opening the bag!

Jelly Belly also makes a Halloween mix of candy corn flavored jelly beans that is safe for peanut and tree nut allergies.  Other than online, I've only seen the product at Marshalls/HomeGoods.  It was $5.99 for a 9 oz. bag.  Personally, I liked the price of the bag at Dollar Tree where, yes, everything there is a dollar.

Allergy Friendly Halloween Treats

It's that time of year again.  The time when the aisles are stocked with every type of candy imaginable, most of which aren't safe for our peanut allergic children.  I did find a couple of non-candy options this year that I wanted to share.

While shopping at Target, I came upon 3 products that are good trick-or-treat options for peanut and tree nut allergies.  The first product is Angie's Kettle Corn.  It was priced at $6.99 for a bag of 24 snack packs. Here is the allergen statement from their website:

Angie's Kettle Corn is certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization and is produced in an nut-free environment. Ingredients used in the production of all our kettle corn products are free all of the regulated food allergens. We do not allow nuts of any kind in our production facility.

A plus for me is that they also have a non-GMO statement although I'm a little confused about their corn oil and will be contacting them for clarification.

Another find is Pirate's Booty.  It's gluten-free, and according to the website, "Pirate Brands’ products are made in a nut-free facility, therefore are peanut and tree-nut free."  The Pirate Brands' products are natural, but are not GMO free.  Our family has switched to the Trader Joe's brand for this reason, but for the purpose of Halloween, these small packs are perfect.  I believe that this box of 20 packs was also $6.99.

I selected the Utz Halloween Pretzels to give out at our house.  Printed right on the bag are the words "manufactured in a peanut and tree-nut free facility."  That makes me happy.  That and the fact that there are minimal ingredients, and it was just $3.99 a bag for 35 individual bags of bat and pumpkin shaped pretzels.  Here's a link to Utz's nut allergy information.

They have a very lengthy statement about using GMO ingredients and have several products that are GMO-free.  Unfortunately, the pretzels were not on that list. As I was searching their website for information for this post, I read this statement, "A vast amount of food biotechnology information has been carefully evaluated over the last ten years and found to pose very little risk to society.  The consumer issues involved here are ideological and emotional, and not scientific."  I must admit, I took offense to that statement.  Might just put me up on my soapbox and prevent me from willingly purchasing their products again.

With kids collecting so much candy on Halloween night, I like to provide an alternative.  I'll also purchase Halloween-themed pencils, erasers or other treats and hand those out as well.  There are a ton of kids in our new neighborhood.  I have a feeling I need to be well-stocked.

Changes at Duke

I must admit, I'm anxious. Dr. Burks has accepted the position of Chair of UNC Department of Pediatrics, Physician-in-Chief of N.C. Children's Hospital and is leaving Duke University Hospital.

We received an e-mail from our doctor in charge of the Peanut Sublingual Clinical Trial assuring us that, for the time being, it was business as usual. We can expect to see changes. The trials are to move to UNC sometime next spring. So, yes, I'm anxious.

Abigail's next appointment is in January for blood work. I assume we'll drive to Durham. Her big food challenge to see if she can tolerate up to 15 peanuts is scheduled for June. That should take place in Chapel Hill. I don't mind the change in location, I just want re-assurance that there are no changes planned for the studies.

Here is the article announcing his new position.