That Allergen-Free Symbol: What It Really Means to the Consumer

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If you’re concerned about specific allergens, no doubt you’ve noticed that “circle/slash” symbol on the package of various foods, often emblazoned with the words “No Nuts” or “Dairy-Free”. That must mean it’s safe for people with allergies to those ingredients, right? The answer: not necessarily.

Let’s use an example from one of the Facebook groups concerned with peanut allergy. A member posted the following picture of a package of “Birch Benders”, a popular pancake mix (symbol enlarged for emphasis):

Birch Benders Package with Nut-Free Symbol
Birch Benders Package with Nut-Free Symbol

Confused by the fact that the symbol displayed a peanut rather than a tree nut but displayed the words “Nut Free”, she wrote to the company for clarification as she was concerned for the safety of her family.

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Birch Benders replied with the following advice:

Thanks for writing! We do our best to keep our products as healthy and safe for all users, but they are processed in the same facility as products that contain tree nuts. We thoroughly clean and tent our machinery between processes, but as with any packaged food, we cannot guarantee that there will be no cross-contamination. As we never wish to be a source of stress for your family, we might steer you away from our products. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Response from Birch Benders
Response from Birch Benders
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This of course begs the question why the company placed this misleading claim on their package in the first place, especially since their Paleo variety contains both coconut flour and almond flour which may or may not be manufactured on the same equipment.
We reached out to Birch Benders for an explanation and are awaiting an official response from their management.

In the meantime, you may be asking yourself how this is possible. Doesn’t the symbol and “No Nuts” claim stamped on the package mean anything?

The answer again is not necessarily. Unlike standards that govern whether a product can claim to be gluten-free, the FDA has established no guidelines for what it means to be free of other allergens including peanuts, tree nuts, milk, soy, wheat, etc. So, in theory, one company’s claim of “Nut Free” could simply mean the product does not contain nuts as an ingredient even though it is manufactured on the same equipment that processes nuts. That said, this practice is misleading at best, abhorrent and dangerous at worst.

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We encourage you to contact a manufacturer you are unfamiliar with even when their products display an “Allergen-Free” symbol or make the Allergen-Free claim on their packaging.

Do you have a similar story regarding an allergen-free symbol on a product you recently purchased? Please tell us about it in the comments section below.

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Dave Bloom
Dave Bloom
Dave Bloom is CEO and "Blogger in Chief" of SnackSafely.com.

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8 COMMENTS

  1. We experienced this with Walmart Mini Muffins. I called to ask if this meant they checked all of their source ingredients (ie-the flour, sugar…items used to actually make the muffins) and I was told they could not in fact say that the source ingredients did carry the potential for cross contamination. I informed them that this symbol would provide a false sense of security for individuals living with allergies and that I believe it should be removed immediately. (While my husband shouted in the background “You’re going to kill people” ) It

  2. Unfortunately we have found many items with misleading information, but the two following also have very deceiving names. “this kid saves lives” wild berries and chocolate chip bars and “That’s it” fruit bars both announce on the front of the box No Nuts, then has a may contain or manufactured with peanuts and tree nuts! UGH!!

  3. One of the biggest offenders of this I’ve found is Kellogg’s. Why does this upset me you might ask? Because Kellogg’s makes a living off of marketing children and the parents of children to buy their products and feed their products to their children. Kellogg’s uses shared lines & has allergens in their facility and many times uses “NO” “may contain” clauses on their packaging. My daughter was getting very sick for about 8 months. I took her off Pop Tarts & all of her stomach pains, cramps & diarrhea went away……..permanently. I don’t buy much in Kellogg’s anymore, they are a huge company and should be ashamed of themselves for “not” being more truthful about their labelling.

    • They should go to jail for many reasons but mostly attempted murder…or even murder, who knows. So uncaring & irresponsible!

  4. There is a company in MA making frozen protein pancake batter. The label says “nut free” and their website says “allergen safe” but their products are made in a shared kitchen with nuts, gluten, you name it. Very disappointing and dangerous advertising. It’s kleanplate.com.

  5. As someone that has a nut allergy AND is pregnant, this is so disheartening! You really can’t trust any of these companies I guess. I choose to just hope for the best because it’s IMPOSSIBLE for me to make everything 100% from scratch, but I live with the fear of having to use an epi-pen and the harm it could do to baby.

  6. I bought a jug of popcorn kernels at Costco while I was in a hurry. I saw the no peanuts/nuts label on the front of the package but when I got home I called them only to find out they manufacture on the same lines as peanuts and tree nuts. It’s been a few years, but I am pretty certain it was jiffy pop. ? I complained To Costco also for carrying a dangerously packaged product.

  7. Someone shared in a Facebook group Koolaid Valentines kits with the peanut and slash symbol on the front, and a shared line warning on the back. Extremely dangerous for parents to purchase and give to other allergy children thinking the symbol on the front is allergen safe when it may not be.

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