Yes. We do manage both tree nuts and peanuts in our facility simultaneously. We have a strong allergen control program which segments these two classes at all times.
Nutmeats are among the more common food allergens that individuals respond negatively to. Food allergies are a growing concern for many families today, especially regarding children. While nuts can be part of a healthy snack and many people enjoy candy containing nuts, our candy processing takes into account that nutmeats are not for everyone. A nut manufacturing process that doesn’t segregate nut-based candies from nut-free candies can be dangerous.
A food allergy occurs when the body misidentifies a food protein as a dangerous foreign substance and generates antibodies to attack it. Unfortunately, the antibodies – called immunoglobulin – are overproduced, and create a greater danger to the individual’s health than the allergen.
An allergic reaction can include everything from itching or a rash to potentially deadly anaphylaxis, where breathing and blood circulation are constricted to critical extremes. Anaphylaxis can come on almost immediately in response to contact with an allergen, and without a prompt injection of epinephrine, can result in death in 30 minutes. This is why it is so important to clearly prepare and label any food that has the potential to come into contact with common food allergens. If someone accidentally ingests a food they are sensitive to and are not near an epinephrine self-injector, hospital or other medical facility, the consequences can be fatal.
Food allergies affect more than 15 million Americans a year, and food allergies affect one in every 13 children. While we do not know why food allergies have increased to such a degree, we know that a strong allergen control program is vital for everyone to enjoy our products. That’s why we make sure our nut processing is segregated from our non-nutmeat candy manufacturing, so parents can give their children our delicious snacks with confidence.
We understand that safe nut manufacturing means more than just labeling certain products as “with nuts” or “nut free.” It means careful segregation of candy processing that uses nuts and processing that doesn’t. Even trace elements of an allergen can trigger allergies, and we don’t want our customers to ever have to worry about that. There’s nothing more heartbreaking than a parent giving a child a treat to bring them joy and inadvertently harming them. We are never going to let that happen with our products.
We also feature many Kosher candy products, and it’s our attention to candy processing and careful processing-control methods that allow us to proclaim many of our products certified Orthodox Union Kosher.
Certified by NSF International to the FSSC22000 Standard, a recognized GFSI Standard.