I spoke to Steve Cass at Tofutti Cuties about the allegations of dairy contamination in their non-dairy frozen treats. He said, "These allegations are at least three years old and one of the plants involved in the allegation has been closed for quite some time."
When I asked about dedicated lines and regular testing, Steve said, "Tofutti Cuties are run on dedicated lines and tested DAILY for dairy."
Let's see what ELL finds in their independent test.
I contacted Sara Lee when I noticed that their Hearty and Delicious 100% Multi-grain Bread (quite delicious, by the way) listed milk on some labels, but not on others. I was told to trust the label. Their breads are made in different locations so some may contain, or be contaminated, with milk. The nutrition label on their website lists milk and is manufactured in Illinois. Hmmm...I didn't buy another loaf. My comfort level isn't there right now.
Nothing back from Zyrtec, Benadryl or Singulair about dairy in their medications. I sent e-mails, but I'll have to follow up with phone calls.
More to come...
12 comments:
Thank you for the update!
Tofutti on its websites (Canada US and UK) says their products run on the same line as milk. They test after every batch, but run the milk free lines after testing, even if testing does not come back as zero.
Still like to see "may contain milk" but ELL should not have had the alert untill testing was complete.
Sure Sabrina. Undoubtedly more to come...
Thanks for that information, Karen. I was told on the phone that Tofutti Cuties are run on a dedicated line, but the website is less clear about that.
Yesterday I picked up So Delicious dairy-free ice cream bars made by Turtle Mountain. We'll try them this week-end.
I'm waiting before purchasing Tofutti Cuties until some of this is cleared up. The person I spoke to on the phone was abrupt and curt and until I have a level of comfort about this product, I'm avoiding it.
I'll let you know what ELL finds.
My daughter had a ana reaction to Cuties earlier this month. Steve Kass is fully aware of my daughter's and others recent incidents as I spoke to him personally. My product is one being tested and the FDA is investigating.
Milk isn't the only allergen that Toffuti Cuties "may contain."
My child had a severe reaction to them THREE YEARS AGO. From PEANUT.
The FDA investigation was inconclusive, but I can also tell you that Toffuti was not cooperative. They never recalled a thing. Of course, the FDA can't 'force' a recall.
There are reports that Kemp's does much of the contract work for Toffuti's frozen products.
They are definitely not made on 'dedicated lines.'
We (allergic consumers) aren't asking them to change their manufacturing. Only to be less deceitful about how they present their products so that they don't kill someone.
Thank you for the additional comments about Tofutti Cuties.
I want a company that cares about its customers and is open about what is in their product.
We've officially switched to "So Delicious" non-dairy treats.
Hi, I posted earlier about my daughter's reaction and am back to make sure everyone knows this product was recalled yesterday by the FDA as a result of our complaint and others. Please check the lot #'s on the FAAN website if you have any of this product in your freezer. The worst part of this continues to be that Steve Kass continues to be dishonest about his knowledge of "serious injuries" pertaining to this product. My daughter had ANAPHALAXIS not a "skin rash." It's all about $$$$ to him apparently.
On September 12th, 2009, my 4 1/2 son who is severely allergic to milk had anaphylaxis immediately after eating a Vanilla Tofutti Cutie. It was awful to watch him go through that. I called the company and asked about production standards or ingredient changes. I was transferred to Mr. Kass who seem more concerned with me giving him the UPC code and production date. I threw away all their products and will not buy again! This is so dangerous for children.
My dairy and tree nut allergic 2 year old had a severe reaction after having a "Cutie" this morning. I called this company and although first the receptionist said she could answer my questions, she had no idea, transferred me a couple of times and then another person hung up on me. I didn't see anything on the label, what happened to the food allergy laws about marking "may contain allergens such as..."
Hi I dont know if anyone will see this but I just gave my Dairy Allergic Daughter Tofutti Mozarella Style 'cheese' on her pizza and her face has come up all red spotty and patchy after eating it. I am currently online searching for info and while she seems fine I feel upset because I'm worried another allergy has arisen as well as dairy but now reading this I'm not so sure. Does anyone know if there have ever been any problems with dairy contamination of their chilled products? I see that here the 'cuties' are referred to but as I'm in the UK I dont think I have ever come across those. Thanks so much, Faye.
Hi Faye,
I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter's reaction. I continue to have concerns about this company and dairy contamination. I would encourage you to contact ELL (http://ellfoundation.org/labeling-complaints/#complaint) to file a complaint. They will follow up with the manufacturer and maintain documentation of your report.
Thank you for sharing your story which will educate others. Keep us posted!
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