This post was written by my sister, Leslie:
In my last post Hidden dairy? Is it affecting my 4 year old’s behavior?, I suspected that my son Ollie had been exposed to dairy, but didn’t know how. Well, I am wondering no longer. I solved this whodunit. Yes, through a little detective work, I found out who the careless, neglectful, dangerous person was who dared to give my precious boy a dose!
It was me.
This is a cautionary tale, children, about the thrilling subject of careful label reading. Gather ’round.
Some of you may be familiar with EnviroKidz organic crispy rice bars. They’re good and easy and my boys like them. We usually buy the peanut butter or the berry flavor, which are dairy-free. Last time we shopped the boys asked for the chocolate, which we hadn’t bought before. I scanned the label, which like the other flavors, had the “May contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, soy or dairy ingredients” in bold print at the bottom of the ingredients list.
Now, when I see “may contain”, I think that it was produced in a facility that also processes…yada yada yada. I think, “OK, no dairy is in the ingredient list or else it would say “Contains milk.”
Wrong!
In plain print up in the ingredients list is “organic milk chocolate”, which has as one of its ingredients “organic milk powder.” Hello dairy!
So while I think that their “may contain” bold print statement is incredibly misleading, and I am going to contact Nature Path foods about it, the responsibility lies with me for not having read the label carefully.
Live and learn.
(Since this post was written, the label has been updated to say “Contains milk and soy.”)
Allergicmom says
Thanks for the heads-up on the dairy content! I’d probably have made the same mistake. (My son’s had the berry one, but not the chocolate flavour.)
Kristin says
Oh man, that makes perfect sense. “Buzz” tried the berry last year and we couldn’t figure out why he had a problem–it was just before the big ol’ test, so we weren’t as savvy yet. Thanks for solving the mystery!
Sharon says
Great story — But have you considered this possibility?:
I believe, with some hesitation, that the labels magically change from the time I leave the grocery store, to the time I return home. Because I know I’m a perfect mother and I would never make a mistake.
This is the only logical answer.