Chocolate!

I haven't posted here in a long time-- really, I haven't been thinking much about the allergy, but we are gearing up for a trip to the US and it will suddenly become more of an issue, with peanuts and peanut butter becoming much more common.

For now, I have discovered that Lindt chocolate labels specifically-- instead of just saying "frutos secos" "frutos de cáscara" (basically, "nuts") they specify: May contain traces of almond and hazelnut." Since my child is not allergic to either of those nuts, and they are listed only as traces, not as actual ingredients, I feel comfortable letting him eat the chocolate labelled this way (it's possible that some varieties of Lindt chocolate may list peanut traces, though I haven't yet found any.)

I also noticed that Carte D'or ice cream labels some of their flavours as having possible traces of peanut and other nuts, and other flavours don't carry this warning. It seems worth investigating further to see if these other flavours might actually be peanut safe.

Conguitos and other chocolate/ Conguitos y otros chocolates

This popular candy (I post the picture so you will recognize it, though it is offensive-- let me just say that this is the updated, "politically correct" version of the packaging, and leave it at that) is chocolate covered peanuts. They have a white chocolate version as well.

Not, of course, that a peanut-allergic person would be likely to purchase candy without carefully checking the label (and incidentally, none of the regularly-available brands of chocolate sold here are free of nut traces, though many may only have almond or hazelnut traces,) but it's good to be aware of it if other people around you are eating them or if your PA toddler encounters the abandoned wrapper at a park etc.


Then there is this chocolate, which contains ground hazelnuts even in the plain milk chocolate form.

************

Cuelgo esta foto de un dulce popular (Conguitos) que se compone de cacahuetes cubiertos de chocolate (también hay una versión en chocolate blanco.) Aunque la gente con alergía al cacahuete no suele comprar dulces sin leer el etiquetado, es posible que alguien a tu lado los come (como nos pasó en nuestro vuelo a EEUU) o que un niño alérgico encuentre el papel abandonado en el parque, etc.

También avisar que los chocolates Milka contienen avellana molida, aún en la versión normal de chocolate con leche.