Apple sauce has been around for years and one wouldn’t think it would be possible to reinvent it, but Materne has with GoGo Squeez Apple Sauce.

We saw these fun apple sauce pouches at the recent Natural Products Expo East and were thrilled to receive a variety pack in the mail. While we are usually not big fans of individually packaged foods–these do have their place. What makes them so great?

GoGo Squeez comes in individual, portable pouches with resealable caps. They are perfect for snacks, lunch boxes, day trips and camping. You can throw one in your purse, in the glove box of your car and best of all–no spoon is needed. In short–they are perfect for kids.

They come in multiple flavors, are made with 100% fruit (no sugar added) and are allergy friendly.

I received an email from the company with the following Allergen Statement attached. I was also told that none of the top 8 allergens are in the manufacturing facility.

How do they taste? You’ll have to track down my kids to ask because they finished them before I could set one aside to try.

GoGo Squeez can be found on Amazon.com and in some grocery stores. Visit the Materne website to find a location near you.

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All Natural Apple Sauce is a post from: Green Peony

Halloween is made food allergy safe in our home by following a number of rules. One of these is no eating candy given until we return home and can sort through the loot.

Each year after the kids are tucked into bed, my husband and I sit down to start the tedious task of checking to make sure the candy is free from peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and sesame as well as being free from any “may contain” or other warning labels.

You can imagine the difficulty of the task given that many individual packs of candy don’t have the ingredients listed or they are too small to read without a magnifying glass-which is why we have always have a stash of safe candy that is bought days and sometimes weeks in advance of the big day.

This year we were pleasantly surprised to find a few individual packs of Yummy Earth Gummy Bears sticking out among the Snickers, Peanut Butter Cups, and other nut laden candies.

While food allergies are on the rise, they still represent a small portion of children that Trick or Treat. Yummy Earth Gummy Bears are not only organic, chemical and dye free–but they are also free of peanuts, tree nuts, casein, egg, soy and wheat. They are safe for most food allergy sufferers, are vegan, certified organic and kosher parve.

We don’t know who was kind enough to go out of the way to choose such a great candy but if you are out there and you are reading this–we send our sincere thanks for thinking of those with restricted diets. It was truly a great Halloween surprise.

Halloween Surprise: Organic All Natural Candy is a post from: Green Peony

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HomeFree makes treats that are not only good for allergy sufferers; but also good for those concerned about eating healthy, organic and all natural foods.

Kim Carrigan interviewed HomeFree founder Jill Robbins.

Following is the video and link to the video:

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/morning/kids_and_food_allergies_101509

Congrats Jill and thank you for your great products and hard work!

Jill Robbins Founder of HomeFree on Fox Boston is a post from: Green Peony

Technorati Tags: HomeFree, Jill Robbins

For those of you that weren’t, you can see a highlight of some of the products on Good Morning America.

Surf Sweets and Yummy Earth were just a few of the products shown that are all natural and also allergy friendly.

More articles are to come on some of the great products I got to try.

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8819216

Natural Products Expo on Good Morning America is a post from: Green Peony

Technorati Tags: Natural Products Expo

From the moment I corresponded with Jill, it was clear to me that she understood food allergies and the dangers of cross contamination. I received an email with specific instructions that I was to arrive in clothes that I had not eaten in, or I was to bring a clean change of clothes so as to avoid bringing any food particles into the facility.

When I arrived there was a “staff” entrance and a “visitor’s” entrance. I opened the visitor’s door and found myself in a small and closed waiting room. Jill came down to greet me and handed me a hair net, a full zip cloth body suit, and cloth booties to go over my shoes. She stood on one side of the doorway and explained that I was in the contaminated zone and that she was in the clean zone. A black and yellow hazard tape on the floor marked the line. I put on the hair net, body suit, and tried to balance myself as I put on one booty and stepped over the line into the “clean” zone-then put on the other booty. The door was locked behind us and we began our tour.

Jill showed me where the cookies are made and packaged, where dry ingredients are tested and stored, the employee locker rooms and rest rooms, and where the loading docks are. Each batch of ingredients that comes into the facility as well as random finished products are allergen tested. In the four years they have been making cookies they have not had a single real positive test result.

This is more than likely due to the fact that they run such a tight ship. To explain each and every detail and thought that Jill has put in to making sure her product is safe would take a lot of words and time. Let’s just say that I was amazed at her thoroughness and thoughtfulness. Things that most people take for granted and even many food allergic individuals take for granted are certainly not at HomeFree. The facility sparkled with clean floors and shiny stainless steel appliances. The employees were animated and kind. Jill and her husband were extremely involved, warm, and down to earth. They really seemed happy and proud of what they were doing.

Why do I think what they are doing is so great? Having worked in the food industry I’m well aware of what food facilities can look like and what is required by law. The average consumer is not aware that many supposed allergen free products are made by co-packers and in facilities with allergens. Many of these companies do not have their own facility-they hire out an existing cookie company to make and package their cookies. Some of these companies use the cheapest ingredients they can find.

HomeFree products are made with the best ingredients available-many of them are organic. Jill has done months of research to find ingredients that are safe. She has even altered a recipe after having to drop a specific ingredient. Her products are free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and dairy. No peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, or dairy are permitted in the facility at any time. While she does not consider her products wheat/gluten or soy free (they contain soy lecithin and oats) they are safe for most individuals allergic to wheat or soy. HomeFree are certified kosher pareve, certified vegan (oatmeal cookies and coffee cakes), certified organic, and certified whole grain. They are made without trans fat, cholesterol, corn sweeteners, artificial colors, MSG, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Last but not least-they taste GREAT!

HomeFree are not only a safe food alternative for the food allergic, they are an overall great product for the healthy parent looking for a healthier cookie for their kids. My food allergic and non food allergic boys love them and my husband and I have to refrain from sneaking them late at night.

HomeFree can be found online at http://www.homefreetreats.com/or in New England Shaw’s and Whole Foods Markets as well as other grocery stores-check yours. If you can’t find them, ask your local store to carry them. It’s the only way stores will know about HomeFree and that you want healthier and safer options for you and your family.

HomeFree: The Healthier Cookie is a post from: Green Peony

Technorati Tags: allergen free cookies, healthy cookies, Home Free Treats, HomeFree, Jill Robbins