Nut allergy question?

[thejman]

Does anyone know if the ice cream at Beaches and Cream is safe for someone with a nut (peanut and tree nut) allergy?

 

[Mary976]

You can talk to a manager when you go about opening a new container and using a new spoon. However, there are nuts EVERYWHERE in that place. It's pretty small and lots of people use nuts on their dishes. It might depend on how sensitive the person is to nuts.

Mary

 

[hildarumpole]

The vendors and their recipes can change any time, so it's best to ask when you get there. We didn't feel comfortable getting ice cream at B&C, because it's a nut-rich environment. Even if they open up a new container and use a clean scooper, the CM may have been handling nuts or the tables may not have been cleaned well enough. My kids have severe allergies, so it wasn't worth the risk, but everyone is different and someone with less severe nut allergies may feel it's o.k. When my kids wanted ice cream, we got Mickey bars.

 

[HETRICKL]

I'm not comfortable in any ice cream stores that serve like that. I will some of the soft serve ice cream when I can find out the manufacturer. One of them is safe at Disney, it comes from a dairy manufacturer - no nuts on sight.

Regarding the Mickey bars, I keep getting conflicting information. Brenda has it on her safe list of foods, but I contacted Nestle myself on this. Someone actually called me back from manufacturing and said they were not made on a separate line, but made on a line with almonds.

 

[thejman]

Thank you for the responses I appreciate it. I was wondering if the Mickey bars were safe. Maybe I should call Nestle myself too.

 

[hildarumpole]

When we were at Disney in May-June this year I checked the Mickey bar packaging. There were no nut warnings. My kids ate them without any problems. Another treat my kids loved were the pre-packaged rice krispie treats in fun shapes. They had Mickey heads, flowers, sandals, etc. On a previous trip, they had nut warnings, but they were safe for our most recent trip. Also on a previous trip, we were able to order plain vanilla ice cream at TS restaurants for desert, but this time we were told they were unsafe. Fortunately, Disney takes food allergies seriously and we felt comfortable that the chefs were well informed and concerned about making sure our kids were served only safe foods. They weren't always able to get something they wanted, but good alternatives were always offered.

Dealing with allergies and changing manufacturing can get very frustrating. Things that were safe for years can suddenly be unsafe, while unsafe things can become o.k. Calls to manufacturers can sometimes add to the confusion. Some are very helpful, while others sound like they're reading a script written by an attorney, leaving you even more confused.

 

[thejman]

Thank you. Did anybody find the Divvies cookies at Disney or any other nut free desserts for their kids?

 

[antree]

You can find the Divves cookies and popcorn and jellybeans at the Bakery on Main Street in MK. They also sell Gluten free brownies that are Peanut/tree nut safe and my son loves it. They is a spot in Mk next to the stitch ride and the bathroom going towards the race cars that sell peanut free ice cream. Well as of July of 08 when we were there and The Plaza always opened a new container for the ice cream and the Chef did it himself. My son always has the Mickey bars.

 

[momsavealot]

We were there in August, and my kids had the Mickey bars, Itsakadoozie bars, Divvie cookies, gluten free/nut free brownies (Fancy Meadows?), soft self-serve ice cream at TS, and ice cream at the ice cream place across from Casey's on Main St. (no nuts there and only 3 flavors). They also had frozen lemonade slushies at The Enchanted snack stand in Fantasy Land. For 2 kids with a nut allergy, they sure did eat a whole lotta ice cream on that trip!!!

 

[clanmcculloch]

We didn't feel comfortable getting ice cream at B&C, because it's a nut-rich environment. Even if they open up a new container and use a clean scooper, the CM may have been handling nuts or the tables may not have been cleaned well enough. My kids have severe allergies, so it wasn't worth the risk, but everyone is different and someone with less severe nut allergies may feel it's o.k.

While we haven't eaten at B&C (why bother with milk allergies), we have been to the ice cream place on Main Street in MK. They have the same procedure that any other place we've been to. They have a manager come out to discuss our order and our allergies. The manager then ensures a clean area, new gloves, etc and opens the new container and prepares the ice cream himself. I feel very confident in the precautions that are taken everywhere to ensure the safety of all guests with allergies.

I'm not saying that anybody should do anything that they're not comfortable with. If my child's allergy was that severe, I don't think I'd want to even walk in there because of possible peanuts on the tables.

 

[HETRICKL]

I guess my concern with the ice cream stems from the manufacturer. Where is the information on that cross contamination? If the manufacturer made the flavor on the same line/facility with nuts, that's the cross contamination I'm concerned with.

Nestle isn't a company that labels for cross contamination on same lines or facilities, so the fact that there isn't a nut warning label is no security for me unfortunately.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I guess my concern with the ice cream stems from the manufacturer. Where is the information on that cross contamination? If the manufacturer made the flavor on the same line/facility with nuts, that's the cross contamination I'm concerned with.

Nestle isn't a company that labels for cross contamination on same lines or facilities, so the fact that there isn't a nut warning label is no security for me unfortunately.

JMO, but I wouldn't trust the Mickey bars if the allergy is severe. I've read too many stories in the past about a nut showing up on a Mickey bar. I don't know if they've cleaned up their practices, but I just wouldn't trust it without hearing from them what changes they've made.