Thread for allergy foods updates

[dzorn]

If they use the Namaste pancake mixes (they have in the past), then those ARE corn free. They are actually wheat, gluten, corn, soy, potato, peanuts, tree nuts, dairy and casein free. Whew, that was a mouthful!

I can't imagine that if you arrived for your ADR and the chef told you that he was unable to accomodate you, they'd charge you the $10 no show fee. Technically you did show up.

When we went at the end of November it was Red Bob Mills gluten free pancake/waffle mix. They used the mix with their own ingredients not the package directions.

Denise in MI

 

[EEyorelover22]

I will have to go read the package for Bob's in the store here so I know when I am there.

Thanks for the info. Trying to decide what they would use for the egg in the other...as they were gluten, dairy and egg free.

 

[clanmcculloch]

For egg they typically use either apple sauce or Ener-G egg replacer, depending on the chef's preference. We've been given waffles done both ways (DD14 is also gluten, milk and egg among other things free).

 

[dzorn]

For egg they typically use either apple sauce or Ener-G egg replacer, depending on the chef's preference. We've been given waffles done both ways (DD14 is also gluten, milk and egg among other things free).

The recipe they gave for GF waffles:

Here you go: 1 bag of Bob’s Red Mill pancake mix, ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup canola oil and enough water to make batter consistency.

Denise in MI

 

[cynzilla]

I don't know if anyone covered this or knows ( I haven't had the chance to read all the pages of posts) but recently I attended the Wishes Dessert Party at the MK, if you let them know in advance, they provided me with a tray of treats! There were berries, a Raspberry Sorbet, Vegan Carrot Cake, Vegan Chocolate Cake and Vegan Spice Cake, and Chocolate Chip Cookies....all vegan all dairy free. My kids tried it and like the cookies ( I am sure they were Enjoy Life) better than the ones being served at the dessert buffet! It made for a great night because I was expecting just to have fruit during it!

 

[mistysue]

I don't know if anyone covered this or knows ( I haven't had the chance to read all the pages of posts) but recently I attended the Wishes Dessert Party at the MK, if you let them know in advance, they provided me with a tray of treats! There were berries, a Raspberry Sorbet, Vegan Carrot Cake, Vegan Chocolate Cake and Vegan Spice Cake, and Chocolate Chip Cookies....all vegan all dairy free. My kids tried it and like the cookies ( I am sure they were Enjoy Life) better than the ones being served at the dessert buffet! It made for a great night because I was expecting just to have fruit during it!

That's great news! August will be our first trip without the dining plan, so we were considering going to this again. I've been afraid DS wouldn't have anything... it's more for us, but would feel like a terrible waste if he couldn't eat at all!

 

[Minnie]

When we went at the end of November it was Red Bob Mills gluten free pancake/waffle mix. They used the mix with their own ingredients not the package directions.

Denise in MI

The chef at Cat Cora's restaurant was amazing - he said that the batter they had made was Bob Mills which has corn but they also had the Namaste brand and would make a batch with that if I preferred This was last fall before the many product changes though so I don't know what is available now - each restaurant seems different.

 

[cinderella73]

So frustrated here. I do not care for this new person that took over for Brenda. I was very polite but confused and basically told I didnt know what I was talking about. I think its the way she said things that annoyed me. Maybe you all can help clarify for me?

I was told before that both Pop Century and Cornado Springs used peanut oil in a certain area of the kitchen. Pop Century in the ethnic cusine area and Coronado just in general in some part of the kitchen for certain foods. It is even listed in the Disney guidebook for disablities I picked up at Barnes and Noble.

I asked special diets the other day if the new Art of Animation food court might also be using this oil in their ethnic food area ( Mongolian bbq , etc.) . I was told that it was highly unlikely as Disney would never use peanut oil anywhere on site as they are very food allergy aware.

When I asked her what about Pop Century and Cornado I was told that I was wrong they never used any peanut oil and not to trust any site that was not Disney official. But I remember Brenda told me the same thing before. She was very admant and just a tad argumentive about it.

I asked if I could speak with a chef when the resort opened , before my arrival and was told no. They wont do that for quick service.

Can someone help clarify? I am annoyed and frustrated. She just made me feel like I was crazy and I got off the phone feeling not so comfortable with our resort choice. Especially since we will be staying over 2 weeks. Thanks

Aha.. Found it! Its in the Passporters Open Mouse guidebook for people with special challenges page 37. Pepper Market , Sunshine Seasons , and Pop Century are mentioned as some places to be careful of due to use of PN oil in or with some of the foods.

 

[DCDisney]

Disney is very aware of peanut oil and except for pepper market which isn't Disney owned so not as certain there should not be peanut oil at pop or sunshine seasons. They do their Asian dishes with the regular canola blend or soybean oil. Avoiding peanuts if that is the o ly allergy at WDW is easy. There won't be many baked goods available but other than that I find it pretty easy to avoid peanuts. I don't eat at O'hana because they serve a peanut sauce but others have no problems there. Except for places with open cases of baked goods if a quick service place offers peanuts it's a prepackaged sandwich or per wrapped dessert item so cross contamination Isn't an issue.

 

[DCDisney]

Disney is very aware of peanut oil and except for pepper market which isn't Disney owned so not as certain there should not be peanut oil at pop or sunshine seasons. They do their Asian dishes with the regular canola blend or soybean oil. Avoiding peanuts if that is the o ly allergy at WDW is easy. There won't be many baked goods available but other than that I find it pretty easy to avoid peanuts. I don't eat at O'hana because they serve a peanut sauce but others have no problems there. Except for places with open cases of baked goods if a quick service place offers peanuts it's a prepackaged sandwich or per wrapped dessert item so cross contamination Isn't an issue.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I don't know if they use peanut oil at Pop at the regular line or not. I do know that the allergy food is prepared in a separate are of the kitchen which does NOT ever have peanut oil.

We'll be staying at AoA in August. I'll definitely report back after our trip. I'm hoping for reviews from others before then but I'm honestly not concerned. A chef at 'Ohana told me that he's got several chefs who he's personally trained who have been pegged to go to AoA so I have full confidence in the chefs.

I've spoken with a chef from Pop century before each trip where we stayed there. I'll be contacting Special Diets around 1.5 months before my trip to fill out my form (not sure why I'm bothering with the way things are but I will anyway) and I'll ask specifically at that time to have a chef from AoA contact me to go over just what options will be available at the resort since we will likely be eating dinner at the resort most evenings as well as some light breakfasts some days. I plan to ask again and again until somebody from the resort actually contacts me. The resort will have already been open for over a month before I contact Special Diets with this request so they'll definitely be fully staffed and operational meaning there should be no reasonable reason for them to not put me in contact with a chef if asked at that point. I'll be a definite thorn in their side until I speak with a chef. In my case, it's not to ask questions about safety but rather to confirm what products will be on hand. With notice, chefs at resorts have been able to order in special products for us which is important since there are so few things on the regular list of products that DD14 can eat and it's important to me that they at least have the ones that she can eat in stock (the few products she can eat aren't stocked everywhere) and if we're lucky, they'll order in a few other things as well though I certainly won't hold it against anybody if they can't do the latter.

I've become less and less impressed with the Special Diets department with each trip we've taken since Brenda's departure. I don't think that any of the people who worked there at the same time as Brenda or even the people who took over after Brenda left are still there. The department IMO has not only become a complete waste of time since they won't share any info with guests and frankly half the chefs I spoke with had NOT received our form listing our intollerances (we've got long enough lists that we're asked to fill out the form still), at this point they've IMO become dangerous since they give out COMPLETELY FALSE information. I'm very grateful for the amazing people on this board who freely share experiences and up-to-date information so that I have accurate information when I arrive.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

I've spoken with a chef from Pop century before each trip where we stayed there. I'll be contacting Special Diets around 1.5 months before my trip to fill out my form (not sure why I'm bothering with the way things are but I will anyway)

I completely understand. It seems pointless to fill out those forms now.

I've become less and less impressed with the Special Diets department with each trip we've taken since Brenda's departure. I don't think that any of the people who worked there at the same time as Brenda or even the people who took over after Brenda left are still there. The department IMO has not only become a complete waste of time since they won't share any info with guests and frankly half the chefs I spoke with had NOT received our form listing our intollerances (we've got long enough lists that we're asked to fill out the form still), at this point they've IMO become dangerous since they give out COMPLETELY FALSE information. I'm very grateful for the amazing people on this board who freely share experiences and up-to-date information so that I have accurate information when I arrive.

Sadly this seems only too true. I received yet another follow up email from Special Diets. In this one I bluntly asked if I would receive the sheets of information listing what snacks were safe. They told me no. I responded that it would be impossible then for me to know beforehand what snacks my DD12 and I could safely have. Their response was to read the label. Well ya, in a perfect world everyone would label for gluten but that is not the case as companies are not required to do so (only the top 8 allergens are required by law and gluten is not one of them).

We had to cancel our upcoming trip anyway due to health problems but this change in Special Diets makes me a tad apprehensive. I hope they get it worked out.

 

[cinderella73]

Does anyone want to put together a petition or some type of group form letter ? Maybe we can all write in our particular concerns ( food lists , products available , etc) and what we would like to see change.

I would imagine we would all have to include some form of contact at the bottom of the letter or form so they will take it seriously. Email , phone or even at least a name.

I am not talking about raising up pitchforks , but rather just a group of us expressing concern in numbers ( politely) , rather than individually. It might have more impact.

I will work on what I want to submit this evening. I am sending it to guest services , not special diets. If anyone wants to add anything please pm me with what you want included.

 

[dclfun]

I think the biggest hassle has come with the change in vendors. Disney can order products to make sure that all Guests have options, but it's up to those vendors to actually deliver the appropriate amounts and to be sure the nutritional and allergy information is accurate. I'd be distrustful too if I were told I couldn't have the lists of safe foods in advance. Who wants to arrive on their vacation and find out they have limited, if any, food options they enjoy or even tolerate? I know on the Disney ships they can never, ever promise to have a particular product or brand onboard. If a vendor doesn't make the delivery on time or forgets something on the "list" then that voyage won't have what someone might need. As a parent or person with a food allergy, I *want* that promise, even if I understand why I can't have it. It's just too risky without, especially for those that are at sea and can't run to Whole Foods!

 

[mistysue]

I just wish they went back to having some choices that are top 8 free. As I see it, there is no more trouble getting a top-8 free bread and dessert products than ones that cater to ONLY gluten and dairy. It would be in their own best interests to have "allergy foods" that can collectively at least cater to all the most common allergens rather than different foods for each allergy.
They are causing confusion for their staff while creating a problem where people with multiple allergies can't have any of the allergy options.

 

[kck182]

Spoke with Special Diets today which was encouraging. I asked about the forms, which in previous conversations was told that they were never coming back, and today was told it was POSSIBLE that they may come back.

She was very helpful and is confirming that they carry a few products before we commit to our upcoming trip.

If you haven't emailed explaining why we need this info ahead of time, please do.

 

[mistysue]

Emailed special services again this morning - asking if there may even be a partial list of brands they are working with so I can do some research about whether my son can eat them. Mentioned that we will be eating at many CS locations, so I need to be as prepared as I can be or I may be rushing around the park with a starving child if they have nothing available he can eat.

Now I can count the days to see how soon I get back the exact same template response as the last three times.

 

[Elinor Dashwood]

Emailed special services again this morning - asking if there may even be a partial list of brands they are working with so I can do some research about whether my son can eat them. Mentioned that we will be eating at many CS locations, so I need to be as prepared as I can be or I may be rushing around the park with a starving child if they have nothing available he can eat.

Now I can count the days to see how soon I get back the exact same template response as the last three times.

I've been back and forth with them three times, and I get the same response...read the label at the location and/or talk with the chef. Again, if it was as simple as reading the label for gluten, that answer would work. Since it's not legally required to label for it though, I have no idea beforehand what is safe now. They are being so ridiculously vague and I keep wondering why.

As others have already said, at least send out a partial list so we have something to work with. I have other food allergies as well so just because it says gluten free, doesn't mean it's still safe for me.

 

[Random Ninja]

I'm wondering why I even bothered emailing special diets. I've never bothered before as my allergies have been mild and easily avoidable; dairy, mustard, and artificial sweeteners, but they've recently flared up to total avoid. Plus I am now allergic to tapioca. Why do I get the odd ones? On my last trip to MK, the only things I could eat at counter-service was chili, fries, a hamburger, and plain salad. Most of my favorites at Epcot are off-limits due to the allergies getting worse and I hesitate to eat at table service because last trip they kept trying to give me diet coke. We're doing the QSP for our Mother's Day trip plus an ADR at Kona's. All special diets emailed back was the generic form message. Guess I'm eating hamburgers and fries all weekend.

 

[CarrieR]

Ugh, I am so terribly sorry for those of you who are struggling. We found Disney so amazingly wonderful for our trips just last year... I have to wonder what happened? We've gotten a rhythm now, so we know where and what is safe, as well as a much better grasp on allergies, but I can't imagine trying a trip without the assistance we got just last year.

Disney is supposed to be an industry model... what has fallen apart here?!