Thread for allergy foods updates

[livndisney]

Yes- if you don't have the bottle with a filter- you should see if that would work for you! We love those.

I'm sorry if I've been coming across as a jerk in some of these- we never get to go anywhere before and I'm having a really hard time not being able to figure out what I need to do. I don't want to pack food. I want to just go out to eat... it seems like I should be able to plan to do that, but when I try it seems like there are all these barriers just barely in my way.
At this point it would almost be easier if they just came out and said "we will not serve your son food" - but that would totally suck too. I spend too much of my daily life preparing food as it is, I just want a vacation away from it.

I don't know they have you been coming across as a "jerk". I understand where you are coming from. I feel like WDW was "safe" and that got taken away. I don't like it. I am working to change it. I have spoken with several chefs who hate the changes and want it to go back to the way it was. I am hoping once WDW figures out how to best handle all the non-medical "requests", we will start to see more positive changes.

So for now, I bring in our food so as not to have to deal with CS. And for TS I stick with chefs I know and trust. I have given up on "Special diets" as they have no idea what is going on and have taken it to a higher level.

 

[kck182]

Yes- if you don't have the bottle with a filter- you should see if that would work for you! We love those.

I'm sorry if I've been coming across as a jerk in some of these- we never get to go anywhere anymore and I'm having a really hard time not being able to figure out what I need to do. I don't want to pack food. I want to just go out to eat... it seems like I should be able to plan to do that, but when I try it seems like there are all these barriers just barely in my way.
At this point it would almost be easier if they just came out and said "we will not serve your son food" - but that would totally suck too. I spend too much of my daily life preparing food as it is, I just want a vacation away from it.

This.

Disney is our only respite. Outside of a few fast food places, this really is the only time we go out to eat. Which makes it a REALLY expensive meal.

But it is worth it from the break that I get to have from doing the regular day to day stuff that comes with managing allergies.

Sometimes I'm just tired of cooking and baking.

 

[EEyorelover22]

Yep they have lockers!

At MGM there are some right at the bus stop.
Epcot right of the golf ball just after the shop.
Mk under the train station at the entrance.
Ak left of the entrance just past GS.

No problem going through bag check. They will look. They may ask what time lunch is LOL. If they question (which I doubt) you can simply say "allergy safe food". (You can't bring in glass).

We love our brita pitcher! Do you have the individual bottle with the filter? Then you can refil as needed.

Thanks...I only knew for sure where they were at MK.
I have two brita bottles and also a camelbak. I have dumped the brita bottles all over me...I can't always get the top on correctly. I love the camelbak for that reason but it was very expensive.

 

[EEyorelover22]

Yes- if you don't have the bottle with a filter- you should see if that would work for you! We love those.

I'm sorry if I've been coming across as a jerk in some of these- we never get to go anywhere anymore and I'm having a really hard time not being able to figure out what I need to do. I don't want to pack food. I want to just go out to eat... it seems like I should be able to plan to do that, but when I try it seems like there are all these barriers just barely in my way.
At this point it would almost be easier if they just came out and said "we will not serve your son food" - but that would totally suck too. I spend too much of my daily life preparing food as it is, I just want a vacation away from it.

I don't think you've been a jerk. I haven't eaten out since last July...I was really hoping I'd be able to on this vaction so I understand.

Like I said, I'd be in a different place if this was a child of mine I was having to deal with.

I really did find the chefs to be great and my list kept in my wallet helped a great deal. One of them actually said that I was the greatest challenge they had and she would find something for me to eat. Two places that didn't work well for me at all were the Castle lunch and H&V. Otherwise in 2010, I did very well. DL was amazing, but again not all places were the same. I'm sure you'll have good and bad experiences. We changed a couple reservations to eat at the same place 3 times rather than risk going somewhere else. My family loved it so it didn't matter. Even that at WDW would be nearly impossible given how booked their adrs are.

We are trying some new places this trip...order off the menu.

Should add: TRex was very good too, BUT it took forever for the chef to come out. After the first night...I just ordered something very specific. I could never do that now with the corn allergy.

 

[MedicGoofy]

An adult getting there, making a call at the counter and having to wait 20 minutes for them to cook something than taking a 3 year old.
So yes when I mention my son just having jelly beans- it is a problem because he is a little kid and it's totally different than a full grown adult not being able to have a cookie. If I can't have something, I understand that I can eat lettuce while other people have cake- it doesn't work that way for little kids.

As a result, it would be nice to be able to plan. When zero information is given, nobody can plan. Again, I'm sorry for your SIL's situation, that doesn't mean that Disney should go out of their way to just screw everybody over because she can't eat much.

You did make quite clear that you didn't understand the top 8 in your previous post. I still feel that if being top 8 free covers 90% of allergens, they should offer a top 8 free rather than some random foods that cover one or two allergies each. Your exact words were "Some in this so called top 8 (don't know why that is so important)." It really doesn't take much time learning about allergies to know why the top 8 are significant. Nobody said it covers all allergies, but it's still important.

So, because I said "some in this so called top 8".....I make it quite clear that I know nothing about allergies or understand. More and more in today's world, that top 8, is not accurate. In MY world, what I do, and who I see, that top 8 is so far off it's funny. The only accurate one is the peanut allergy. And the peanut allergy, while severe and life threatening, is becoming something that is less seen in an 'emergency' situation because of how banned peanuts are. In MY world. I know LOTS about allergies. I have a sister in law who lives in a bubble outside her home because of them. I treat people with allergies almost daily. I know allergies. I understand the 'top 8'. You completely got my context wrong.

Where did I say that everyone should be screwed because she can't eat? We will eat. And we will eat great!! If she can't eat what they have to offer, then we will go off grounds. there is a McDonalds and Subway. Both she can have. We are bringing food from home, to be PREPARED. That's what it's about right? Being prepared.

And I am prepared. I have gone over all the products that I know Disney does use. She can't have them. The chicken tenders....whatever. We will find out when we get there. Not that big of a deal. We can eat them at home. Would be nice if she could have snacks. Adults like and enjoy just as much as a child does. And I would freaking sulk as much as your 3 yr old if I couldn't have a Mickey Bar. But appearantly, these aren't peanut free anymore, so we won't have them (and yes, I will sulk!!).

But food aside, we're going to have a great trip. Food won't get in our way of having a great time at Disney

 

[EEyorelover22]

If your SIL can eat at Mickey D's and Subway...she is not even close to level of some of the children on this thread.

Those two places would kill me.

 

[MedicGoofy]

So I was thinking about this post and want to apoligize for being snarky, it really wasn't intended. But just like we must of hit a nerve with you with this post. You hit a nerve with me.

We, as in people who have previously gone to Disney with the dietary reference sheets, are frustrated right now because of exactely what you just described. The never ending search for things that match your allergy set.

So when you find something and then it changes. It is very frustrating. And as much as I would like to say, "Yay for the people that this benefits, I'm so happy for you, I know how hard it is." Right now I just need to know that my son isn't excluded and I don't want him to feel left out. What I spend everyday trying not to do.

Then I can be happy for everyone else.

When you are a grown up this is a bummer, you have been living this lifestyle for awhile you realize that this happens. When you are a child and having a tapioca roll with olive oil at dinner is one of your number one things about going on this trip it is devastating for a little kid. So if I know that the switch has been made, I can bring my own rolls and life goes on. No biggy.

If I don't know what they have until I get there, how do I know what to bring? The main reason I go here is to go out to eat. I think it's reasonable to be prepared before I leave home.

The calls that I am referring to is when you contact the manufactor to sweet talk them into disclosing what items are in their natural flavorings, spices etc. The things that they are not required to list.

I would be frustrated if all week I told my son he couldn't have something. Come to find out with a simple phone call I could of found out if that product was in my comfort zone to let him eat it. Again, it's difficult to do while on vacation. Sure, not impossible but extremely difficult.

Waffle mix, can be made without applesauce...I don't have the ingrediants in front of me for the mix you would have to check that. However, we have had mickey waffles made without the mix lots. Just flour, whatever milk is okay or water, egg replacer or the baking powder and oil mixture. The chicken tenders, are made from a manufactor that is sensitive to allergies. They may tell you the spices that are in their recipe. If I needed to know I would call to give it a shot. Sometimes they don't tell you, sometimes they do.

Wouldn't be nice to know who to call?

See if you know the tricks and the products and manufactors there are probably more treats that she can have than you realize.

We just want to know the tricks before we get there.

Thank you for the apology...graciously accepted. And I apologize if anything I have said was offensive. I truely have not wanted to be.

I have found this thread to be frustrating just for the fact that it is heavy with just the top 8 allergies, and does not focus on the fact that other people may deal with other allergies, hence my 'don't know why this is important'. I do not dismiss the allergies that people face at all. I know they are impeding to their lives and their families. It is such a difficult thing to live with.

Thank you for confirming what you meant by 'calls'. I understand now. I may have to make some calls to manufacturers. Chicken tenders may be one of our only obstucles when it comes to counter service, it is something we can skip. I do appreciate though, the work that you, as a parent, have to do to make sure that your family, child, can eat.

The one thing I have to say though, I do most of my shopping in the states. So am familiar with their labels ( as opposed to any differences in Canada, don't know if there are differences, really?). But, when reading ingredients, they are pretty thorough in what they list. right down to spices and such. Cane juice. Cinnamin. Evaporated...whatever. Ingredient listings are pretty good for everything I have ever looked at. So, I don't know where they are not listing things? (please forgive my ignorance on not understanding this).

Again, I will apologive if I have offended. Definitely not the intent. But, for how my sister in law has lived for her life, and not her whole life, she is used to now having to go without. The trip will be great without what Disney has. It will be a shame BUT, we won't let it stop us from having a good time. And we wouldn't let it stop us from coming. We would just alter how we do Disney

 

[MedicGoofy]

If your SIL can eat at Mickey D's and Subway...she is not even close to level of some of the children on this thread.

Those two places would kill me.

First, McDonald's is enough to kill anyone. Allegies or not.

But really? You wanna compare? Let's sit down and watch you eat a bowl of fruit and her eat a bowl of fruit. Let's see who goes to the ER first.

 

[EEyorelover22]

First, McDonald's is enough to kill anyone. Allegies or not.

But really? You wanna compare? Let's sit down and watch you eat a bowl of fruit and her eat a bowl of fruit. Let's see who goes to the ER first.

Depending on the fruit, it would also put me in the ER. Grapes would kill me and nearly did last August. I am home today posting because of a reaction to apples.

My current diet consists of 5 things basically.

 

[kck182]

Thank you for the apology...graciously accepted. And I apologize if anything I have said was offensive. I truely have not wanted to be.

I have found this thread to be frustrating just for the fact that it is heavy with just the top 8 allergies, and does not focus on the fact that other people may deal with other allergies, hence my 'don't know why this is important'. I do not dismiss the allergies that people face at all. I know they are impeding to their lives and their families. It is such a difficult thing to live with.

Thank you for confirming what you meant by 'calls'. I understand now. I may have to make some calls to manufacturers. Chicken tenders may be one of our only obstucles when it comes to counter service, it is something we can skip. I do appreciate though, the work that you, as a parent, have to do to make sure that your family, child, can eat.

The one thing I have to say though, I do most of my shopping in the states. So am familiar with their labels ( as opposed to any differences in Canada, don't know if there are differences, really?). But, when reading ingredients, they are pretty thorough in what they list. right down to spices and such. Cane juice. Cinnamin. Evaporated...whatever. Ingredient listings are pretty good for everything I have ever looked at. So, I don't know where they are not listing things? (please forgive my ignorance on not understanding this).

Again, I will apologive if I have offended. Definitely not the intent. But, for how my sister in law has lived for her life, and not her whole life, she is used to now having to go without. The trip will be great without what Disney has. It will be a shame BUT, we won't let it stop us from having a good time. And we wouldn't let it stop us from coming. We would just alter how we do Disney

I think you hit the nail on the head of not understanding. Label laws are different in each country and in the US there are tons that they do not list and often won't disclose for proprietary reasons. Organic food tends to better with listing stuff.

When managing allergies that are not in the top 8, it's like finding a needle in a haystack in terms of finding foods that match your allergy set. By law they don't have to tell us what is in their flavorings. And many will not.

Disney has made it a priority to carry products that cover the majority of allergies while committing to accommodating everyone. So the previous bread products allowed LOTS of people to enjoy them. By making the switch they have excluded LOTS of people to better accommodate some. Okay fine.
It's disappointing but I know chefs will continue to do their best.

The problem is they have taken away our ability to make those ever so important phone calls or maybe just have some peace of mind about what our meals are going to be like. Some of us prefer not to "wing it" out of fear of making a mistake. My son's life is too important for me to just find something when we are there.

This thread wasn't a food allergy support thread. It was a thread to discuss the changes that have been made. Those changes are related to the fact that the products before the switch....Top 8 Free. Covers lots of people. Not everyone, but lots.

Products after the switch. Not Top 8 Free. Does not cover nearly as many people. And little to no information about the process and if in fact they will continue to only carry these products, if they are able to work something out for the rest of us or in fact maybe just send me an updated reference sheet so I know what I am walking into.

And to each his own. We go there to eat. If they no longer carried the the bread we can have AND Allergy Free Chicken Tenders we would have seriously considered cancelling.
Once I am preparing that many meals I may as well go on a much cheaper vacation somewhere else. It's that big of a deal to us since our expectations have already been set.

I can appreciate the advocacy on behalf of your sister in law but the whole let's see whose allergies are worst stuff stinks. There are lots of us managing a several allergies and lots of us only managing some.

Neither group is more or less important than the other and we all deserve the ability to get information before we leave for our trip.

I hope you and your family have a magical trip and your sister in law gets to find out why my son loves Disney so much.

 

[EEyorelover22]

A friend of mine mentioned that The Plaza was a great place and they were very helpful there and the chef offered to open all new containers of things she could eat.

 

[Forevryoung]

A friend of mine mentioned that The Plaza was a great place and they were very helpful there and the chef offered to open all new containers of things she could eat.

The chef at the Plaza was amazing for us too- very "basic" allergies (peanut/tree nut/fish/sesame) but he went out of his way for a 7 year old.

Mickey bars are no longer nut free?

 

[clanmcculloch]

Cousin Ken at the Plaza is wonderful. That being said, it's no longer such a great place for people with egg allergies. Most items on the menu are sandwich based and the allergy bread is no longer egg free with the change to Udi's. Cousin Ken really does bend over backwards (and even sent his manager over to Casey's for my 11yo who really wanted a hot dog and to get a milk free bun she could eat (she couldn't eat even the Ener-G breads due to a different allergy). Cousin Ken's the BEST. Even with how limitted our options are there, we still continue to go back. I suspect my kids will likely just order fries and a dish of mushrooms (DD14 could live on mushrooms) so that they can have room for a banana split, something they've never had in their lives (usually we're too full for dessert after the milkshakes/floats and meals). He custom made a batch of tuna salad for us one time because one of the ingredients in the regular stuff was questionable. We really do adore Cousin Ken.

Just to be clear, the labelling laws in the US really don't cover trace amounts of a food or cross contamination issues and for those of us with gluten issues, despite how common gluten intollerance is, it's not top 8 just like corn isn't top 8. There's also no legal guidelines for defining gluten free. Sometimes I wonder why they bothered with the labelling laws since they're useless. Here's an example of the kind of thing that makes the laws kind of dangerous to rely on. If I was to look at a package of bubble gum, there are likely no ingredients that show it to contain wheat. The thing is, many companies dust their lines with regular flour to keep it from sticking. That doesn't have to be listed. It's top 8 but not needed on the label. Dangerous!!

Forevryoung, sesame isn't considered basic. While world-wide it's the 9th most common allergen, there's no easy way to identify it on labels which drives me NUTS (pun not intended considering the subject of this thread LOL).

Re: Mickey bars. I don't think anything has actually changed, has it? It's always been somewhat questionable how well they handle their cross contamination. I think a few years ago Nestle made some changes to try to address this and it's been a long time since I've read a report of somebody finding a piece of peanut on their Mickey bar but hopefully somebody who pays closer attention to Mickey bars and allergens can respond (we can't do milk so I don't worry about other allergens on Mickey bars).

 

[dclfun]

I think you hit the nail on the head of not understanding. Label laws are different in each country and in the US there are tons that they do not list and often won't disclose for proprietary reasons. Organic food tends to better with listing stuff.

When managing allergies that are not in the top 8, it's like finding a needle in a haystack in terms of finding foods that match your allergy set. By law they don't have to tell us what is in their flavorings. And many will not.

Disney has made it a priority to carry products that cover the majority of allergies while committing to accommodating everyone. So the previous bread products allowed LOTS of people to enjoy them. By making the switch they have excluded LOTS of people to better accommodate some. Okay fine.
It's disappointing but I know chefs will continue to do their best.

The problem is they have taken away our ability to make those ever so important phone calls or maybe just have some peace of mind about what our meals are going to be like. Some of us prefer not to "wing it" out of fear of making a mistake. My son's life is too important for me to just find something when we are there.

This thread wasn't a food allergy support thread. It was a thread to discuss the changes that have been made. Those changes are related to the fact that the products before the switch....Top 8 Free. Covers lots of people. Not everyone, but lots.

Products after the switch. Not Top 8 Free. Does not cover nearly as many people. And little to no information about the process and if in fact they will continue to only carry these products, if they are able to work something out for the rest of us or in fact maybe just send me an updated reference sheet so I know what I am walking into.

And to each his own. We go there to eat. If they no longer carried the the bread we can have AND Allergy Free Chicken Tenders we would have seriously considered cancelling.
Once I am preparing that many meals I may as well go on a much cheaper vacation somewhere else. It's that big of a deal to us since our expectations have already been set.

I can appreciate the advocacy on behalf of your sister in law but the whole let's see whose allergies are worst stuff stinks. There are lots of us managing a several allergies and lots of us only managing some.

Neither group is more or less important than the other and we all deserve the ability to get information before we leave for our trip.

I hope you and your family have a magical trip and your sister in law gets to find out why my son loves Disney so much.

Well said! I also don't appreciate at ALL the mention of "my allergies are worse than yours. You can eat more than I can". On this board we've always contended that we don't play that game. It isn't helpful to anyone, and anyone/everyone's concern is just as important as that of the next person. We are supposed to be helping each other, not comparing. We all deserve and should expect that courtesy.

 

[HETRICKL]

I am in the camp that in the past I haven't always trusted Nestlé labeling although it does seem like they are trying to do better.

The Mickey bar was always listed on the nut free sheet back in the day when we saw that. However when I questioned Brenda on this for more information she emailed her contact at Nestlé who actually called me and said they were manufactured on a line with almonds.

I got the standard 'we go thru strict cleaning of the machines...". At that time it wasn't a peanut line, just tree nut.

My DD is tree nut allergic so we have always avoided them.

I just remembered I think I emailed Nestlé with the question and that's when someone called me with the information.

 

[rani8600]

Hey all,

I have been reading this thread and finding all of the information very helpful. But i feel that parts of this is turning into a my allergies/dietary restrictions are better than yours contest. I think we all need to remember what the OP ment for this to be, a place where we can all share information to make our disney vactions as magic as we can.

Thank you to all of the ppl who have been posting about the changes that they have found.

 

[EvangelineG]

I think you hit the nail on the head of not understanding. Label laws are different in each country and in the US there are tons that they do not list and often won't disclose for proprietary reasons. Organic food tends to better with listing stuff.

When managing allergies that are not in the top 8, it's like finding a needle in a haystack in terms of finding foods that match your allergy set. By law they don't have to tell us what is in their flavorings. And many will not.

Disney has made it a priority to carry products that cover the majority of allergies while committing to accommodating everyone. So the previous bread products allowed LOTS of people to enjoy them. By making the switch they have excluded LOTS of people to better accommodate some. Okay fine.
It's disappointing but I know chefs will continue to do their best.

The problem is they have taken away our ability to make those ever so important phone calls or maybe just have some peace of mind about what our meals are going to be like. Some of us prefer not to "wing it" out of fear of making a mistake. My son's life is too important for me to just find something when we are there.

This thread wasn't a food allergy support thread. It was a thread to discuss the changes that have been made. Those changes are related to the fact that the products before the switch....Top 8 Free. Covers lots of people. Not everyone, but lots.

Products after the switch. Not Top 8 Free. Does not cover nearly as many people. And little to no information about the process and if in fact they will continue to only carry these products, if they are able to work something out for the rest of us or in fact maybe just send me an updated reference sheet so I know what I am walking into.

And to each his own. We go there to eat. If they no longer carried the the bread we can have AND Allergy Free Chicken Tenders we would have seriously considered cancelling.
Once I am preparing that many meals I may as well go on a much cheaper vacation somewhere else. It's that big of a deal to us since our expectations have already been set.

I can appreciate the advocacy on behalf of your sister in law but the whole let's see whose allergies are worst stuff stinks. There are lots of us managing a several allergies and lots of us only managing some.

Neither group is more or less important than the other and we all deserve the ability to get information before we leave for our trip.

I hope you and your family have a magical trip and your sister in law gets to find out why my son loves Disney so much.

Well said. Being able to eat in restaurants at WDW was the highlight of our recent trip for my food allergic sons, and the #1 reason why we are already planning a return visit. Any major changes to how FA are handled at WDW will change whether or not we choose WDW to vacation at. I can go anywhere on vacation and cook for my family the whole time, and carry around food for my sons. WDW was (and hopefully is) magical because we can actually eat there as a family. And this is why I have been closely following and very appreciative of this thread about the changes.

@clanmcculloh So as of right now there are no bread/bun options for those with egg allergies at the Plaza? (just egg, not egg and dairy/egg and gluten together) We were hoping to have supper there on our next trip.

 

[clanmcculloch]

EvangelineG, I haven't checked to see if there is an egg free bread available at WDW; we need egg and gluten and milk free (among other things) for DD14. If there's a regular bread that's egg free as a standard bread elsewhere then I would think it's available at the Plaza. I thought I had read that none of the breads were egg free but maybe it's that none of the breads are vegan (meaning may be egg free but contain milk). Hopefully somebody else knows for sure if there are egg free or vegan breads around.

 

[EvangelineG]

EvangelineG, I haven't checked to see if there is an egg free bread available at WDW; we need egg and gluten and milk free (among other things) for DD14. If there's a regular bread that's egg free as a standard bread elsewhere then I would think it's available at the Plaza. I thought I had read that none of the breads were egg free but maybe it's that none of the breads are vegan (meaning may be egg free but contain milk). Hopefully somebody else knows for sure if there are egg free or vegan breads around.

Thanks for the clarification. On our last trip there were some "regular" buns that my sons were able to eat. The allergy ones were not safe for us even then. (my sons have peanut, tree nut, egg, mushrooms and most legumes -including chick peas, green peas and lentils between the two of them) I guess I'll contact special diets when the time comes and hope I can actually wring some info out of them about options.

 

[kck182]

EvangelineG, I haven't checked to see if there is an egg free bread available at WDW; we need egg and gluten and milk free (among other things) for DD14. If there's a regular bread that's egg free as a standard bread elsewhere then I would think it's available at the Plaza. I thought I had read that none of the breads were egg free but maybe it's that none of the breads are vegan (meaning may be egg free but contain milk). Hopefully somebody else knows for sure if there are egg free or vegan breads around.

Vegan bread would also not contain dairy.

We have had several occasions where the regular bread was French or Italian and did not contain Milk or Eggs. And also other occasions where the bread was a no go because of an egg wash or a butter topping.

We have scheduled a meal at Boma since it is supposed to be very vegan friendly and our hope is that would mean maybe some more choices for my son.