Gardening Soil & Gardening Products Often Contain Peanuts & Tree Nuts

I am a avid gardener and in my free time you’ll find me working in my garden. Being outside, surrounded by butterflies and the sweet smell of flowering plants and growing my own vegetables brings me so much joy. I have always considered my garden a safe space, one where I did not have to worry about peanuts or the risk of an allergic reaction from exposure to peanuts. But, I have learned that this not always the case. Gardening soil and gardening products often contain peanuts and peanut by-products such as peanut shells and husks.

The other day I came across a post online from someone with a peanut allergy who had used Schultz brand potting soil in their own garden and then had an allergic reaction. They realized after the reaction that the soil they had used contained Peanuts. When I came across this information I was extremely surprised, I had not thought about peanuts being an ingredient in soil or gardening products.

I did a quick search and found that not only are peanuts a common ingredient in potting soil and many gardening products but, because soil is not a food it does not fall under USA Food & Drug Administration labeling laws, so the full ingredients, allergens or otherwise, do not really need to be disclosed. On the post I saw about Schultz soil they said that the bag did state that peanut shells/husks were present in the potting soil, but I can understand that you are not thinking about potting soil being a potential place for peanuts so one might not read the package, or just glance at it quickly and overlook this.

After learning that peanuts are commonly found in many gardening products, from soil to sprays, I began to reach out to gardening companies to discover which brands are safe for me to use, free from peanuts and peanut by-products. For some brands the information was on their website, and for others I reached out and emailed the following:

I am wondering if any of your products contain Peanuts/Peanut shells? I have a serious peanut allergy and I cannot use, or be around, anything where there are peanuts, or any risk of cross contamination from peanuts. Before I buy your products I would like to know if they are free of peanuts. I am asking because I have found many gardening products (soil, fertilizer etc) have peanuts and I never would’ve imagined this.

Here is what I discovered:

(Listed alphabetically are the brands I reached out to)

BioAdvanced:

Dear Elizabeth

No, our products do not contain peanuts, peanut shells, or peanut oil.

Jessica

BioAdvanced Consumer Affairs Team

I have added BioAdvanced to my No Peanuts List.

Burpee Garden Soils:

Burpee called me and explained that some of their soil related products are made by IMC Outdoor Living. I spoke with a very nice representative from IMC Outdoor living who let me know that they do not process anything with peanuts or tree nuts, but the do use coconut coir. I have confirmed that the following products with the Burpee label are all free of peanuts and tree nuts (aside from coconut): Potting Mix, Seed Starting Mix, Bagged Coir Bricks, Raised Garden and Container Mix.

I initially felt that their response was clear, and I felt fine using the products that they had said were safe. However, I have had others let me know that when they reached out to Burpee they provided vague and conflicting answers. I am going to avoid their products out of an abundance of caution.

Earth Science:

Hello Elizabeth,

I am responding to confirm that our fertilizer products are packaged in peanut-free facilities.

I have added Earth Science to my No Peanuts List.

EcoLogic:

I did not reach out to EcoLogic because I saw at the store that their, Lawn & Yard Insect Killer Granular2 contains peanut shells, this is on the product's label. I will not use their products because of this. I have added EcoLogic to my Not OK Peanuts in Facility List.

Espoma:

Hi, Elizabeth,

Thank you for your mail.

There are no nut ingredients in any of our liquid or granular fertilizers nor are any nut products processed in our facility.

As for our soils, there are no nut ingredients, but we cannot guarantee there were no nut ingredients in the facility where they were made.

Because Espoma does no use any nut ingredients I am adding them to my No Peanuts List. If this was a food product I would not because they cannot confirm that the facility is peanut free. In this case however I feel safe using their fertilizers and soils.

G&B Organics Gardener & Bloome/Kellogg Garden Products-

On their website:"Our garden soils do not contain any nut-bearing wood fines. However, we cannot be assured that some of our vendors may not have had some nut-bearing remnants mixed with other materials delivered to our facilities. For this reason, we advise individuals who are at risk, not to use our products."

I do not feel comfortable using their soil/products since they clearly state that they advice to not use their products. I have added G&B Organics and Kellogg Garden Products to my Not OK Peanuts in Facility List.

Malibu Compost:

Hi Elizabeth, Thank you for your great question. I will look into this at the bagging facilities and see if they have any peanut processing clients. We do not have shells or hulls, etc. in our products. I'll get back to you as soon as I hear back from them. Thanks Elizabeth! Malibu Compost Team Member

Hi Elizabeth,

Our baggers are a non-peanut facility business so you are in the clear there too! Thank you Elizabeth for your questions and for what you are doing. We are happy to be added to your new website as well. Thanks again Elizabeth.

Malibu Compost Team Member

I have added Malibu Compost to my No Peanuts List.

Mother Earth:

We do not use anything peanut related in any of our products, but users should always expect that fertilizer ingredients like bat guano and even soybean inputs can cause irritation if handled without protective equipment.

I have added Mother Earth to my No Peanuts List.

Schultz:

I did not reach out to Schultz because Schultz is the brand that I saw a post about their potting soil containing peanuts and causing an allergic reaction. I will not purchase any their products. I have added Schultz to my Not OK Peanuts in Facility List.

Scotts Brand / Miracle Gro:

"The Potting Mix is formulated regionally using various materials that may include peanut or tree nut by-products.”

I know that Scotts Brand/Miracle Gro does not consistently state this information on their product's label. I choose to not use ANY Scotts or Miracle Gro products because their potting mix's can contain peanuts and I will not support a brand that does not offer full transparency with what is in their products. I will not use their soil, fertilizers, sprays, any of their products. I have added Scotts Brand/ Miracle Gro to my Not OK Peanuts in Facility List.

Sun Gro:

Thank you for contacting Sun Gro® Horticulture, the manufacturer of SunShine®, SunShine Advanced®, Fafard®, Proven Winners® Soils & Plant Foods and Black Gold®.

We stopped using any nut or nut by-products in all of our brands in 2017. Our products are safe to use related to nut allergies. We always suggest you read and follow the label on any product you may use.

Note that Sun Gro manufacturers many safe potting soils and pant foods for a variety of brands. I have added Sun Gro to my No Peanuts List.

The following brands have not responded to me

These brands are on my Not OK Peanuts in Facility List:

EB Stone

EKO

Organic Labs

Whitney Farms

Peanuts really are found in anything. I have now learned that the long list of products that I need to be careful of includes potting soil, plant foods, fertilizers and a variety of gardening products. Always, always, read the product's label, no matter what it is. If you are not sure contact the brand directly. It is always better to be cautious, and stay safe.

On this post I am sharing what I have discovered. Ingredients, and formulations, can and do change. Always refer to the product label directly, and double check it every time to make sure it is safe and that there have not been any changes made to the product. Once again when you are not sure if something is safe, skip it, it is never worth the risk.

I will continue to update this post along with my lists on www.NoPeanutFoods.com as I hear back from more brands.

Everyday Advice for Staying Peanut Free & Allergen Safe

Everyday Advice for Staying Peanut Free & Allergen Safe

As a adult with a peanut allergy daily life and simple activities present many challenges and I am happy to share the rules I follow to best avoid peanuts and allergic reactions. I was born in 1981 and growing up there was literally zero awareness about food and peanut allergies. I have been bullied, made to feel ashamed, and treated like I was crazy due to my serious peanut allergy. If I mentioned my allergy to friends, or even to friend's parents, I was met with confused looks. The concept of a peanut free classroom, airplane, workspace etc. was absolutely unheard of. No one understood what I meant when I explained my allergy to peanuts, and how serious and life threatening the allergic reaction to peanuts is. Most were under the opinion that I just needed to not 'eat any peanuts' and I would be just fine; they did not understand the concept of cross-contamination, or that even the particles being airborne can cause a serious reaction. When I got into my teen years and started to carry a EpiPen everyone thought, 'whats the big deal? Just use your EpiPen', as if it was some sort of magic wand. I did not even know anyone else with a peanut allergy until I was in my late twenties and my co-worker brought Thai food for everyone, when I mentioned that I could not eat the Thai food he brought due to my peanut allergy told me he has a friend with a peanut allergy and understood how serious it is. That was the first time someone I knew understood the seriousness of my allergy and had knowledge of peanut allergies.

I have developed many tips on how I stay safe that over the years and am happy to share some of them here. I will add to my list when I think of more tips. Many things I am realizing are second nature to me now.

Everyday Advice:

1. Always call a restaurant/bar etc. before you go and ask if they, ‘have any peanuts or peanut oil in their kitchen or in their restaurant’. If they say they do, no matter weather peanuts are in a milkshake, desert, salad, in a beer, it does not matter, if peanuts are present at all in any form I do not eat there, or even enter the restaurant. I have had allergic anaphylactic reactions while at a restaurant due to cross contamination; this means that although the food that I ordered was free of peanuts, peanuts still ended up in my meal because something else in the kitchen contained peanuts. I have also had allergic reactions because peanuts were in the space because the food being cooked contained peanuts. I was enjoying a drink and did not have anything to eat, but just by breathing in the peanuts in the air I had an allergic anaphylactic reaction. My rule is you can never be too careful!

2. When you are going to a home call ahead of time and inform your host that you have a serious allergy. Make sure that if they have peanuts, or what you are allergic too, in their home that they put that away before you arrive. If there are any areas of the home where there were peanuts, I make sure to avoid those spaces so that there is no risk of exposure to peanuts based on trace amounts being still there.

3. Remind a friend of your allergy every time! This is very important. When I visit a friends house I make sure to remind them of my peanut allergy every time I go. I have forgotten to do this and arrived at their home only to see peanuts out to snack on, and I will have to leave the gathering. I will not risk breathing in the peanut protein, or touching something that came in contact with the peanuts and having a reaction. Even though I am not eating any peanuts you can still have a reaction just being around them due to peanut protein being airborne.

4. Always bring your own food, or eat before/after an event. Depending on where you are going, and how comfortable you are in the space, I usually eat after an event. If I am going to a friend’s get together then I bring my own food, and I eat out of the containers I brought and with my own cutlery. I recently attend a reception for an art show I was part of and even though they served hors d'oeuvres I made sure to not touch any of the food and did not have a drink as well. After the event I met friends at a local restaurant that I know is peanut free and enjoyed a meal that I knew was safe.

5. Always always always bring two epinephrine auto injectors. I carry two AUVI-Q® (epinephrine injection) with me, along with my inhaler. Whether I am going to run errands, attend a concert, or to a friend’s home, it doesn’t matter. I always have those items on me in case of an allergic anaphylactic reaction.

6. Tell those who you are with about your allergy. I make a point of sharing my allergy with whomever I am going out with so that if I have an allergic reaction they know what to do, and what is going on. Make sure to tell them that you carry epinephrine auto injectors and what your plan is if you have a allergic reaction.

7. Only eat foods and use products that you know are both peanut free & are made in a peanut free facility. FDA regulations only require that food companies declare all 8 major US food allergens on their packaging if one of those items is present in the ingredients. The FDA does NOT require companies to list if a food or product is produced in a facility that also processes peanuts. What makes matters more confusing is companies sometimes voluntarily list cross contact risks, but most labels have no such statement. It is incredibly helpful when you see the 'may contain' warning because then you know without having to reach out to a brand, or check my lists :) if a item is safe. Just because there is no cross contamination warning does not mean the item is safe to have. I had an anaphylactic reaction one day after cooking salmon with rice. I could not figure out what I had eaten that had peanuts in it. After doing much research into everything I eat at that meal, from looking into the dried basil, to the jasmine rice, I found out that the olive oil that I used was processed in a facility with peanuts! So, I reacted due to cross contamination. The olive oil bottle did not have a 'may contain' statement, so I had no way of knowing the serious risk I was taking. I started looking into every single food and product I had in my kitchen to see what was truly safe and peanut free. I then created the No Peanut Foods site because I could not find any lists of safe products that also checked for any cross contamination risk and I wanted to share what I learned. You can check out my lists of foods and products that are peanut free and made in peanut free facilities here. I update my lists almost daily with safe, and not safe foods and products.

8. When in doubt due without. If you are not sure that something is safe then you do not have it, period, it is never worth the risk.

Extra tips for Valentine's Day:

1. Always speak up about your allergy. Do not be afraid to tell your friends, or date, about what you are allergic too. Anyone who truly cares for you will understand and would never make you feel uncomfortable. This is actually how I know I have a true friend, and someone who cares about me, when they make me feel safe & understand the seriousness of my peanut allergy.

2. Tell whomever you’re with about your allergy and let them know where you keep your 2 auto injectors. It is always best to be prepared in case of a emergency so if you have a reaction the person you are with will know what to do.

3. For the little ones going to school make sure they know to not eat, or touch anything including candy, sweet, baked goods etc. that you have not packed in their lunch. I learned the hard way in 2nd grade when I volunteered to pass out peanut butter cookies at snack time that even touching peanuts, and breathing in the cookie's smell would cause a serious reaction. I broke out in hives and had a hard time breathing, it was incredibly scary. I knew not to eat the cookies because they contained peanut butter, but I did not realize that touching the cookies, and being so close to them, would also cause a serious reaction.

4. Skip the traditional dinner and try out an activity unrelated to food, the most important thing is to stay safe.

And... Remember for safe foods, foods free of peanuts and made in peanut free facilities so there is no cross-contamination risk, check out my lists on No Peanut Foods

#nopeanutfoods #peanutallergysafe #foodallergy #foodallergyawareness #peanutallergies

Staying Safe with Dogs and Peanut Butter & Advice on Living with a Peanut Allergy

I am a photographer and often photograph pets. I visit clients for in-home pet photo sessions and I volunteer at a animal rescue where I photograph all the pets to help them find their furr-ever homes. I had not thought about there being any chance of an allergic reaction while photographing pets, or about the risks of having a #peanutallergy and being around pets until recently. I have a adorable cat named Dinah and I always make sure to read her foods ingredients, but peanuts have never been an issue with any cat foods. Recently, I was at the rescue photographing a super cute dog in their outdoor play space. While I was working, I found that I kept looking down at my arm and thinking how it was feeling so itchy. I finally took a break from photographing and saw that my right forearm was covered in hives. I immediately went to the restroom and washed my arms repeatedly with soap and water. I started to panic, and just kept telling myself to stay calm. I came back out and asked the employee who I was working with if they had any peanut butter, or peanut butter treats, around for the dogs. She showed me a toy that that same dog had been playing with before I arrived that was a plastic ball filled with peanut butter!!! I calmly explained my serious allergy to peanuts to her and before I even finished she had removed the toy from the area where we were and washed her hands. She also brought me disinfectant wipes to wipe down my camera and everything of mine that was in the space. I stood outside the play area so I wasn’t breathing in peanut butter, which I would have been if we were indoors and this reaction could have been soooo much more serious. I felt so sad that the dog was jumping around trying to get my attention and super eager to return to playtime/modeling for photos; but I could not be around him anymore. He only licked my arm and I had a reaction, I was not going to risk a more serious reaction, what if he had licked my face?!?!?

This was a huge learning lesson for me. For many years I have been afraid to speak about my serious peanut allergy, wanting to protect myself from experiencing anymore bullying, being made fun of or being thought of as ‘taking things too far’. Part of why I started No Peanut Foods is to take my power back! I cannot and will not apologize for having a peanut allergy, and I will never again put myself in any situation I am not completely safe in. If this means I might miss out on a dinner because the restaurant has peanuts on their menu then so be it. If this means I cannot visit friends because they have peanuts out to snack on, then that’s how it goes. If this means I eat at home, and host parties instead of going out, then that is what I will do. The only way to stay safe is complete avoidance, and I am not willing to risk my life ever again to fit in!

I was impressed with how seriously the rescue center staff took my allergy once I alerted them to it. Now, when I visit the rescue, I remind the staff of my allergy and they do not bring out anything with peanut butter, and if any dog has had anything with peanut butter before I arrived, I don’t interact with that dog. I have learned to always speak up about my serious peanut allergy to ensure that I am safe.

You never know where peanuts might appear so always, always, always state your allergy. Do not be afraid of what others might think of you. What I have realized it that, sadly, food allergies are way more common than when I was growing up in the 1980’s. But, this means that since they are more common when I bring up my allergy most people understand the seriousness of a peanut allergy, and most are extremely understanding; those who are not I stay away from, and yes, I have lost friends because of this.

I hope that sharing my story helps you to feel empowered and not afraid to speak up about your food allergy!

Here are Some of My Tips to Stay Safe:

1. When you are going to a home call ahead of time and inform your host that you have a serious allergy. Make sure that if they have peanuts, or what you are allergic too, in their home that they put that away before you arrive. If there are any areas of the home where there were peanuts, I make sure to avoid those spaces so that there is no risk of exposure to peanuts based on trace amounts being still there.

2. Always call a restaurant/bar etc. before you go and ask if they, ‘have any peanuts or peanut oil in their kitchen or in their restaurant’. If they say they do, no matter weather peanuts are in a milkshake, desert, salad, in a beer, it does not matter, if peanuts are present at all in any form I do not eat there, or even enter the restaurant. I have had allergic anaphylactic reactions while at a restaurant due to cross contamination; this means that although the food that I ordered was free of peanuts, peanuts still ended up in my meal because something else in the kitchen contained peanuts. I have also had allergic reactions because peanuts were in the space because the food being cooked contained peanuts. I was enjoying a drink and did not have anything to eat, but just by breathing in the peanuts in the air I had an allergic anaphylactic reaction. My rule is you can never be too careful!

3. Always bring your own food, or eat before/after an event. Depending on where you are going, and how comfortable you are in the space, I usually eat after an event. If I am going to a friend’s get together then I bring my own food, and I eat out of the containers I brought and with my own cutlery. I recently attend a reception for an art show I was part of and even though they served hors d'oeuvres I made sure to not touch any of the food and did not have a drink as well. After the event I met friends at a local restaurant that I know is peanut free and enjoyed a meal that I knew was safe.

4. Remind a friend of your allergy every time! This is very important. In the story I retell above about my experience at the animal shelter I make sure to remind them of my peanut allergy every time I go. The staff makes sure that none of the peanut butter toys are out while I am there and if there is a dog that had any peanut butter that day I do not photograph them, or interact with them.

5. Always always always bring two epinephrine auto injectors. I carry two AUVI-Q® (epinephrine injection) with me, along with my inhaler. Whether I am going to a run errands, attend a concert, or to a friend’s home, it doesn’t matter. I always have those items on me in case of an allergic anaphylactic reaction.

6. Tell those who you are with about your allergy. I make a point of sharing my allergy with whomever I am going out with so that if I have an allergic reaction they know what to do, and what is going on. Make sure to tell them that you carry epinephrine auto injectors and what your plan is if you have a allergic reaction.

7.Only eat foods and use products that you know are both peanut free & are made in a peanut free facility. FDA regulations only require that food companies declare all 8 major US food allergens on their packaging if one of those items is present in the ingredients. The FDA does NOT require companies to list if a food or product is produced in a facility that also processes peanuts. What makes matters more confusing is companies sometimes voluntarily list cross contact risks, but most labels have no such statement. It is incredibly helpful when you see the 'may contain' warning because then you know without having to reach out to a brand, or check my lists :) if a item is safe. Just because there is no cross contamination warning does not mean the item is safe to have. I had an anaphylactic reaction one day after cooking salmon with rice. I could not figure out what I had eaten that had peanuts in it. After doing much research into everything I eat at that meal, from looking into the dried basil, to the jasmine rice, I found out that the olive oil that I used was processed in a facility with peanuts! So, I reacted due to cross contamination. The olive oil bottle did not have a 'may contain' statement, so I had no way of knowing the serious risk I was taking. I started looking into every single food and product I had in my kitchen to see what was truly safe and peanut free. I then created the No Peanut Foods site because I could not find any lists of safe products that also checked for any cross contamination risk and I wanted to share what I learned. You can check out my lists of foods and products that are peanut free and made in peanut free facilities here. I update my lists almost daily with safe, and not safe foods and products.

#nopeanutfoods #peanutallergysafe #foodallergy #foodallergyawareness #dogsandpeanutbutter #peanutbutteranddogs #peanutallergies