I received this question from a person who would like to spend more time with a young relative, who has a peanut allergy.  Please offer any comments or suggestions to help them.
I have changed a few things to protect the identity of this person.  THANKS! 

Question:
Hi, we live in Michigan and while my children do not have peanut allergies, my young relative who lives close to us does.  I am trying to learn more and become more aware so that we can spend more time together.  The mother pretty much has a policy to not go out.  No baseball games, no circus, no petting zoos.  It is so frustrating because I like to take the kids places. It is very hard to find safe activities and places to go and I was hoping you might be able to give me a website that lists good places to take children with peanut allergies. For example, I would really like to go to the apple orchard or pumpkin patch would you recommend one that takes precautions for those with peanut allergies.

Here is my response:
I am so glad that you reached out to me.  When I see people like you who want to learn more, it makes me feel very good about what I am trying to do.  I am also new to this, but as I learn more, I love being able to pass on any knowledge about this terrible allergy.  Family members can be very challenging, so I think your relative and mother would really appreciate you trying to learn more.  I highly recommend you following us on Facebook if you have an account.  I post a lot of helpful articles for families with food allergies and some of my followers don't even have a child with a food allergy.  Pass the info onto your relative.  Here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/No-Nuts-Moms-Group/132481263500123

The cider mill thing can be a challenge, but only if you let it.  I am going to post a review that I did recently for Metro Detroit Mommy.  I recently attended a fieldtrip with my son's preschool and it was at a cider mill.  I  think it is fine if you go to a cider mill, but I would highly recommend staying away from any donuts, baked goods or chocolates.  Cross contamination can be a big problem.  People don't realize how many things can contain traces of peanuts and nuts.  I have learned that you have to find a good balance with this allergy.  You can't live inside a cave, but you also have to protect your child no matter what.  I personally wouldn't feel comfortable taking my child to a circus, but my views may change later.  The mother has to do what she feels comfortable with.  If a child has airborne allergies and there are a lot of nuts or peanuts around then closed in areas are not good.  But a cider mill should be fine.  Most of the nut stands are outside and that shouldn't bother your young relative.  Just don't eat anything.  Take a special treat along and no one will miss out on anything.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.  I am including two reviews from Metro Detroit Mommy that may be helpful to you and your relative's mother.
http://networkedblogs.com/ntkrS?a=share&ref=nf

http://networkedblogs.com/mgDAS

Again, thanks for reaching out.

This is a great Halloween Tradition that was shared with me today.  I would like to share it with other families who may also be trying to figure out something special to do for their food allergic child on halloween. 

I wanted to share with all of you a wonderful Halloween tradition that  our family has.  The idea came from one of my support group members several years ago and I am so grateful for it.  It is called the  "Peanut Goblin."  At our house the "Peanut Goblin" is a creature that  LOVES peanut-containing treats and candy and if you leave him some, he'll leave you a present in exchange. You may have the "Milk Goblin" or the "Soy Goblin" come to your house depending on your child's allergy.

This is how it  works:
We allow my daughter and her little sister to trick-or-treat with their friends. When we get home, we dump  their candy out and toss all those containing peanuts inside the "Peanut Goblins" bag. They then place the bag on the front door step just  before bed. In the morning, the bag of candy has been replaced with a  present for each girl. It is so much fun! It definitely takes the sting out of taking candy away and it allows my non-food allergic child a fun reason to get rid of her unsafe candy too.

Last year we went to an event where an unsafe but beautifully decorated Halloween
cookie was passed out to all of the children. Instead of getting upset, my daughter said, "Wow, the Peanut Goblin is going to  love this one!"

My son just started preschool this year and everything has been
great. He loves it and the teachers are wonderful. However, I did have a bit of
a concerning conversation today with one of the parents while we were waiting
for our boys to get released from their class. I had noticed on the calendar for
the week that her son had a birthday coming up and I was very curious about
whether or not she would be bringing in a treat for the kids. She wasn't really
sure what to bring in because of the no nut policy. She wanted to bake something
for the kids, but she knows that the school has a policy stating that you can
only bring in certain items and if they are baked goods, they must be
prepackaged and labeled. I was just nodding my head in agreement and she was so
sweet and nice. She had no idea that my son is the one who is allergic to
peanuts and nuts in the class and proceeded to tell me that she asked a friend
of hers who also has a child who has went to or is still going to the same
preschool. This friend told her not to worry about it because she never goes
off of the list and she bakes things and brings them in all of the time. I then
told her that I was asking because my son is highly allergic to peanuts and
nuts and if they were going to have a treat I want to make sure it is safe and
if not I would bring something in for my son. I explained that I don't want him
to feel excluded. So I could tell that she felt bad and told me that she
planned on bringing a prepackaged treat if the teacher said that it was
fine.  Again, she was very nice, but I was irritated with her friend’s advice.

So what do you think about this? 
         

My email to General Mills after my son had a minor
reaction to two bites of Kix Cereal:
I want to know
if Kix Cereal is manufactured in the same facility with other products that
contain nuts? My son is allergic and I need to know.
Thanks!

Their Response:

Dear Mrs. R:

Thank you for contacting
General Mills concerning the ingredients in our products. As manufacturers and
consumers, we understand your concern about potential  allergens in the foods
you eat. Our primary goal is to provide accurate  information, and we believe
this is best accomplished by referring to the specific ingredients listed on
each product package. This is the most current information for your
needs.

Our products are labeled for the top 8 allergens
(peanuts, tree nuts, dairy products, eggs, soy, wheat, crustaceans, and fish)
plus sesame, sunflower and mollusks. We label for these allergens using CONTAINS
and/or MAY CONTAIN lists located directly below the product’s ingredient list.
CONTAINS means that the  allergen(s) is included in the product’s recipe. The
allergen(s) will be listed in the ingredient list, and also in the CONTAINS
statement just below the  ingredient list. MAY CONTAIN means that the
allergen(s) is not in the product’s recipe but could be present as result of the
manufacturing process regardless of our best efforts to exclude it. These 
allergens will not be included in the ingredient list.


Both CONTAINS and MAY CONTAIN mean that if you
are sensitive to the specific  allergen(s) in the list, no matter which way it
is listed, you should avoid this product.

This
ingredient and allergen information is for the package in hand. It is not 
intended for other packages of the same product. Ingredients may vary from one 
package to another due to product reformulation. If you have allergy concerns,
please carefully read the ingredient information on each  package.


We hope this information helps you. You may
also want to contact the Food Allergy  & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) at
1-800-929-4040, or visit their web site at  www.foodallergy.org.
Although they cannot provide specific ingredient information regarding a
particular product, they are a good resource to help in the management of your
allergies and sensitivities. We appreciate your interest. Please contact us
again with any further questions or comments.


Sincerely,

Jennifer Garrett
Consumer
Services

I found out from others that General Mills does
indeed manufacturer their  products in the same facility with peanut and nut
products. These people were told that they have a great airborne filtration
system for airborne allergies and that all their peanut and nut products are
manufactured on a dedicated line. I don't know about you, but I think I would
like to be given the choice of  whether or not it is safe for my child to eat
the cereal. Why can't they just  put on the label that their products are
manufactured in the same facility as peanuts and nuts. I appreciate how careful
they are, but I don't know these people on the manufacturing lines and I have to
trust them to label the the cereal box if a mistake occurs. I don't like that.
The email that was sent to me is also just a formatted letter that General Mills
sends to any parent asking about allergies in their products. I found it online
where someone else had posted it.

You can view
some other people's experiences and opinions of Genreal Mills Cereal here:

http://www.peanutallergy.com/boards/general-discussion/manufacturers-food-safe-and-unsafe/general-mills-cereals
http://www.peanutallergy.com/boards/kix-cereal