Spring and gardening seem to go hand in hand, but if you or your child has a peanut or tree nut allergy be sure to take extra caution when choosing your potting soil. There was a post on the Spokane Food Allergy Support Network (SpokaneFASN) Facebook page recently by Kimberly S. who wrote, "VERY IMPORTATNT!! PLEASE READ - Miracle-gro potting soil
contains peanuts, tree nuts & coconut. The packages are NOT labeled. I spent 45 minutes on the phone today w/ a customer service rep. to confirm, please pass this along." This is yet another great example of why it is so important to call the manufacturer when using a new product or trying a new food regardless of what the label says!
Home Depot today & checked out ALL the pkgs & found NOT 1 single one to have any allergy warning or any nut product listed on the pkgs. I called the 800 # while I was there so I could read any pkg info if needed. The rep said all the soils that contain a moisture control have peanuts & tree nuts in them. I was interested in the seed starting soil & questioned him on this. He said he could not find any PN/TN in that particular soil BUT it is made & packaged in the same facility & he could not get any answers if the 2 different types of soils were processed in different areas of the facility and/or if they share the same equipment. He did also state that nothing was sterilized or cleaned after each batch was packaged. Therefore - any package can have the cross contamination or possible containment of peanuts, tree nuts & coconuts." Visit the SpokaneFASN Facebook page to see Kimberly's post.
Also wanting to get something in writing from Scotts Miracle Gro
, I sent them an email confirming the presence of peanuts/tree nuts in their potting soil and the absence of the allergens listed on their packaging. This was their response:
Not exactly what I was looking for, but at least it was acknowledged that their is a possibility of peanuts and/or tree nuts in their product. I was however pleased to hear that this would be forwarded as a concern to their Marketing Department for review and am hopeful that they will see the importance and need for the proper labeling of these allergens on their packaging.
Other related posts:
Finally some answers from Silk
Food Allergens In Unexpected Places
Could your Duraflame be more then just a fire hazard?
Reminder in the midst of the Hostess recall
Energy/Enhancement Drinks and Milk Allergies
Beware: The Maraschino Cherry
For more information on how to read labels with food allergies read Label Reading
contains peanuts, tree nuts & coconut. The packages are NOT labeled. I spent 45 minutes on the phone today w/ a customer service rep. to confirm, please pass this along." This is yet another great example of why it is so important to call the manufacturer when using a new product or trying a new food regardless of what the label says!Home Depot today & checked out ALL the pkgs & found NOT 1 single one to have any allergy warning or any nut product listed on the pkgs. I called the 800 # while I was there so I could read any pkg info if needed. The rep said all the soils that contain a moisture control have peanuts & tree nuts in them. I was interested in the seed starting soil & questioned him on this. He said he could not find any PN/TN in that particular soil BUT it is made & packaged in the same facility & he could not get any answers if the 2 different types of soils were processed in different areas of the facility and/or if they share the same equipment. He did also state that nothing was sterilized or cleaned after each batch was packaged. Therefore - any package can have the cross contamination or possible containment of peanuts, tree nuts & coconuts." Visit the SpokaneFASN Facebook page to see Kimberly's post.
Also wanting to get something in writing from Scotts Miracle Gro
, I sent them an email confirming the presence of peanuts/tree nuts in their potting soil and the absence of the allergens listed on their packaging. This was their response:
Thank you for your interest in Scotts and for the opportunity to help you with your lawn and garden endeavors.
I am sorry that you found the Miracle-Gro Potting Mix label misleading. Miracle-Gro makes every effort to provide clear and accurate information on every product label. I will forward this information to our Marketing Department so that they can review the label.
The Potting Mix is formulated regionally using various materials that may include peanut or tree nut by-products.
Some of the compost can contain animal manures (all are bovine). Organic Choice Potting Mix uses the poultry litter as a fertilizer. Below are the ingredients in our potting mixes:
Organic Choice Potting Mix: * 50-55% Composted bark * Sphagnum Peat Moss * Pasteurized Poultry Litter (Organic certified source) * Organic Wetting agent (helps soil absorb water) - OMRI Certified Yucca Plant Extract.
POTTING SOIL: **Peat moss (the major component that is harvested from natural peat bogs) **compost (the compost may contain animal manures, composted leaves, grass clippings, and/or composted bark). **perlite (white volcanic rocks used for drainage and soil texture) **Some contain 'Osmocote' fertilizer that looks like small clear fluid-filled balls.
MOISTURE CONTROL POTTING SOIL: **Peat moss (the major component that is harvested from natural peat bogs) **compost (the compost may contain animal manures, composted leaves, grass clippings, and/or composted bark). **perlite (white volcanic rocks used for drainage and soil texture) ***composted hulls of coconuts to help absorbed more water than regular potting soil. This is the Aqua Coir (pronounced "core") component of the soil. ** 'Osmocote' fertilizer that look like small clear fluid-filled balls.
TOPSOIL & GARDEN SOIL **contain actual soil from the earth as well as compost. Some of our topsoil, lawn soils, and gardening soils contain Osmocote fertilizer.Thank you for your interest in Miracle-Gro. Ms. Ramirez, have you tried the new Miracle-Gro LiquaFeed? It's an all new garden feeder that uses easy to attach liquid Miracle-Gro plant food bottles. LiquaFeed makes feeding your garden as easy as watering. No measuring, mixing, or guessing. To learn more about new Miracle-Gro LiquaFeed visit http://liquafeed.com/.
Additionally, to learn more about how to have a beautiful lawn, or spectacular garden, go to http://scotts.com and be sure to sign up for our free email reminder services.
Again, thank you for your interest in Scotts. Please feel free to contact our company anytime we may be of assistance.
Some of the compost can contain animal manures (all are bovine). Organic Choice Potting Mix uses the poultry litter as a fertilizer. Below are the ingredients in our potting mixes:
Organic Choice Potting Mix: * 50-55% Composted bark * Sphagnum Peat Moss * Pasteurized Poultry Litter (Organic certified source) * Organic Wetting agent (helps soil absorb water) - OMRI Certified Yucca Plant Extract.
POTTING SOIL: **Peat moss (the major component that is harvested from natural peat bogs) **compost (the compost may contain animal manures, composted leaves, grass clippings, and/or composted bark). **perlite (white volcanic rocks used for drainage and soil texture) **Some contain 'Osmocote' fertilizer that looks like small clear fluid-filled balls.
MOISTURE CONTROL POTTING SOIL: **Peat moss (the major component that is harvested from natural peat bogs) **compost (the compost may contain animal manures, composted leaves, grass clippings, and/or composted bark). **perlite (white volcanic rocks used for drainage and soil texture) ***composted hulls of coconuts to help absorbed more water than regular potting soil. This is the Aqua Coir (pronounced "core") component of the soil. ** 'Osmocote' fertilizer that look like small clear fluid-filled balls.
TOPSOIL & GARDEN SOIL **contain actual soil from the earth as well as compost. Some of our topsoil, lawn soils, and gardening soils contain Osmocote fertilizer.Thank you for your interest in Miracle-Gro. Ms. Ramirez, have you tried the new Miracle-Gro LiquaFeed? It's an all new garden feeder that uses easy to attach liquid Miracle-Gro plant food bottles. LiquaFeed makes feeding your garden as easy as watering. No measuring, mixing, or guessing. To learn more about new Miracle-Gro LiquaFeed visit http://liquafeed.com/.
Additionally, to learn more about how to have a beautiful lawn, or spectacular garden, go to http://scotts.com and be sure to sign up for our free email reminder services.
Again, thank you for your interest in Scotts. Please feel free to contact our company anytime we may be of assistance.
Karen Rausch
Consumer Response Representative
The Scotts Company and Subsidiaries
14111 Scottslawn Road
Marysville, OH 43041
800-645-8166
Ref # 9355663 Consumer Response Representative
The Scotts Company and Subsidiaries
14111 Scottslawn Road
Marysville, OH 43041
800-645-8166
Not exactly what I was looking for, but at least it was acknowledged that their is a possibility of peanuts and/or tree nuts in their product. I was however pleased to hear that this would be forwarded as a concern to their Marketing Department for review and am hopeful that they will see the importance and need for the proper labeling of these allergens on their packaging.
Other related posts:
Finally some answers from Silk
Food Allergens In Unexpected Places
Could your Duraflame be more then just a fire hazard?
Reminder in the midst of the Hostess recall
Energy/Enhancement Drinks and Milk Allergies
Beware: The Maraschino Cherry
For more information on how to read labels with food allergies read Label Reading
I don't see from their email where the peanut/tree nut contamination comes in?? I see coconut-what am I missing???
ReplyDelete"The Potting Mix is formulated regionally using various materials that may include peanut or tree nut by-products." This is the only mention of peanuts/tree nuts in the email. This is why I was so disappointed with their response. I was hoping to get further information on the issue of cross contamination that was vaguely discussed in the conversation between Kimberly and a miracle-gro customer representative over the phone.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone had a documented reaction to this?
ReplyDelete