The Anaphylactic Epidemic: Why Nutracelle Makes a Nut-Free Protein Powder

Whether it’s someone in your own family, your child’s class, a cousin, co-worker, family friend, etc.  These days, the number of children affected by allergies is terrifyingly astounding. You would think that with a rise in confirmed allergies that there would also be a subsequent increase in available, safe, certified nut-free foods, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the reality in grocery stores today.

"After my son nearly died from an exposure to peanuts, I knew there needed to be safer choices.  That's why I created Nutracelle, the only peanut-free, gluten-free, 100% natural prebiotic protein."
-Melanie Wildman, CEO & Founder of Nutracelle

Read our article about Melanie's story, including her own personal weight-loss journey and life with two children who have anaphylactic allergies.

Melanie & her son Raine

Did you know?

• Peanuts and tree nuts account for 80% of all food-induced anaphylaxis.
• 1 in 13 children have a serious food allergy. Fewer than 9% will every outgrow their allergy.
• Every day, 5 people die from exposure to nuts or tree nuts in the US.

That’s why it’s so, so, so incredibly important to Nutracelle that we’re a peanut-free, tree-nut-free, safe product for everyone.

“We are seeing more peanut allergies—more food allergies overall—than we did 15 to 20 years ago.”

— Matthew Greenhawt, chair of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Food Allergy Committee

Not only is each and every one of our ingredients nut-free, but your beloved Nutralean is also made in a certified nut-free and peanut-free facility.  You may not realize this, but some of your nut-free products are still made in a facility that makes other products that contain nuts.  This means that even though the product is ‘nut-free’ there’s still a very real, very scary chance of cross contamination.  Our children are not worth the risk.   

No child should look at food and wonder if it will kill them. At home, at school, or anywhere.

Most schools have started doing a great job of being nut-free, but until it’s a mandated practice… our loved ones with allergies are still at risk.  This means that not only do the at-risk children have to worry, but their friends also have to worry about the impact their lunchbox may have on their classmate. 

There has to be a better way.

Imagine a world where children can pack whatever yummy treat they want, with the freedom to choose between multiple, safe, nut-free products.  Where children can happily go about their day and enjoy their food without fear.  That’s the world that Nutracelle is helping to create thanks to our all-natural, peanut-free, tree-nut-free, and gluten-free protein powder. Read our article about Nutracelle's nut-free formula here.

We interviewed Melanie Wildman for a behind-the-scenes look at being the mom of two children with severe allergies.  Check out what she had to say:

1. What's it like being a mom to not just one but TWO children with allergies?

As a mom, our most important job is protecting our children. The most terrifying part of a nut allergy isn't keeping your children safe from nuts, it's all the products and foods that come into contact with nuts that you can't see or aren't obvious. From foods you find on the grocery shelf, to foods prepared by well-meaning family members, to eating out in restaurants, or sitting in a seat in a movie theatre... life-threatening risks for your child are literally lurking everywhere.

It's not enough to be educated yourself and understand what to look for on labels. As the mother of children with allergies, we must also educate our children on how to say no, how to navigate the emotions of feeling left out from what everyone else is having, how to educate family members and friends on why their home-made foods aren't safe. It's a constant day-to-day reality for families with allergies that every interaction with food is a potential life-threatening moment.

2. Before you created Nutracelle, what was your biggest struggle with grocery shopping?

Many foods that do not list an allergen on the label are still processed on shared equipment with allergens. Just because a food item doesn't say nuts on the label, doesn't actually mean it is safe. That's why looking for a nut-free facility symbol is so important, and ensuring labels show which allergies may be present. When potential allergens are not listed, it may be that the manufacturer is only listing the ingredients in the product, not the ingredients on other products they make in the same facility that do.

This is especially true of American products or foreign products that do not need to disclose cross-contamination with known allergens. We would often call the toll-free numbers on products without allergens listed, only to be told that they could not guarantee the product didn't come into contact with nuts.  That's very scary, because a study was done several years ago to see how much peanut protein was in products that did not contain nuts, but were produced on shared equipment making products that did.  Between 7% and 11% tested positive for peanut proteins.  That's an unacceptable risk for people with allergies.  It's also why programs like Snack Safely are so important.

3. What's your favourite thing about the incredible product you created? 

4. What's your dream for Nutracelle?

I want people everywhere to be able to enjoy the foods they love, and know where their food comes from. I want families to be able to cook and share meals together. We've become a culture of convenience foods that really aren't convenient at all and it's making us all sick, tired and unhealthy. It doesn't take longer to make real food with real ingredients at home than it does to use packaged foods that are designed to leave us feeling hungry so we buy more of it. We've bought into a lie - that we don't have time to cook and eat meals together. So my dream for Nutracelle is to give people a way to connect with each other again and naturally feel full with the meals we prepare.

5. What advice would you give to parents everywhere who have children with food allergies?

Educating yourself and your child is the most important. Understanding the risks with food labels and where food is manufactured. And learning to manage people who don't understand the risks. As a parent of a child with allergies, well-meaning family and friends don't understand the risks and they can easily feel offended when you have to tell them the food they make is not safe for your child.  As a parent, if you find it hard to say no, imagine how much harder that is for your child.  Everything from parents bringing doughnuts to hockey or judo matches, to dealing with food at birthday parties and sleep-overs - both you and your child need to be able to recognize when something isn't safe, and speak up without offending people and say no when there is a risk something isn't safe. That's really hard when so many people don't see nuts, so they believe it must be safe and we are just overreacting.

6. How do you ensure Nutracelle is 100% nut-free?

All of our ingredients, including our flavours, stevia, fiber and protein are all produced in nut-free facilities. Our products are made in a nut-free facility. So there is no chance of cross-contamination.  In our industry, this is very rare. Many ingredients from other products are made in facilities that also process allergens, so it's not enough that our product is nut-free, it has to be nut-free all through the supply chain.

That's why I'm so proud that Nutracelle is the only nut-free protein available anywhere. It's about time people with allergies can enjoy nutritious food without having to worry if it will kill them or someone they love.

Join the movement to bring healthier food into homes everywhere

To shop Nutracelle's nut-free protein powder, check it out here!

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