Since my last installment in this series, we’ve gone through several loaves of bread and I haven’t had a chance to update the blog. Here’s what I can report.

1.) Finding bread that is manufactured in a way that minimizes potential cross contamination with Sesame is really hard!

2.) Allergen labeling between brands really stinks.

For instance, we have thrown away at least two loaves of Pepperidge Farm bread at this point, despite my hope that they could be our go-to brand. Through my calls so far to consumer hotlines, I was able to identify that Pepperidge Farm bakeries actually cleans their manufacturing equipment between runs of breads containing sesame and other breads. That information led me to believe this would be the safest choice for my family.

However, Pepperidge Farm’s ingredient labels do not include an Allergen Statement, at the bottom of the ingredient list.  And, they do not Bold the names of allergenic ingredients in the bread. So we’ve had at least two loaves where when I re-read the labels I found Milk listed as an ingredient.

<<sigh>>

Into the trash they go.

I may need to spend 30 minutes in the grocery store reading Pepperidge Farm labels to see if I can find a safe one at this point. This is time I currently don’t have.

I am down to two other suppliers of breads at my usual grocery store at this point: the store generic brand (distributed by Foodhold USA) and Flowers Bakeries of Thomasville Ga., who bake and distribute brands including Nature’s Own, Sunbeam and Wonder breads.

On the Giant Bread – Whole Wheat. I contacted Foodhold USA, who gathered my information and sent it on to the original manufacturer. I got a call within 30 minutes from the manufacturer (who declined to identify the company), as I was writing this blog post. It turns out that they clean and label for Top 8 allergens (including milk, egg, peanut and tree nut) but they do NOT make any claims about following FDA best practices for sesame or other allergens. The rep told me he works at a baking facility and that the employees there expect to find sesame in the bread they get as a perk.

So, Giant’s generic bread is now off our purchase list.

I’ve also emailed Flowers Bakeries in Thomasville Georgia through their web site for further information on how they handle Top 8 and sesame as well. My hopes are not high.

That bread machine is looking better and better.