Talking Allergies

A member of my local support group just told me about a new Quebec company called Aliments Ange-Gardien (rough translation: Guardian Angel Foods) that makes allergy-friendly desserts.

The owner is the mom of a child who is severely allergic to peanuts, nuts, dairy, and eggs, so all the desserts that she makes is free of these allergens. She also has a relative who is a doctor who is involved.

The website is going to be bilingual but for the moment has mostly French content.

http://www.alimentsangegardien.com/

You can see an English page with general info, though:

http://www.alimentsangegardien.com/Prod ... _angel.jpg

The product page at http://www.alimentsangegardien.com/produits.htm shows beautiful cakes, cookies, muffins, and breads (chocolate bread and banana bread). The cakes look really stunning.

We were just in Montreal last week - I wish I'd found out about this before we went! At any rate, I will try to get her products into our region.

I like one of her statements on her Mission page (which I've translated): "... it's time to put an end to the boring, sad, and dry desserts that are usually offered to people with food allergies."

I agree!

K.

_________________
Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

Wow! These look wonderful! I wonder if a major grocery store would distribute them?

_________________
11 year old daughter -- lives with life-threatening allergies to milk, eggs and peanuts; seasonal allergies (birch, maple, ragweed); pet allergies; asthma; and eczema
9 year old son - no allergies

Their "locations" page on the French side shows that numerous IGA stores carry their stuff: http://www.alimentsangegardien.com/pointsdevente.htm

My understanding is that the products are frozen.

K.

_________________
Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

Hello

I found these wonderful new muffins, cookies and beautiful cakes from Ange Gardiens at a local IGA in Montreal.
They are peanut free tree nut free, as well as egg and dairy free!!!
We bought 4 packages of frozen muffins ( 6 for $4.99 ).
The flavors we purchased were chocolate chip, chocolate with rasberries, chocolate with blueberry, and vanilla with rasberries. The chocolate with rasberry was very good according to the kids. I did take a bite and it was very nice, not to sweet with a nice moistness to it.
I kind of regret not getting the chocolate cake to keep in the freezer, but I will next time.

Oh yes they also had small birthday cakes as well, looked very nice. I look forward to NOT baking my peanut/treenut allergic DD next birthday cake!!

Thanks for the info about how they taste! We are having a very hard time getting them here in Gatineau, which I find very very very very frustrating.

Hopefully one day my kids will get to taste them... We are going to Montreal in a few weeks so I will have to make a point of picking some of the stuff up.

K.

_________________
Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

Woohoo! They've added a point of sale within minutes of where I live!

_________________
11yo boy - peanuts nuts chickpeas
8yo daughter - peanuts, nuts, mustard, eggs, sunflowers (new! ), oral allergy syndrome
husband - pollen of all kinds
me - seafood,, oral allergy syndrome

Hi Karen,

I was just wondering if you ever got down to Montreal and purchased the "Ange-Gardien" peanut/trenut, egg and milk free goodies and what you thought of them?

I got some muffins and one of their cakes (Chocolat Passion).
Both were very good, and even the non allergic persons chose to have a double portion of the cake (so we ran out....)

_________________
11yo boy - peanuts nuts chickpeas
8yo daughter - peanuts, nuts, mustard, eggs, sunflowers (new! ), oral allergy syndrome
husband - pollen of all kinds
me - seafood,, oral allergy syndrome

We did - my SIL bought the Chocolate Passion cake, the vanilla cake, and the raspberry cake. People loved the chocolate one - including my oldest who is not a chocolate fan. I found the vanilla to be a bit dry... and quite sweet, but I am not a cake fan. (I really don't like cake, period.) I didn't get to try the raspberry. It and the chocolate seemed to be the most popular, with the vanilla a distant third.

Many family members had seconds, so even the non-allergic enjoyed it, which was great.

K.

_________________
Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

Hey all you fans of Ange-Guardien (Guardian Angel) Foods....

Thought you'd be interested that the company has just received special CAC certification, bolstering it's allergen-free status. Allergic Living also has featured Julie La Rochelle in its new Summer issue as its first "Bright Light" – for her contributions as an allergy-friendly entrepreneur. Here's the press release about the certification:

Guardian-Angel Foods is the Very First Company to Be Granted the One-Of-A-Kind Certified Allergen Control Designation
...for the program's four target allergens: peanuts, almonds, eggs and milk.

BOUCHERVILLE, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - June 5, 2008) -

Always on the cutting edge of the food industry for allergy sufferers, Guardian-Angel Foods has just obtained the Certified Allergen Control (CAC) designation for the program's four allergens, namely peanuts, almonds, eggs and milk.

This program, headed by the Association quebecoise des allergies alimentaires du Quebec (AQAA), is recognized across the country and guarantees a thorough, standardized screening for allergens. This is the ONLY seal of compliance that has received Health Canada's support and contribution for safe products that meet the needs of allergy sufferers. Furthermore, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) participated in the development of the CAC program and provided scientific support to validate its requirements.

Through the integration of this new allergen control protocol in production centers, Guardian-Angel Foods can now offer food allergy sufferers an additional safety warranty. The very first products with the CAC designation are the opera cake, chocolate passion cake, chocolate birthday cake, and a new product: the Guardian-Angel cake, a delicious white cake, covered with a generous layer of light frosting a taste just like heaven! More than ever, Guardian-Angel Foods brings a little HAPPINESS to the table!

"This is a great day for Guardian-Angel Foods!" says company president Julie La Rochelle. "Choosing to adopt this certification was the next logical step for us in reaching our two-pronged objective, namely to offer delicious desserts everyone can enjoy, and provide the best possible safety warranty for those suffering from food allergies."

The AQAA has noticed that more and more companies and key players in the food industry are implementing the new CAC program. "We developed this educational program two years ago and are proud to see about 100 CAC certified products on the market today. Guardian-Angel Foods is at the forefront of this initiative by targeting all four allergens," says Paul-Guy Duhamel Executive Director of the AQAA.

Guardian-Angel Foods products are now sold in all Metro, IGA, Marche Richelieu, Bonichoix and Tradition stores, as well as in an increasing number of bakeries and pastry shops. You can find them in the frozen dessert section of the bakery aisle of your supermarket. Visit www.alimentsangegardien.com for more information on the company's product line and the outlet nearest you.

See rest here: http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=865015

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

UPDATE:

Ange-Gardien / Guardian Angel products are now available in Loeb and A&P stores across Ontario.

As you may recall, Guardian Angel products are guaranteed by the CAC to be free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and dairy.

For more info:

http://www.guardianangelfoods.com/

http://www.certification-allergie.com/ns/

Please pass this info on to friends and family who would like to buy safe treats for people allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and dairy.

Karen

_________________
Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

According to their web-site (which is fabulous btw) the only place is Ontario they are currently available is at Sick Kids Hospital.

There are a few places in New Brunswick listed though, for anyone in that area.

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self: allergy to sesame seeds and peanuts
3 sons each with at least one of the following allergies: peniciilin, sulfa-based antibiotic, latex, insect bites/stings

http://www.guardianangelfoods.com/eng/outlets.htm

(This is at the top of the page)

Jen

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11 yr old son: ana to peanuts/tree nuts, well controlled asthma, well controlled eczema

Thank you Jen, I completely missed that part and just scrolled down to Ontario.

Great timing too. Tomorrow I have to go to a mall that just happens to have a Dominion in it.

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self: allergy to sesame seeds and peanuts
3 sons each with at least one of the following allergies: peniciilin, sulfa-based antibiotic, latex, insect bites/stings

Please let us know if you have any luck finding anything. I just went to 3 A&P stores today in Mississauga and they don't have it yet. I can't wait for it to be available!

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7 year old daughter-Allergic to Peanuts/Nuts
6 year old son-No allergies
4 year old daughter-No allergies