Why Coffeemate considers its creamer to be non-dairy

I wrote to Coffeemate to inform them that the Non-dairy claim on their coffee creamer is misleading. Here is the response I got:

June 2, 2010
Dear Ms. Brown,

Thank you for taking the time to contact Nestlé® Coffee-mate® Non-Dairy Creamer regarding our products being labeled as non dairy. We welcome questions and comments from loyal consumers such as yourself and appreciate this opportunity to assist you.

The ingredient you're referring to is sodium caseinate, a milk derivative as stated on our label. Although sodium caseinate is a milk derivative, the process of manufacturing sodium caseinate is significantly different from that of other dairy ingredients.

Specifically, casein, the milk protein, is so materially altered during processing that both dairy scientists and government regulators no longer regard it as a true dairy substance.

This is why sodium caseinate is classified as a non-dairy ingredient by the FDA and can be added to products labeled as non-dairy. Sodium caseinate is not a source of lactose.

At Nestlé, we are dedicated to you and your family throughout every phase of your lives. Your feedback is valuable to us, as it helps us to improve our products and services.

We appreciate your interest in our products and hope you will visit our website often for the latest information on our products and promotions.

Sincerely,
Beverly Watson
Consumer Response Representative

Coffeemate Creamer is not Dairy-Free

Beware of coffeemate "non dairy" creamer, it does contain a milk product. I found this one out the hard way. I looked at the label and assumed that non-dairy meant that there would be no dairy products in the creamer. I had the creamer a couple days in a row and began to see my nursing baby, who is allergic to dairy, have a skin reaction. I couldn't be live it. The culprit--sodium caseinate, a milk derivative. This is listed in the ingredients on the back of coffeemate liquid creamer, however I was naive and trusted the words "non dairy" on the front. How misleading. Of course it is my responsibility to read every ingredient and apparently non-dairy does not mean dairy-free.


Here are the ingredients in Coffeemate's "Non Dairy" Hazelnut Liquid Creamer:
Water, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cotton-Seed Oil, Sodium Caseinate (a Milk Derivative), Dipotassium Phosphate, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Polysorbate 60, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Carrageenan, Beta-Carotene Color.

My Favorite Dairy-free Milk Substitutes

Dairy-Free products/substitutions I like

Chocolate Ice Cream Substitute
-Trader Joe's chocolate sorbet (much creamier than grocery store brands)
-"Purely Decadent" coconut milk chocolate ice cream

Yogurt
-"So Delicious" cultured coconut milk (I like the chocolate)

Coffee Creamer
-so far I've found "So Delicious" cocnut milk creamer to be the best

Cheese Substitute
-avocado

Living Dairy-Free

Infantile Acne and Dairy Allergy

Living Dairy-Free for my Girlie

When my baby girl was 4 weeks old, I started noticing all kinds of bumps on her face. They seemed to get worse each day and I knew it probably had something to do with what I was eating. I took her to the doctor for an RSV recheck and also asked about the bumps on her skin. I expected to hear that what I saw was eczema, but the pediatrician told me that it was actually infantile acne. She told me it would last from four to six months. I was also told that I could but some hydro cortisone cream on her skin to treat it, but why do that to a baby for a cosmetic problem. I was skeptical, but accepted this fate.
However, when we went to play group the following week, I mentioned her skin to the moms there and many of them said that their babies had the same thing and it took a while to go away. One mom told me that her babies had it and it went away when she went off of dairy. She told me that she went off of dairy for 6 months and their skin completely cleared up and their ear infections improved as well.
This seemed like an impossible task for me, but knowing that this skin reaction was actually a food allergy motivated me to do it for my girl. I didn't want to cause her a permanent allergy by consuming something that she was allergic to. I don't know why doctors don't tell breastfeeding moms this, but I sure wish they would. I'm sure a lot more moms would gladly give up dairy for their babies.
We're at 4 and a half months now and as long as I stay away from dairy, my girl has no bumps. I have consumed minimal amounts of dairy every 3 weeks or so just to see if she continues to have a reaction and immediately the bumps appear.
What I have learned is that most babies have difficulty processing cow's milk until 6 months of age. Some show this inability to break down cow's milk in their skin, others in irritability, and I'm sure others show it in other ways. To me this makes a lot of sense why so many children are developing dairy allergies. If they cannot tolerate it and we continue to give it to them before they can break it down, can we be causing permanent allergies? In my opinion the answer is yes. What a problem would be for milk based formulas..

Is Litehouse's Honey Mustard salad dressing still dairy-free?

Litehouse Honey Mustard Dressing is Dairy Free.

Several months ago I purchased Litehouse Honey Mustard dressing because it was dairy-free. More recently I purchased a new bottle and saw that there continued to bew no dairy ingredients however, the label claimed that it contained milk ingredients. This prompted me to email Litehouse in order to find out which ingredient was the culprit. The responded within an hour!
It turns out it was a mistake. The label was printed with the wrong information on it. Litehouse assured me that this dressing is still, and will continue to be, dairy-free. It is also gluten-free which is an added bonus.
Here is the email I received from Litehouse:

Dear Kimberly,

Thank you for contacting us regarding your recent purchase or Litehouse Honey
mustard Dressing. We always appreciate hearing from our customers.

There was a printing error on the new labels for this product. The problem has
been changed and the labels with the error have been discarded. Rest assured,
the recipe has NOT changed and does not contain any dairy products. You should
see the change back to the correct information on future jars. In the mean
while, there are still some jars on the market with this allergen statement
remaining.

I have mailed some coupons to the address you listed in your e-mail for future
purchases of Litehouse products. We are sorry for the confusion. We thank you
for being a dedicated and observant Litehouse customer and for bringing this to
our attention. Feel free to contact us again if you have other comments or
questions.

Sincerely,
Sheri Lock
Consumer Response
Litehouse, Inc.

Long Length Blackout Shades

Where is the best place to buy long length blackout shades?

I looked everywhere for long length blackout curtains for my toddler's room. I needed at the least 95 inches and something that looked nice. I searched Amazon, Target, Linens N' Things, Pottery Barn, and then I found Walmart.com. Personally, I do not like the Walmart store. It just seems dirty, crowded, and the prices are not any cheaper than Target. Walmart.com is a whole different story. There are more products, cheaper prices, and great shipping options. I found many different options for blackout panels and I settled on a set of microsuede Mocha colored panels for my toddler's jungle themed room. Elsewhere, these would have cost upwards of $60 per panel. At Walmart.com they were $20 each.