Despite the fact that my sidekick doesn’t actually like tomatoes (despite his repeated trials with our garden’s sweet 100s) I spent last week trying to find a marinara sauce that was safest for him to eat. This meant doing research and emailing companies, not taste testing.
As a label reader, I was surprised that I was unaware of certain ingredients in my food! I’ve bought Newman’s Own marinara in the past and although I can’t recall which flavor, several contain SOYBEAN OIL in them! Super weird in my opinion, but I guess I never looked out for soy in the past because I tolerate it. So when I was browsing their website and looking for allergens, I found this chart really helpful. Until it left all the marinara sauces off the “soy allergy” listing. Hmmmm…how could a product that has soybean oil not be on the product list for containing an allergen for those with soy allergies? So I emailed them.
Thank you for taking the time to contact us at Newman’s Own. We welcome all questions and comments about our products.
Soybean oil is not listed as an allergen because the FDA considers highly refined oils not to be allergens. This is because the proteins that cause the allergic reactions are removed during the refining process.
Our Pasta Sauce manufacturers do not have peanuts or tree nuts in the plant. Dairy, wheat, sesame and soybeans are processed on shared equipment at the manufacturing facility. However, it is important to know that the processing equipment undergoes rigorous sanitation procedures between products.
I hope this information is helpful. We appreciate your interest in our products.
Sincerely,
Catherine
Newman’s Own Customer Service
Have you ever heard of this? I’m not even sure if it’s true or not. I know that for peanuts, the protein is what induces the immune system response, so in theory a very refined peanut oil *is supposed to be* safe. However, this is not the case for all allergens. For example, sesame oil is actually more dangerous than sesame seeds are (according to our allergist MD) and should not be consumed by anyone with a sesame allergy (like P). I don’t know where soybean oil vs protein falls, but I don’t think I’m willing to risk it. I know that soy lecithin is *supposed to be* safe for those with soy allergies but that’s the only soy exception I’m aware of. If anyone has links to offer up please share.
Anyway, the good news is that the facilities are peanut and tree nut free and the Fra Diavolo sauce doesn’t have soybean oil. So there’s one safe marinara option (although I’m sightly nervous about the fact that sesame is on shared equipment).
I’m still waiting on a response from Classico. What’s your favorite store bought marinara sauce?
