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As a mom of 2 little boys with corn allergies, I’ve been navigating the intricately complex world of corn for over 3 years now and still feel like I learn something new every day.
For starters, there are over 1800 corn derivatives so it’s nearly impossible to avoid corn without being extremely diligent or cooking everything yourself (and even then corn can creep in unknowingly).
And then people with corn allergies can have varying levels of sensitivity to corn. For example, if you’re “corn lite” it means that you can eat all sorts of corn derivatives (i.e. citric acid, maltodextrin, etc) whereas if you’re “corn moderate” you can eat some derivatives but not others.
One of my sons is corn moderate to severe and my older son is corn severe, which means he will react to any corn derivatives that he ingests and some topically (i.e. if it’s in a lotion that is absorbed into skin).
On top of the sensitivity levels, there’s also exposure type. For example, even though my sons are moderate/severe and severe, they have absolutely no reactions to airborne corn and can also touch all sorts of corn products (i.e. play dough made with corn starch) without having a reaction.
OUR DEFINITION OF CORN-FREE
Because there are so many variations of corn allergies and sensitivities, I thought it was extremely important to define how we defined “corn-free”:
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Absolutely NO corn derivatives
I painstakingly researched every single ingredient and supplier to ensure that not only were there no corn derivatives in any of our ingredients but also wanted to understand how our ingredients were made.
For example, our pure vanilla extract is made from alcohol made from sugarcane (not corn) and our agave doesn’t use any corn-derived enzymes or processing agents.
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No hidden processing agents that aren't on the label
Most food manufacturers use all sorts of processing agents to coat machinery to prevent the food from getting stuck to the sides.
Because it's such a small amount, they food brands do NOT have to put this on the label.
Oftentimes, manufacturers will just use whatever they have on hand that is cheapest.
This also means that it's most likely corny, which is why you can have a reaction to a food even though none of the ingredients on the label are corn-dervied.
We will ONLY use processing agents that are part of our ingredient list (i.e. Extra Virgin Olive Oil) even though it's more expensive.
This way, you'll ALWAYS know that what you see on the label is what you're getting in your body.
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Full Allergen Clean on Shared Machinery
Until we get big enough to have our own completely corn-free facility, we are unfortunately using machinery that also produces other snack foods that have corn and corn derivatives.
However, we do a full allergen clean and swab before any of our product touches the machinery and send those swabs out for testing for any residue.
We get the results back before we sell any of our products.
DISCLAIMER & What this means for you: IF you have a severe corn allergy and also react to corn when it is airborne, then you should absolutely proceed with caution because unfortunately our facility produces other products that are made from corn.
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Following all allergen protocols
All of our team members are always wearing proper protective gear when producing our product to ensure that no outside contaminants (i.e. a corny crumb from someone's beard) would never make it into our batches.
Testing
My son with a severe corn allergy has never had a reaction to any of our products, but as I mentioned, he does NOT react to airborne corn. We’ve given our product out to several people with varying levels of corn allergies/sensitivities and have not had a single person react; however, everyone’s allergy is different.
As you probably already know, if your allergy is extremely severe and you react to exposure that is NOT ingested then you should always proceed with caution because things like packaging might trigger a reaction.
As a corn allergy mama x2, I FEEL your pain and frustration SO deeply and want you to know that it is my DREAM to grow big enough to create an entirely corn-free facility so that we can produce a whole line of corn-free products to suit people with all levels of corn allergies, and I hope you’ll join us for the ride. If you ever have any questions about allergen protocols or have a reaction, PLEASE email us at allergy@cobfoods.com
