Restaurants

Krispy Kreme Warns That They Are Not Nut-Free (Nor Have They Been)

by on December 6th, 2016

Krispy Kreme Warns That They Are Not Nut-Free (Nor Have They Been)Recently, the food allergy community – specifically those with tree nut allergies – has been very vocal in expressing their disappointment with Krispy Kreme’s roll-out of a Nutella-based donut at select locations across the U.S.

Given this release, many loyal fans with tree nut allergies are recognizing that the popular donut shop will no longer be safe for them given the risk of cross-contamination.  In fact, it appears that Krispy Kreme may have aspirations to release MULTIPLE “nut-based” products in the U.S. over the new few months.  I would speculate a Reese’s peanut butter-based donut may be in the plans, since Krispy Kreme has already begun selling both Nutella- and Reese’s-based products in the U.K.

donut-picture

This all said, it appears that Krispy Kreme has NEVER been entirely safe for those with peanut or tree nut allergies to begin with!

I give kudos to Krispy Kreme for reaching out to AllergyEats and others in the food allergy community to proactively share the following food allergy warning in an effort to keep their customers safe:

I am reaching out as you have been identified as an influencer in your community.  Krispy Kreme continues to innovate and introduce new offerings for our customers.  As part of that process, we will be featuring new products containing nuts at select locations across the U.S.

 

Customer safety is our top priority and we are reminding customers that our shops have products that may contain known allergens, including nuts.  While some shops do not have products with nuts on the menu, our shops are not nut-free.  We receive ingredients from suppliers who produce products with nuts and other allergens.  We take many steps to clean machines and surfaces in our shops, but there is the possibility that trace allergens might be found in our products.  As a result, we label known allergens and ask customers to make sure they check the label before consuming.

 

We have never been represented as ‘nut-free’ because some of our ingredients have always come from third-party manufacturers with nuts in their facilities, we wanted to make sure you were aware.

 

If you visit, you will notice signage about allergens in and around our stores to make sure people with food allergies and sensitivities are informed.  Customer safety is Krispy Kreme’s top priority.

 

We’ll continue to keep you apprised of updates and news as we have it.  If you have questions, let me know.  More information can also be found at www.krispykreme.com/nutritionals.

 

Thank you,

Kelley O’Brien, Director of Social Media

 

While I know there is tremendous disappointment for many in our community, I do think it is worth expressing my appreciation to Kelley and Krispy Kreme for proactively reaching out to our community.

Currently, there is a petition circulating on change.org from many in the food allergy community asking Krispy Kreme to reconsider their addition of Nutella-based donuts.  However, the larger issue may be that Krispy Kreme is letting us know that they are not – nor ever have been – truly safe for those with peanut or tree nut allergies – a fact that is catching many in our community by surprise.

Now that the information is public, the onus is on us to heed their warning.

Please share your thoughts below.  What do you think of Krispy Kreme’s decision to introduce these new donuts?  What do you think of their letter?  Did you know that they were never truly safe for those with peanut and tree nut allergies?  And where to now?  Got another donut shop that can accommodate you safely?  If not, where will you get your sugar fix?

While thinking about your other choices, please consider rating these dessert locations – and anywhere else you’ve eaten out recently – on AllergyEats’ website (www.allergyeats.com) or mobile app.  Every new rating makes AllergyEats a more valuable tool for all of us.  We are all in this together!

Comments

    Author:
    Jill Stiffler
    Written:


    My now adult child has eaten Krispy Kreme donuts (peanut/treenut/Sesame/Shellfish allergies) as he did not know there may be third party issues. It is disappointing that larger brands create new products with high allergens that impact so many people, but Krispy Kreme did the right thing to let the public know they have never been a safe food. Obviously there are legal implications but they took the research to contact Allergy Eats to let us know!

    Author:
    Julie
    Written:


    Unfortunately we learned the hard way that they are not truly nut-free. My daughter had 2 anaphylactic reactions to them. We didn’t suspect the doughnuts the first time because we thought they were nut-free and we had them many times before. I reached out for clarification and only then learned that their ingredients had cross-contacted issues. They would not confirm if it was the flour, chocolate, or sprinkkes. Maybe we were too adventurous by eating all varieties.

    Author:
    Jean
    Written:


    Hats off to Krispy Kreme for being proactive. Their responsibility to the allergy community has been fulfilled. I wish all restaurants and food manufacturing companies were as forthcoming.

    Author:
    Brian
    Written:


    Are Entemann’s nut free?

    Author:
    Amac
    Written:


    Instead of making such an announcement to us (allergen sensitive community) that they are not (and surprisingly haven’t been) safe, it would have been a brighter note to read that they are going to remove the nuts, and the third party providers that may have nuts in their facilities, and become a truly nut safe choice.

    Having a hazelnut allergy in our house makes the addition of Nutella particularly horrifying to us.

    Author:
    Stacey
    Written:


    I commend Krispy Kreme for the declaration made by Kelley as mentioned in the blog. It seems many nut allergic folks had been operating under the assumption Krispy Kreme was nut free prior to the introduction of the Nutella based donut. I see it as just a reminder that a food allergic person must always be cautious when eating anything prepared somewhere else. Unless I prepared it or have good information about ingredients and food prep I assume it could cause my daughter with peanut allergy anaphylaxis to have a reaction and unfortunately caused us to rarely eat out.

    Author:
    Shontina Floyd
    Written:


    I have always known they weren’t nut free. My child is also allergic to milk and eggs so it wasn’t an option for her anyway.

    Author:
    Heather
    Written:


    Donuts are not safe for people with fa besides peanuts/tree nuts. People with multiple fa are already aware of this and those who have some false sense of entitlement over a petition should not be able to direct a business what to make or not. It’s unfortunate but someone is always allergic to something. Krispy Kreme is a business and they have a right to run their business the way they seem fit. Those with other food allergies find alternatives for donuts and those that had the idea Krispy Kreme was allergy safe for peanuts will have to follow suit. My child is dairy, egg and peanut allergic. All food allergies are important and not just peanut.

    Author:
    Randy
    Written:


    Kudos Heather. Was thinking the same thing. I love KK, but how dare us (parents with food allergic kids) to tell a business what to make and not make. Hey, let’s tell M and M’s to stop making peanut M & M’s. And you do realize, maybe it’s better to not eat this stuff anyways 🙂

    Author:
    JGS
    Written:


    Krispy Kreme donuts that are purchased in grocery stores such as Publix do not list peanuts or tree nuts as an ingredient nor does it list an allergy statement stating that they may be contaminated or are made in a facility that is contaminated. We have always purchased them for our peanut allergic child with no issues. Are the donuts purchased in the grocery store safe? And if they aren’t, why is there no indication on the package?

    Author:
    Rachel
    Written:


    We’ve always known they were not safe for treenut/peanut allergies and I applaud them for reaching out to inform and educate their consumers to make sure it is known. I wish more companies were as responsible to provide this type of information about their products. This situation highlights the issue of voluntary labeling and exceptions to the FALCPA – you can never assume a food is safe just because the allergen is not present in the ingredient list. Always contact the manufacturer.

    Brian – Entennman’s is absolutely not safe for tree nut allergies, they also selectively use voluntary labeling so don’t ever assume their products are safe just because they don’t have a warning label. You can contact their parent company Bimboo Bakeries about peanuts and they will advise which products are “safe” but they will tell you not to eat any of their products if you are anaphylactic to tree nuts. My daughter had an
    anaphylactic reaction the their black & white cookies that had no voluntary warning label.

    Author:
    Tara Brant
    Written:


    Our Krispy Kreme has signage both on the doors and inside the store regarding food allergies. These signs have been there for years. People with specific food allergies know not to purchase anything before they even open the door. I would love a world where my children and I could eat anywhere, but I’m not rude enough to demand it. We have peanut, dairy, egg and tomato allergies, plus celiac disease. I happily patronize establishments that work with us and cater to the food allergy community. I don’t worry about those that don’t.

    Author:
    S MP
    Written:


    This statement is misleading according to their own representatives over the years. THIS particular KKD statement sent to alleryeats is inconsistent with what many patrons were told years ago when they called the company just after KKD shifted away from nut allergen warnings. Many of us have watched this company for quite some time and made those calls. Several years ago they definitely made clear moves to remove the allergen statements related to nuts and peanuts and many of us contacted them for clarification. Like any company, they could not promise 100% safety but then they clearly stated that they did NOT use or add PN or TN in their products. This made them safe enough for even many of the very skeptical. (That said, everyone makes their own decisions based on comfort level so I am not trying to start a debate over that personal choice.) However, the company’s very recent move to add hazelnuts and likely soon peanuts is a definite shift away from “as safe as possible” to completely unsafe.

    Author:
    Carrie
    Written:


    I applaud Krispy Kreme for being proactive BUT I am also annoyed because even though I know they never claimed to be nut free, they didn’t exactly advertise the cross contamination issue either. Their labels did not indicate this (in order to bring them into our nut free school, we had to print a label from the web site) nor did their Q&A section prior to this new announcement. I know because I researched prior to ever letting my pa/tna child eat there.

    Another one bites the dust. Sad.

    Author:
    Carrie Garrick
    Written:


    KK was a special treat for my PN/TN children, I have always checked labels and did recently notice the change to their donuts sold in stores. As far as our KK location, there has not been any signage and I am vocal with them about the allergies, they had a binder with allergen information and they have verbalized with me there were no nut concerns. They were the ones who informed me the change was coming. I appreciate them alerting me. I can’t ask a business to accomadate my children. We don’t have another special place to go, but I can make them special treats including donuts, from my own kitchen.

    Author:
    Mark G
    Written:


    We had a KKD with baskin Robbins in it and they warned us of allergiens. They removed the baskin robins and we were told it was safe. We ate the donuts several times without issue. Now makes me wonder if I was playing Russian roulette. Also, eat the ones in the grocery store and there isn’t anything about Peanuts, tree nuts or cross contamination. Very concerning. Glad they reached out and informed us but was I lied to in the past?

    Author:
    Once a KK fan, but SO disappointed in this company
    Written:


    I am growing increasingly frustrated by the handling of this matter by Krispy Kreme. There is definitely some “misinformation” (that’s as polite as I can be) being shared regarding their past positions on nuts. We must avoid PN and some TN and therefore avoided KK for many years BUT then the company removed its allergen warnings for these two allergens and stopped selling nut products in their stores. This prompted MANY of us to call about the change. The corporate offices and stores told MANY of us directly that the company did not use or add any nuts to their products at all. There were no nuts in the stores and that while NO company will ever promise 100% safety, they came as close as most would ever. I know of instances when KK showed up at FARE walks! NOW to claim to have never been nutfree is gravely disappointing about this company and causes one to question its integrity. Some of you may say you’ve never thought they were safe, but I can assure you and speak first hand to having been told by their corporate and front line store employees that they were as safe as they could be which was acceptable by a very significant number of cautious food allergic people. I hope that Allergy Eats will not take this statement at face value and will inquire further. The entire matter is very disappointing not only because the PN/TN community is losing a safe treat for a few gimmicky products, but also because a corporation is showing us that we cannot trust their brand to be honest with us. Dangerous.

    Author:
    Alj
    Written:


    It’s true, they have changed their statements on food allergies……however…….we’ve talked to our local manager twice since they rolled it out in September and he assured us the store was peanut/tree nut free. As did the customer service rep I talked to from Krispy Kreme Doughnuts customer service two days ago. On Monday December 12, 2016 she told me up until this rollout of the Nutella donut, KK was nut free.

    I’m not even asking to remove the donut. I want them to acknowledge how poorly this has been handled from headquarters. How did Krispy Kreme Grapevine not know this in September?

    I’m disappointed. They’ve tagged me on social media several times and haven’t responded…..nor have they answered my email.

    Author:
    Lorrie
    Written:


    Just purchased Krispy Kreme lemon donuts at a grocery store and didn’t notice until we got home there is a seperate sticker on the clear part of the packaging, that states they cannot guarantee any potential cross contamination from shared equipment. As disappointing as this is its even more upsetting that this has always been the case and that they just didn’t label their products before. We rely heavily on checking labels and were unaware that allergen warnings are voluntary until now.

    Author:
    Jason
    Written:


    1. I think this blog may be giving Krispy Kreme too much credit – and letting them off the hook way too easily. They are not just keeping customers safe – they are turning customers into NON-CUSTOMERS. These instances of reaching out to the FA community also have a legal-defense angle (when they see a need to remind us that they have never guaranteed safety, they are also acknowledging a common belief that they were safe – all the while suggesting that nothing is chaining with the new/trial Nutella products.) Sorry for being a little cynical.

    2. While I do appreciate the inability to guarantee food safety due to such issues as cross-contamination, there is a very significant difference once specific nut products become an added item right there in store! You quickly go from a change of milligrams of cross contamination in things like flour to grams of cross contamination with thinks like actual nut pieces falling into the non-Nutella donut process. This make a huge statistical difference in the likelihood of a allergic response. (PS – I am no doctor.. but I do have a child in one of the peanut allergy studies and I have learned volumes about his allergy and reactivity over the last year).

    3. This blog should use itself as a forum to remind Krispy Kreme that many folks used Krispy Kreme as a “Nut-Safe(er)” option… and that the overwhelming number of us will not patronize them should these products become permanent fixtures… and many of us have suspended our patronage as they figure out which direction they will go.

    4. Are the economics of losing 5% of your customers 100% of the time out-weighed by whatever gains they think they will have by adding these disgusting new Nutella or Reese’s options?

    5. I have found over the last several years, that the FA community is a very loyal consumer community. In a world where businesses focus on GMOs, Vegan, Glutten, Kosher, Red-Dye, and a host of other issues (which are largely not life-threatening matters) when, oh when, will they care about the one-million people with health-significant food allergies. Our money is green too.

    Sorry for the vent. Stuff like this really makes me frustrated. Thanks for running this blog, it is a great resource.

    Proud father to a NA 10-year old that loves Krispy Kreme… after years and years… how do I explain the choice of Krispy Kreme to him… sigh.

    Author:
    Becky
    Written:


    We have been going to KKD for years with our severely peanut allergic
    child, after going through the whole process of checking with management about possible nuts, and now find out this very disturbing
    information. Not only have we been fooled into thinking this was safe, but our school- A PEANUT FREE SCHOOL!!!- has been using KKD for
    years as treats for children including many with life-threatening allergies
    to nuts and other food ingredients. Thinking that this was a nut free and safe food. There was no labeling, no warning on packages, and
    absolutely false information given out by management and staff.
    Shameful and extremely dangerous.

    Author:
    Rebecca
    Written:


    We have been enjoying KKD as a “safe” treat for my PN/TN child for years after confirming with the local franchise that the donuts are as free from contamination as possible. Our local store did not make any nut varieties, nor ever had allergy signage on display, and we purchased dozen after dozen with no issue.

    Imagine my surprise when my husband walked in recently with a box that was now SEALED SHUT with a sticker about PN/TN allergies and potential cross-contamination. This is the first time in probably 5 years that I have seen anything like this – and my local KK store isn’t even carrying the Nutella donut! What the heck?!? So now, which is it – is every individual franchise rolling out a generic CYA statement due to the introduction of the high-risk product versions in select locations, or has KKD been willfully misleading its customers the entire time?

    All I can say is that I am *extremely* disappointed – not only in the shady communication /obfuscation about the presence of allergens, but also in the willingness to cast aside the thousands of (formerly) loyal customers in the allergy community in favor of a trendy market gimmick. Granted, I’m not in KKD’s Sales and Marketing department, but I would think there is more money to be made by continuing to sell hundreds and hundreds of “safe” products to schools and youth organizations rather than catering to the tiny niche population that would want a Nutella donut. And KKD is one of the chains that consistently holds a spot on those “Companies That Will Disappear by 2020” lists from Forbes & WSJ, so I am further baffled by this short-sighted business decision.

    I don’t know for sure, but I DO know that KKD lost a customer that day when I had to explain to a sobbing 6yo that he couldn’t have any of the donuts that daddy brought home because NOW they tell us they aren’t safe. If I can’t trust them to be straight about the ingredients in their food – past, present, and future – then I can’t give them my money. Frustrating and disappointing.

    Author:
    Wayne
    Written:


    On a fundraising brochure for KK it states:

    “Yes! Krispy Kreme products are nut free. All doughnuts are produced at our store.”

    Certainly lots of misleading information coming from KK. They need to be upfront and informative for people with food allergies so that we can make informed decisions based on accurate information.

    Author:
    Becky
    Written:


    We have had KK 3 times this week because my husband has been on a kick. (Haven’t had them in a year.) We checked years ago and have known that they were safe. It’s been STATED. I felt a “disturbance in the force”, so i double checked and could see the normal allergens listed but at the very BOTTOM it now states that they cannot guarantee safety from peanuts. What!? Now why isn’t that information WITH the allergen info at the top with the rest of the allergen information!? All cross-contamination info should be listed in that same section. Parents should not have to hunt for it. I had to look at the bottom of the box AFTER they were gone to be able to find this new warning. Yet if I look up the original glaze nutrition information on their website it doesn’t say it in the obvious spot…..again….it’s at the bottom. Notice the trend? They are hiding it. It’s there so you might not be able to sue them if your child dies but they want you to buy so they put it in a ridiculous spot. This info should be FRONT AND CENTER and TOGETHER. Peoples lives depend on it. I can’t imagine trying to be sneaky like this to make money. It’s disgusting. We will never buy from them ever again. They better hope my 6 year old is fine after eating 2 tonight. We all know they don’t care though. Their pocket books can do the praying for them.

    Author:
    Mom of Four
    Written:


    As a momma of a child who is highly allergic–but not to Krispy Kreme doughnuts, I am VERY disappointed that KK decided to start selling nut products. They make plenty of money without nuts, and I would say they will lose more business now–especially from schools…like my son’s schools that always bought tons of doughnuts for parties etc. because they were the one treat he could eat.

    Author:
    Summer
    Written:


    Just want to say we have a severe peanut allergy in our family. When my daughter was going to a party (this is about 5 or 6 years ago), the hostess called saying she did research to make sure my daughter was able to have the birthday treat. She said she wanted to get Krispy Kreme. We of course did our due diligence and checked with the actual store the hostess was getting them from. So in the end we checked online, we talked in person to an employee at the Burbank location, then because i’m me, I called a different day and spoke with a manager, and then i spoke to someone at the coorperate office. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM claimed their facility/product was peanut free!

    I get that they are moving in a different direction with their products. It’s sad. My problem is being lied to. Either I was lied to 5 years back( from employee tomanager to corporate) or more likely they are changing the narrative to: “We have never been represented as nut free” to suit their needs. VERY DISSAPOINTING!

    Author:
    Daniel
    Written:


    When you’ve watched your kid nearly die with 5 doctors standing around her sweating, then you can comment. Other parents of anaphylactic kids understand, this is a global problem. We’re Australian

    Author:
    Rebecca
    Written:


    This is very disappointing as I always held Krispie Kreme with high regards for choosing to not have nut donuts. I realize they said they were never truly ‘nut free’, but many allergies are not extremely sensitive. Having peanuts and nuts in house just took away one of my son and nephew’s favorite treats. I will no longer be frequenting Krispie Kreme! With the number of Peanut/nut allergies out there… I do believe that having nuts will create more of a loss of business than a gain of new customers because of the new Donut selections.

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