Last year, SPEAK hosted an allergen friendly Halloweens gathering. This year will be starkly different due to social distancing rules. So to help allergic and eczema families put together their own mini celebrations, I’m compiling a series of posts that includes comprehensive guide on allergen friendly foods, games and crafts for allergic children.
Today’s posts is on allergen friendly foods and snacks that you can buy from major supermarkets in Singapore. Here’s my round up of my
TOP 10 favourite snacks for those allergic to eggs, dairy and peanuts and tree nuts
- Fruit Jelly
- Eiwa Marshmallow treats (There are quite a few marshmallow options but some contain egg or dairy so please check labels)
- Rice crackers snacks (please be careful to check ingredients for each packet)
- Potato crisps crackers
- Prawn Crackers
- Halloween Fruit cups (or fruit decorated into Halloween creations)
- Agar agar jellies
- Allergen friendly sugar cookies
- Allergen friendly chocolate cupcakes
- Halloween pizza bites . Pita pizza bites (options for both sweet and savoury versions)
The first 6 on this list are commercially found in major supermarkets and Donki Donki in Singapore. The last 4 requires some form of cooking which can be fun activities with children.
Following are the details of the first 5, with photos of ingredients and where to buy them. I’ll discuss the second half of the list in the next post as those require some form of cooking and cutting.
1. Fruit Jelly
I have not been able to find Halloween themed jellies (send me a shoutout if you see one!) So I stuck stickers to make them more festive. Ingredients look safe for TOP 8 allergens.
2. Eiwa Marshmallow (strawberry & blueberry)
Corey loves these soft and chewy treats. He especially likes biting into the strawberry gelatine center. Additionally, they come in 3 flavours, strawberry, blueberry and original. We’ve tried the strawberry and blueberry flavours.
We avoid the original flavour since its made with milk proteins. All flavours contain soy bean protein so those with soy allergy should not try these. You can buy this from Donki Donki and major supermarkets.
3. Rice cracker snacks
These were a chance find at Donki Donki City Square. It is also the only one in the list that doesn’t require any creative modification. These rice crackers from Japanese Befco only have one flavour. Ingredients contain soy and wheat. There was another brand of Halloween themed rice crackers being sold in Donki Donki. The other brand (i can’t remember the name) contain assorted flavours which had some with egg and milk ingredients. My point is, ALWAYS CHECK ingredients and assess your comfort level. In my case, I decided not to buy the second one to avoid confusion.
Additionally, there are many other rice cracker options. My kids love Want-want Senbei snacks. Similarly, I found another Japanese brand of soy rice crackers which are safe for those with dairy, egg and nut allergies. All major supermarkets carry many Brand’s.
Usually rice crackers contain soy, wheat and rice among a few not-so-healthy ingredients like msg. But hey, its Halloweens so let’s not take all the fun out.
Want want senbei rice crackers 
Want want original flavour ingredients
4. Potato Crisp Crackers
These were brought to my attention by fellow food allergy mum, Candice. It comes in a few flavours of which the one pictured here is BBQ. Wheat is the main ingredient. One questionable component is BBQ flavouring which does not have a further breakdown. This being a regionally made product makes me question the labelling more. So far, Corey has eaten these without issue. But I am still cautious when ever I give him these.
5. Calbee Prawn Crackers
I LOVE Calbee prawn crackers. So salty and unhealthy, a great accompaniment to a Netflix binge session. The regionally manufactured ones contains cross contamination warning. I bought these direct from Japan fun packs so I could add festive Halloween stickers. Corey ate these fun packs without issue.
Tips for allergen friendly snack shopping
Do read ingredients ALL.THE.TIME. Develop a reflex of checking ingredient labels. Never assume that one product which is safe for someone is also safe for your child.
Consider your comfort level when taking risks with commercially manufactured foods (best with input from your allergist). Some children can take baked versions of egg and dairy. Some, like my son, are severely allergic and cannot handle cross contamination.
Decide if you are comfortable with “may contain”, “made in facilities that also handles….” Statements. Shared lines means multiple products are produced on one manufacturing line.
Although I do my best to avoid shared line facilities, it is sometimes impossible to be 100% sure given our poor labelling standards in Asia. Try to stick to the same brands but check for changes every now and then because recipes do change!
Just keep asking questions and keep learning. Label reading can be very daunting but after the initial steep learning curve, you will find that its easy to identify your child’s allergens.
Feel free to send me any recommendations you have of allergen friendly snacks that I can add to the list.
Now, onto more baking and fun creating my own allergen friendly snacks!
General Disclaimers:
All opinions and views expressed herein are the author’s own and not anyone else’s. Any quotes from medical healthcare professionals are written from the author’s perspective and should not be construed as medical advice. Every child and every symptom is different thus it is important to seek advice from a professional allergist or dermatologist for your unique situation. All images and pictures on this website cannot be used or downloaded without permission.
Drop by to say hi, send me a shoutout at amanda@projectsimplicity.sg, follow me on Instagram @amandaprosimple and Facebook @projectsimplicitysg
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