Nothing says “I love you” quite as sweetly as chocolate on Valentine’s Day, but if your sweetheart has food allergies, take some extra steps to ensure the day isn’t memorable for the wrong reasons. Use EDB’s simple buying guide to identify allergy-safe candy.

- Watch out for filled chocolates. Avoid any potential allergen fillings, or fillings that may have been produced next to an allergen. Do not buy assortments with common allergens, such as peanuts, coconut or peanut butter; even if some of them are allergen-free, the legend can often be confusing or wrong.

- Look for any statements on the label indicating the chocolates were produced with allergens, such as peanuts or fruit, to avoid the risk of cross-contamination.

- Look for a label indicating they are free of a specific allergen, or buy them from a bakery that specializes in allergen-free offerings.

- Call the manufacturer if you have any questions about the manufacturing environment or ingredients, it is always better to be sure.

Source:

About.com. “Allergy-safe Valentine’s candy – Dos and Don’ts for buying allergy-safe Valentine’s candy,” http://foodallergies.about.com/od/livingwithfoodallergies/qt/valentinedodont.htm; 17 Jan. 2008.