There are some food questions you never think to ask until someone you love needs the answer.
For us, that question was the sugar we use in our Secret Kiwi Kitchen products.
I have family and friends living with Alpha-Gal Syndrome on Martha's Vineyard after having become infected from a tick bite. People with Alpha-Gal can become reactive to mammalian products, including meat and dairy, and may experience allergic reactions to foods or ingredients containing alpha-gal. I have also lived with a food allergy myself for many years, so I understand how complicated food can become when you have to constantly think about ingredients, processing and cross-contamination.
Food should be a pleasure. When you have an allergy, it can sometimes feel like detective work.
So we decided to look closely at something that appears incredibly simple: sugar.
Why does sugar matter?
White cane sugar is refined to remove colour and other materials from the raw sugar. One method that has historically been used, and is still used by some sugar refineries, is bone char.
Bone char is made by heating animal bones to produce a carbon material that can be used to decolourise sugar.
It is important to understand that bone char is a processing material, not an ingredient that is simply added to the finished sugar.
For people living with Alpha-Gal Syndrome, however, the source and processing of ingredients can matter. People can have different sensitivities and reactions, and some people with Alpha-Gal are concerned about ingredients such as gelatin and sugar that may involve mammalian-derived processing materials.
So what about the sugar in our baking mixes?
The sugar we use is different
Our New Zealand baking mixes use Chelsea Sugar, made at a beautiful, historic refinery on the shores of the Waitematā Harbour in Auckland.
Chelsea is very clear about how its sugar is produced. They state:
“There are no animal products used in the process of sugar production.”
Chelsea uses activated carbon in its refining process, and this carbon is sourced from coal, rather than animal bone. Chelsea describes the carbon as acting as a filter during the refining process.
So the sugar we use in our New Zealand baking mixes is not processed using bone char.
Chelsea explains that its raw sugar is washed, redissolved, filtered and recrystallised. White sugar receives additional refining through an activated-carbon decolourisation stage, where the carbon absorbs remaining coloured plant material.
The result is the familiar white sugar crystal: pure sucrose, without preservatives or additives.
What about sugar in the United States?
Sugar is not necessarily processed the same way at every refinery. Some refined cane sugar can be produced using bone char, while other refineries use different decolourisation methods.
For consumers who specifically want to avoid bone-char processing, USDA-certified organic sugar provides a clear route, because organic processing must comply with USDA organic standards and permitted processing aids.
But organic sugar isn't the only sugar that is produced without bone char. Some conventional sugar refineries may also use other methods. The important point is that you cannot determine the refining method simply by looking at the word “sugar” on an ingredient label.
Why we wanted to explain this
At Secret Kiwi Kitchen, we make baking mixes because we believe baking should be enjoyable.
For people managing Alpha-Gal Syndrome, food can require considerably more thought than that.
We have gone through our ingredients and identified which of our products are suitable for people managing Alpha-Gal based on their current formulations.
Our Alpha-Gal Product Guide
Suitable or can be adapted to be Alpha-Gal friendly:
Mixes
-Gingerbread Cake & Cookie Mix
-Sensational Seed Cracker Mix
-Vanilla Sugar Cookie Mix, made with vegan butter
-Ginger Crunch Slice Mix, made with vegan butter
Spice Blends
-All SKK Spice Blends
Edible Flowers
-All SKK Edible Flowers
Many of our other mixes contain grass-fed dairy, which is not suitable for people with Alpha-Gal.
We will continue to review our ingredients and formulations as our products evolve.
That's one less thing to wonder about when you are deciding what to bake or cook.
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This article provides information about the sugar-processing practices described by Chelsea Sugar and the ingredients used in Secret Kiwi Kitchen products. Alpha-Gal Syndrome is a medical condition, and individual sensitivities vary. Please follow the advice of your allergist or healthcare professional when determining which foods are appropriate for you.
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About Secret Kiwi Kitchen
Secret Kiwi Kitchen is an award-winning New Zealand food company founded by Lauren Lulu Taylor, an American-born entrepreneur who discovered a passion for New Zealand's exceptional ingredients after making New Zealand her home. Inspired by the country's world-class dairy, non-GMO wheat, and natural pantry staples, Lulu created Secret Kiwi Kitchen to showcase the very best of New Zealand through beautifully crafted baking mixes, edible flowers, spice blends, and pantry favorites.
Today, Secret Kiwi Kitchen products are sold throughout New Zealand and are now available across the United States through the company's California warehouse. Known for premium ingredients, award-winning recipes, and botanical packaging inspired by the work of New Zealand women botanical artists of the 19th and early 20th centuries, Secret Kiwi Kitchen is on a mission to bring a little piece of New Zealand to kitchens around the world.