Online Grocery Shopping with Food Allergies

I've been going to the grocery store in person throughout the pandemic and had missed out on the joy of online shopping with food allergies until we were forced into quarantine for 1 million (I mean TEN) days this past week. My local grocery store has a pretty nice online shopping set up- you go to their website, you can search or browse for what you need, and they even have a list of frequently bought items (linked to my shopper’s card). It wasn’t nearly as painful as I thought it would be. I did, however, really anguish over whether or not to click “substitutions allowed.” Pre food allergies, I never would have considered not allowing substitutions. They don’t have Cheerios? Fine, give me the store brand. Give me literally any flavor. It’s okay, it might not be my favorite, but it’s not like I’ll die or anything.

But now, if they are out of Nabisco Teddy Grahams? No, we can’t have the organic kind, they may have eggs. No, we can’t have the store brand, they may have milk. Dear lord, do not get something with peanut butter instead. It is VERY much like my daughter could die. BUT clicking the no substitutions allowed seems crazy. What kind of entitled, insane person doesn't allow any substitutions when grocery shopping? In the middle of a pandemic?

Anybody with food allergies, I suppose. But I refuse! I refuse to be the crazy person who doesn't allow substitutions. I'll just... I don't know... starve my kid?

Other than the existential crisis of trying to decide to substitute or not to substitute, the worst part about online shopping was not being able to check each item's ingredient list. Some packages had full ingredient lists on them (though they came with a disclaimer that the actual package could be different...)

Oh, a full list of ingredients! What a dream!

Other brands didn't have ingredient lists, but they did list the top allergens. That's at least something.

So not super helpful for a garlic allergy, but we do know this nuggets don't have any milk or eggs!

Unfortunately, a majority of processed food didn't have any ingredient or allergen information. Just useless nutritional facts.

Come on! Give me some useful information! I don't care about your fortified vitamins and minerals!

Overall, using the search function, I easily found all of the items I needed. Except for a nondairy half and half substitute. Just clicking through the "dairy" section, all of the “half and half” or “heavy cream” replacements are sweetened and flavored, I assume for people’s coffee; and if they are unsweetened, then they are at least made out of coconut and have a very distinct flavor.  I wanted this vegan “creamer” to make a delicious chicken and rice soup, and I didn’t want a coconut, chicken, and rice soup. I didn’t want to be confused whether I was eating dinner or dessert. I wanted a chicken and rice soup who’s predominate flavor was chicken. The last time I made this soup, I used a mushroom based, unsweetened, neutral flavored creamer and it turned out pretty well; but I could not remember the brand name. So I browsed through all of the dairy section online. I googled nondairy cream companies. Finally, my wife remembered “Laird.” I typed it in and YES! They did have it! I added it to the cart and checked out.

I got all of the groceries unpacked, the substitutions they did make were all in the meat section, so no food allergy worries there. I checked the ingredients as we unpacked and I was feeling pretty good about the whole situation.

I was feeling pretty good until I was making my my soup and got out my Laird creamer. I reread the ingredients and I saw “vanilla.”

This is the most subtly "vanilla" labeled thing I've ever seen. Where's the giant picture of a vanilla bean? Where's that white vanilla flower? I thought this was PLAIN!

I tasted a spoonful. Nope. That stuff is a step away from vanilla pudding. Do NOT put into my delicious soup. I used oat milk. Soup was still good. 

Anybody got any ideas of what to use a mushroom vanilla creamer for?