Rice Dream is promoting the nut-free credentials of its rice milks to consumers amid mounting concerns over cross-contamination in the free-from category.

The brand took to Facebook this week to tell consumers it was aware many Rice Dream customers suffered from dairy or nut allergies. “This is why we ensure our rice milks are produced in a nut-free environment,” it said on its Facebook page, which has over 14,000 ‘likes’.

Rice Dream Hazelnut Almond and Almond Dream were produced in a separate factory to ensure any cross-contamination was avoided, it added.

The move comes as free-from category leader Alpro is facing criticism from allergy campaigners because it can no longer guarantee its soya products are nut free.

Last year, Alpro added a ‘may contain traces of almond or hazelnut’ label to its soya lines ahead of a planned move to make its nut and non-nut drinks in the same facilities later this year.

Campaign groups want Alpro to put cleaning and testing procedures in place to deal with any cross-contamination and ensure allergy sufferers can still consume its soya products.