Top 9 Allergens: Here's Where Roots Farm Fresh Stands on Each One

For families managing food allergies, the ingredient label is only part of the safety equation. The facility where a product is made matters just as much as what is in it. Many products carry no allergen warnings on the label but are produced on shared equipment or in shared facilities with major allergens, creating cross-contamination risk that the label does not disclose. Roots Farm Fresh addresses all nine of the major food allergens regulated by the FDA simultaneously: every product is certified Allergen-Free for all Big 9 allergens, and the production facility is permanently and exclusively certified allergen-free. No Big 9 allergen has ever been present in the building. Available at Sprouts, Erewhon, Natural Grocers, Harris Teeter, Kroger banner stores, and online at rootsfarmfresh.com with free shipping.

The FDA's Big 9 Allergens

The FDA's Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act requires that the nine most common food allergens be declared on all packaged food labels. These nine allergens, collectively called the Big 9, account for approximately 90 percent of all food allergic reactions in the United States. They are: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame.

The FDA's labeling requirement applies to the presence of these allergens as ingredients. It does not require disclosure of cross-contamination from shared equipment or shared facilities, which is why "may contain" and "processed in a facility that also handles" warnings are voluntary. That voluntary disclosure system means two products with identical ingredient lists may carry meaningfully different actual allergen risk depending on the facility where they are made.

Roots Farm Fresh products carry GFCO Gluten-Free certification at less than 10 parts per million, and full Big 9 Allergen-Free certification independently verified by third-party auditors. USDA Organic certification covers the base ingredients. The BRC AA certified production facility is permanently and exclusively allergen-free: no Big 9 allergen is present in the building at any time, on any production line, in any form.

Milk

Roots Farm Fresh status: Free from milk. No dairy ingredients. Produced in a permanently dairy-free facility.

Milk allergy and lactose intolerance are among the most common dietary restrictions in American families, particularly in children. Milk-derived ingredients appear in many frozen potato products as flavor additives, coatings, or in the "natural flavor" category where they may not be immediately obvious. Butter-flavored coatings, cheese seasonings, and dairy-derived leavening agents all introduce milk allergen risk into products where consumers may not expect it.

Roots Farm Fresh white potato fries contain two ingredients: organic upcycled potatoes and organic avocado oil. No dairy ingredients. No natural flavors that could contain dairy-derived compounds. Roots sweet potato products use organic upcycled sweet potatoes, organic avocado oil, and a clean organic gluten-free coating containing organic potato starch, organic corn starch, organic tapioca starch, salt, sodium bicarbonate, and xanthan gum. No dairy in the coating. No dairy in the facility.

Eggs

Roots Farm Fresh status: Free from eggs. No egg ingredients. Produced in a permanently egg-free facility.

Egg allergen appears in frozen potato products primarily through egg-based coatings, batters, and breading that create crispiness. Many "extra crispy" frozen product formulations use egg whites or whole egg as a binding agent. Roots Farm Fresh achieves its crispiness through steam blanching and avocado oil, not through egg-based coatings. No egg ingredients appear in any Roots product. The production facility has never handled egg ingredients.

Fish

Roots Farm Fresh status: Free from fish. No fish ingredients. Produced in a permanently fish-free facility.

Fish allergen is less common in frozen potato products than in other frozen food categories, but it can appear in facilities that also produce fish-based frozen products on shared equipment. For families with severe fish allergies, shared-facility risk is the primary concern rather than fish as an explicit ingredient. Roots Farm Fresh operates in a permanently allergen-free facility that does not handle any fish products on any production line.

Shellfish

Roots Farm Fresh status: Free from shellfish. No shellfish ingredients. Produced in a permanently shellfish-free facility.

Shellfish allergy affects approximately 2 percent of the adult population and is among the most common causes of severe allergic reactions. Like fish, the primary risk in frozen potato products comes from shared facilities rather than shellfish as an explicit ingredient. The Roots Farm Fresh production facility does not handle shellfish at any point in its production process.

Tree Nuts

Roots Farm Fresh status: Free from tree nuts. No tree nut ingredients. Produced in a permanently tree-nut-free facility.

Tree nut allergy is one of the most serious and most common food allergies, particularly in children. It encompasses almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, and pine nuts among others. Tree nut oil appears in some premium frozen food products as a cooking fat alternative. Tree nut flour and almond flour appear in some gluten-free coatings.

Roots Farm Fresh uses only organic avocado oil (extracted from the avocado fruit, not a nut) and organic potato-based starches in its coatings. No tree nut ingredients in any form appear in any Roots product. The production facility is permanently tree-nut-free.

A common question: is avocado a tree nut? The FDA and major allergy organizations classify avocado as a fruit, not a tree nut, and avocado allergy is distinct from tree nut allergy. Individuals with tree nut allergies can generally consume avocado and avocado oil safely, though anyone with specific concerns should consult their allergist.

Peanuts

Roots Farm Fresh status: Free from peanuts. No peanut ingredients. Produced in a permanently peanut-free facility.

Peanut allergy is the most prevalent food allergy in the United States, affecting approximately 1 in 50 children, and is among the most common causes of anaphylaxis. Peanut oil appears in some conventional frozen food products as a cooking fat. Peanut flour and peanut-derived natural flavors are present in some packaged snack products. Cross-contamination from shared production equipment with peanut-containing products is a significant risk in facilities that produce multiple product lines.

Roots Farm Fresh products contain no peanut ingredients in any form. The production facility is permanently and exclusively peanut-free. For families managing peanut allergy, the permanent facility certification, not just the product certification, is the relevant safety standard.

Wheat

Roots Farm Fresh status: Free from wheat. GFCO Gluten-Free certified at less than 10 parts per million. Produced in a permanently wheat-free, gluten-free facility.

Wheat allergy and celiac disease are distinct conditions with different mechanisms but the same practical dietary requirement: strict avoidance of wheat and gluten. Wheat allergen appears in many frozen potato products through wheat flour coatings, wheat-derived dextrin, wheat-based natural flavors, and shared production equipment with wheat-containing products.

The GFCO (Gluten-Free Certification Organization) certifies that Roots Farm Fresh products contain less than 10 parts per million of gluten, half the FDA's 20 parts per million threshold. GFCO certification involves independent product testing and facility audits, not just self-declaration.

More importantly, the Roots Farm Fresh production facility is permanently and exclusively certified gluten-free and wheat-free. Wheat and gluten never enter the building. This is a different standard from facilities that clean between wheat-containing and wheat-free production runs. For individuals with celiac disease, who may react to trace amounts of gluten below the FDA threshold, the permanently wheat-free facility is the meaningful safety guarantee.

Soybeans

Roots Farm Fresh status: Free from soy. No soy ingredients. Produced in a permanently soy-free facility.

Soy allergy is particularly relevant in the frozen food category because soybean oil is the most common cooking fat in conventional frozen fries. Soy lecithin appears as an emulsifier in many frozen food coatings. Soy protein isolate appears in some vegetarian frozen products. For families managing soy allergy, conventional frozen potato products represent a direct and significant exposure risk because the oil itself is a soy derivative.

Roots Farm Fresh uses organic avocado oil exclusively. No soybean oil. No soy lecithin. No soy-derived natural flavors. No soy ingredients in any form. The production facility is permanently soy-free. For families who have been avoiding most conventional frozen fries because of their soybean oil content, Roots represents one of the few frozen potato products where soy allergen risk is eliminated at both the ingredient and facility level.

Sesame

Roots Farm Fresh status: Free from sesame. No sesame ingredients. Produced in a permanently sesame-free facility.

Sesame was added to the FDA's major allergen list in 2023, becoming the ninth member of the Big 9. It appears in frozen foods primarily as sesame oil (a common Asian-inspired flavor ingredient), sesame seeds in coatings or toppings, and tahini in seasoning blends. Because sesame was only recently added to the mandatory allergen list, many older product formulations have not been fully audited for sesame cross-contamination risk.

Roots Farm Fresh products have never contained sesame ingredients in any form. The production facility is permanently sesame-free. For families navigating the relatively new sesame labeling requirements, Roots certification against all Big 9 allergens explicitly includes sesame under the current FDA standard.

Why the Facility Matters as Much as the Ingredient List

Every allergen section above notes that Roots Farm Fresh operates in a permanently allergen-free production facility. This is not a routine claim in the frozen food industry, and understanding why it matters requires understanding how most allergen-free products are actually made.

Most manufacturers that produce allergen-free products do so in facilities that also produce allergen-containing products on other production lines. They rely on validated cleaning protocols between production runs to reduce cross-contamination to acceptable levels. Approximately one-third of food recalls involve undeclared allergens, and peer-reviewed research confirms that even minute amounts of allergen protein transferred by shared equipment may be sufficient to elicit a reaction in food-allergic individuals. This approach can be made very safe with rigorous protocols, and it is the standard for most "allergen-free certified" products on the market.

Roots Farm Fresh takes a different approach: the production facility never handles any of the Big 9 allergens on any production line at any time. There is no shared equipment with allergen-containing products. There is no cleaning cycle that reduces but does not eliminate cross-contamination risk. As one food safety resource explains it plainly: with no allergens ever in the facility, you never have to worry. The allergen-free status is structural and permanent rather than procedural and managed.

The facility holds BRC AA certification, the highest possible Global Food Safety Initiative score. This is the same certification used by the most demanding food manufacturers in the world and involves rigorous third-party auditing of food safety systems, facility practices, and allergen controls.

For families managing single or multiple serious food allergies, particularly those managing peanut, tree nut, or celiac disease where even trace exposure can trigger a serious reaction, the permanently allergen-free facility is the safety standard that matters most.

Certifications That Verify Every Claim

Every allergen-free claim on Roots Farm Fresh packaging is independently verified by third-party certification bodies. The full certification stack:

USDA Organic certifies that all ingredients were grown without synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or GMOs. The USDA explicitly prohibits GMOs in all certified organic products, meaning organic certification covers the non-GMO concern simultaneously.

GFCO Gluten-Free certifies less than 10 parts per million of gluten through independent product testing and facility audits.

Allergen-Free (Big 9) certifies freedom from all nine major FDA allergens at the product and facility level.

Vegan certifies no animal-derived ingredients or byproducts.

Halal certifies compliance with Islamic dietary law.

Kosher certifies compliance with Jewish dietary law.

Upcycled Certified by the Upcycled Food Association verifies that sourcing and production meet third-party waste-reduction standards.

Farms: GlobalGAP certified. Facility: BRC AA certified (highest possible GFSI score).

How to Cook Roots Fries

Air fryer (best results):

Preheat air fryer to 400°F.
Spread fries in a single layer, do not stack or overlap.
Cook for 12-15 minutes.
Shake the basket halfway through.
Serve immediately for maximum crunch.

Oven (alternative method):

Preheat oven to 425°F with an empty sheet pan inside.
After 2 minutes, carefully remove the hot pan and spread fries in a single layer.
Cook for 18-22 minutes until golden and crispy.

Where to Find Roots Farm Fresh

In stores: Sprouts Farmers Market, Erewhon, Natural Grocers, Marianos, King Soopers, Harris Teeter, and other Kroger banner stores nationwide. Use the Grocery Store Finder to locate the nearest retailer.

Online: Shop directly at the Roots Farm Fresh shop for free shipping on every order, ships Monday through Wednesday for Wednesday through Friday delivery. Packaging is fully biodegradable and recyclable with a 100% frozen guarantee.

Same-day delivery: Order through Instacart for same-day delivery from a local retailer near you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Roots Farm Fresh fries free from all Big 9 allergens? Yes. All Roots Farm Fresh products are certified Allergen-Free for all nine major FDA allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame. The certification is independently verified by third-party auditors, not self-declared. The production facility is permanently and exclusively allergen-free, meaning no Big 9 allergen has ever been present in the building in any form on any production line.

Are Roots fries safe for people with celiac disease? Yes. Every Roots Farm Fresh product is GFCO certified at less than 10 parts per million of gluten, half the FDA's gluten-free threshold. The production facility is permanently and exclusively certified gluten-free. Wheat and gluten never enter the building at any point. This is a different standard from facilities that clean between gluten-containing and gluten-free production runs. The facility holds BRC AA certification, the highest possible Global Food Safety Initiative score.

Is avocado oil safe for people with tree nut allergies? Avocado is classified as a fruit by the FDA and major allergy organizations, not as a tree nut. Avocado allergy and tree nut allergy are distinct conditions. Most individuals with tree nut allergies can safely consume avocado and avocado oil. However, anyone with specific concerns or a history of cross-reactive responses should consult their allergist before consuming avocado oil products.

Are Roots fries soy-free? Yes. Roots Farm Fresh products contain no soy ingredients in any form: no soybean oil, no soy lecithin, no soy protein, no soy-derived natural flavors. The production facility is permanently soy-free. For families managing soy allergy who have been avoiding conventional frozen fries because of their soybean oil content, Roots is one of the few frozen potato products that eliminates soy allergen risk at both the ingredient and facility level.

What is the difference between "allergen-free certified" and "made in a permanently allergen-free facility"? Most allergen-free certified products are produced in facilities that also handle allergen-containing products on other production lines, relying on cleaning protocols between runs to reduce cross-contamination. "Permanently allergen-free facility" means no allergen-containing product is ever produced in the building on any line at any time. There is no cleaning cycle to trust because there is no allergen exposure to clean. For individuals with severe allergies where even trace exposure is dangerous, the permanent facility standard is meaningfully safer than the cleaned-between-runs standard.

Do Roots sweet potato fries contain any common allergens? No. Roots sweet potato fries use organic upcycled sweet potatoes, organic avocado oil, and a clean organic gluten-free coating. The coating contains organic potato starch, organic corn starch, organic tapioca starch, salt, sodium bicarbonate, and xanthan gum. No milk, no eggs, no fish, no shellfish, no tree nuts, no peanuts, no wheat, no soy, and no sesame in any ingredient or in the production facility.

When was sesame added to the FDA allergen list? Sesame became the ninth FDA-mandated major food allergen on January 1, 2023, under the FASTER Act. Manufacturers were required to declare sesame as a major allergen on labels from that date. Roots Farm Fresh products are certified Allergen-Free including sesame under the current FDA Big 9 standard.

The Full Roots Farm Fresh Line

All products are made with certified organic upcycled potatoes and organic avocado oil, seed oil-free, allergen-free, and gluten-free across the board.

White potato: Classic Cut Fries, Crinkle Cut Fries, Crispy Waffle Fries, Crispy Potato Wedges, Crispy Potato Tots, Crispy Hash Browns

Sweet potato: Sweet Potato Fries, Crinkle Cut Sweet Potato Fries, Sweet Potato Waffle Fries, Sweet Potato Tots, Sweet Potato Hash Browns, Sweet Potato Toast, Sweet Potato Croutons

Available in 15oz bags in stores and online. Subscribe at rootsfarmfresh.com for monthly delivery with free shipping, flexible quantity, and no contract.