F.A.Q.

What is a vegan?

A vegan is a person who abstains from ingesting or using any animal products or byproducts (including dairy, eggs, meat, fish, fowl, rennet, and gelatin).

Why would I choose a vegan baked good over a traditional one?

Vegan baked goods are naturally cholesterol and lactose free, and have lower levels of saturated fat. Plus, they can be just as tasty (if not tastier!), they are a compassionate choice, and have a smaller environmental footprint than many traditional baked goods.

Are all Sweets from the Earth products vegan? Are they dairy, egg, cholesterol, and lactose free?

Absolutely! Sweets from the Earth products are all natural and vegan. Because our products do not contain any animal-derived ingredients, they are naturally cholesterol and lactose free.

Are Sweets from the Earth products nut free and sesame free?

Our bakery located at 218 Canarctic Drive is a completely peanut, tree nut, and sesame free facility. In addition, we have audited our suppliers for their nut free status in order to ensure that the ingredients entering the bakery are nut free. All Sweets from the Earth products marked as nut free are produced in this strict environment. Please always remember to check the packaging, as our gluten free bakery at 228 Canarctic Drive uses peanuts and tree nuts.

Do you make any gluten free products?

Our bakery located at 228 Canarctic Drive is a completely wheat and gluten free facility. In addition, we have audited our suppliers for their gluten free status in order to ensure that the ingredients entering the bakery are gluten free. All Sweets from the Earth products marked as gluten free are produced in this strict environment. Please always remember to check the package as our peanut and nut free bakery located at 218 Canarctic Drive uses gluten.

How do you ensure that Sweets from the Earth products are either peanut and nut free or gluten free?

We have two separate and dedicated facilities.

All baked goods produced in our NUT FREE facility are made in a strict dairy, egg, sesame, peanut, and tree nut free environment. Our ingredient suppliers have been audited for their peanut and tree nut free status to ensure that all ingredients entering the bakery are nut free. All Sweets from the Earth products marked as nut free are school safe. As an added measure of safety, in addition to being a GFSI-FSC2200 and HAACP-certified facility, we periodically test both incoming raw ingredients and outgoing finished baked goods for allergens through a federally accredited food laboratory. This facility uses soy, wheat, and gluten. 

All baked goods produced in our GLUTEN FREE facility are made in a strict dairy, egg, wheat and gluten free environment. This facility is certified gluten free by the Canadian Celiac Association. Our ingredient suppliers have been audited for their wheat and gluten free status, and each batch of our custom gluten-free flour blend is tested for the presence of gluten. These strict measures ensure that all our gluten free products are celiac-friendly. This facility uses soy, sesame, peanuts and tree nuts.

Are your products kosher?

Yes, all of our products are certified Kosher Pareve under the supervision of the Kashruth Council of Canada (COR). All baked products containing wheat and/or spelt are also certified Pas Yisroel.

Why eat organic?

Organic refers to methods of growing and processing foods that rely on the earth’s natural resources rather than the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Pests and weeds are managed using earth-friendly means such as beneficial insects and mechanical controls. By definition, organic ingredients are not genetically modified.

Do you use organic ingredients?

Over 50% of our ingredients are organic. All of our flours, grains, and sugars, and much of our produce are organic. We hope to become a completely organic bakery in the future.

Do you use any refined sugars?

Our products are sweetened with organic evaporated cane juice, natural brown rice syrup, maple syrup, agave nectar, and fruits such as organic Medjool dates. We do not use any white or brown refined sugars.

Do you use any artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives?

No.

Do you use wheat flour?

Our 218 Canarctic Drive bakery uses unbleached organic wheat flour in our nut free Chocolate Cake and Carrot Cake, and all of our Muffins, Loaves and Cupcakes.

What is spelt? Which products are made with spelt?

Spelt is an ancient grain that is a relative of wheat. It is more easily digestible by some people who cannot tolerate wheat. Our Nut Free Cookies, Organic Medjool Date Squares, and Nut Free Cheesecakes are all made with spelt.

What types of fat do you use?

We primarily use sunflower oil, which is a light tasting oil, with no GMOs, no trans-fats, and low levels of saturated fat. In certain products, we also use other fats, such as coconut oil, palm fruit oil, olive oil, avocado oil, and flax oil.

Why do you use organic palm fruit oil? Where does it come from?

While we do use palm fruit oil in a few of our products, the oil we use in the majority of our products is sunflower oil. We’ve chosen to use palm fruit oil specifically in a few products, as it gives a particular texture that we cannot get from sunflower oil, or any other vegan, non-hydrogenated source. We are continually searching for alternatives, and experimenting in the kitchen to come up with our own alternatives, and hope to replace the palm fruit oil as soon as we have an acceptable solution. The only organic palm fruit oil we source is single origin and grown in South America (on an existing plantation, not clear cut lands). The farm is Rainforest Alliance certified.  

What are trans fats, and do you use them?

Trans fats result from a chemical process called hydrogenation, which changes a liquid oil, naturally high in unsaturated fatty acids, to a more solid and more saturated form. The greater the degree of hydrogenation, the more saturated the fat becomes. Consumption of trans fats can result in many health problems, including coronary heart disease. All of our products are 100% non-hydrogenated and have 0 trans fats.

What are GMOs and do you use them?

GMOs are genetically modified organisms. They are created by combining genes from organisms such as bacteria, viruses or animals with other, often unrelated, species. In Canada, up to 70 percent of the processed foods found in grocery stores contain GMOs. The government requires no long-term testing of GMOs, so it’s impossible to determine what effects they are having. The most common GMOs are found in products containing corn, soy, and canola.  Sweets from the Earth products do not contain any GMOs.

What are your cream cheese icing and cheesecake made of, and do any of your products contain casein?

We use a soy-based cream cheese. None of our products contain casein (milk protein).

Is Sweets from the Earth HACCP certified?

Yes, we are Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)  certified. Our facilities are also FSSC 22000 – GFSI certified.

Where are you located? Can I order from you directly?

Special orders for pick-up are welcome at our new Bakery Outlet, conveniently located at Keele and Steeles, near York University. We ask that orders be placed before noon the day prior to weekday pick-up. For Sunday pick-up, orders should be placed before noon on Thursday. (Some items require one or two weeks’ notice.) Our pick-up hours are Monday through Friday, 9am-5:30pm and Sunday, 10am-5:30pm. A full selection of treats is available for walk-in customers.

Are your products available outside of Canada?

Our products are currently available all across Canada, the US and internationally. We are always extending the reach of our baked goods. Please feel free to send us an email and we can contact you when we know we’ll be available in your area.