How Sweet It Is - Hershey's Updated GF Policy

Thanks to Nancy for providing us with Hershey's gluten-free information. This link will provide you with Hershey's gluten-free statement and a list of GF products.

Enjoy those non-holiday shaped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Almond Joys, Mounds Bars and filled Hershey's kisses everyone!

Kellogg's Rice Krispies...Gluten Free

In June, Kellogg's will offer a gluten-free version of the much loved family favorite, Rice Krispies.

In grocery stores, the gluten-free version will be located right next to the original version. The gluten-free version will retail at the same price as the gluten version.

The Kellogg's press release can be read.

Truly Gluten-Free Products

Frito-Lay has tested many of its products to determine the gluten-free status. You will find a list of the products that test at less than 20ppm here. On the same page is a list of Frito-Lay products that contain no gluten ingredients, but have not yet been tested.

Chinese-style Pork Dumplings and Kikkoman Soy Sauce?!?

Feel Goods Foods has developed a line of Chinese-style dumplings. The offerings include pork dumplings, shrimp dumplings, vegetable dumplings and chicken dumplings. You can purchase the dumplings in New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Florida. If those locations aren't convenient for you then you also can purchase them at glutenfreemall.com.

You might also want to pick up a bottle of Kikkoman's new gluten-free soy sauce to serve along with those dumplings!

Gluten-free Pebbles Cereals

I'm certainly not advocating the regular consumption of Pebbles cereal but thought some of you may be interested to know that Post Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles are now certified gluten free. The gluten-free varieties were placed on store shelves on January 1, 2011 and are clearly labeled gluten free.

The Post press release announcing this can be found here.

Cluck, Cluck, Cluck

We failed to mention at today's meeting that Sam's Club Member's Mark Rotisserie Chickens are now gluten free. The 3 pound birds cost $4.99 and are likely to be labeled with a sticker that says 'gluten free.'

Want South of the Border Flavors?

Here's some good news that will allow you to quickly and easily add south of the border flavors to your gluten-free Mexican meals!

La Victoria, Embasa and Herdez should be added to the list of companies that will clearly list all gluten containing ingredients on their label. The product lines mentioned above can be found at mainstream and Mexican grocery stores.

Hershey Hating Is Over

For a long while, I have been 'hating on' Hershey. Someone brings up Hershey and I instantly turn into a ranting lunatic. However, the hate is now over!

In a twenty minute phone call today, Jean who works in customer service at Hershey told me Hershey has changed their policy and that Hershey labels now clearly list any gluten containing ingredients. If for example, natural flavors included malt the label would read 'natural flavors(malt).'

We've got lots of catching up to do as there are only 4 weeks left of Easter Candy season!

Manufacturer's Gluten-Free Lists

Links to various manufacturer's gluten-free lists:

• Heinz' gluten-free list
• General Mills gluten-free list

Feel free to post others in the comments and we'll add them to this listing.

More GF Chex on the Way!

General Mills' Rice Chex has been clearly labeled as gluten free for some time now much to the delight on many celiacs. To make the Rice Chex gluten free it was a seemingly simple process of subbing molasses for barley malt extract. If only all conversions could be so simple!

As of June 1, General Mills will be adding five new gluten-free flavors to their Chex lineup. They include: Honey Nut Chex, Corn Chex, Strawberry Chex, Chocolate Chex and Cinnamon Chex.

On Saturday, May 2, the Meijer store in Plainfield had Honey Nut Chex on the shelf. It was easy to spot as it said gluten free right on the front of the box!

Betty Crocker Goes Gluten Free!

In June, Betty Crocker will be releasing a line of gluten-free mixes. The mixes include a devil's food cake, yellow cake, chocolate chip cookies and brownies. Each will be processed in a gluten-free facility! For more information check out the gluten-free page of the Betty Crocker website.

Hershey - Is....

3/19/10 Edited to Add: Since the following post was made it seems that Hershey has become a gluten-free friendly company. According to Jean at Hershey, the labels of their products will now clearly list all gluten containing ingredients.

Hershey is not a company that clearly lists gluten-containing ingredients despite what you may have read online. Generally reputable sources like the Delphi Forums Celiac Site and the National Foundation for Celiac Disease are notorious for providing erroneous information regarding Hershey's gluten-free labeling policy. The former states that Hershey is a company with good labeling practices and the latter includes many Hershey products on their 2007 Gluten-Free Candy Listing.

It's time to clear up the misinformation on the internet and attempt to get Hershey to adopt good labeling practices or at the very least get a clear and concise response when calling to find out about the gluten-free status of one of their products.

Speaking to a Hershey customer service representative is an exercise in frustration and one almost needs a PhD in interrogation to get a straight forward answer regarding their gluten-free products. I've called Hershey many times in hopes that they have added items to their gluten-free list and generally the phone interactions go the same way.

Note that I'm paraphrasing the Hershey response to my questions in the example listed below:
Me: Hello, I'm calling to find out if Cadbury Mini Eggs are gluten free.
Hershey Representative (HR): Hershey has good labeling practices and the top 8 allergens are clearly listed on the label.
Me: Gluten found in rye, barley and oats is not included in the top 8 allergens. Are gluten containing ingredients clearly listed in the ingredients on the label?
HR: No, the FDA doesn't require us to list gluten containing ingredients.
Me: How can I find out if Cadbury Mini Eggs are gluten free.
HR: Natural flavoring is proprietary information and the flavoring house won't reveal whether or not it's gluten free. At this time the only guaranteed gluten-free Hershey products are:

1. Kisses - Milk Chocolate
2. Hershey Milk Bar
3. Hershey Milk Bar with Almonds
4. York Peppermint Patties
5. Jolly Ranchers
6. Hershey Syrup - Milk Chocolate
7. Baking Cocoa, Semi-Sweet Chips
8. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate.

Me: So the Cadbury Mini Eggs are not gluten free.
HR: Not at this time, but Hershey is always adding to their list of gluten-free products. *
Me: I'm disappointed that Hershey doesn't list gluten containing ingredients on their label. Both of your competitors, Mars and Nestle, are Celiac-friendly companies and their labels clearly reflect the ingredients used.
HR: I'll forward your comments to Marketing and Research Department.
Me: You do that.
*Nothing has been added to the list of gluten-free products in at least 2 years.

Having my comments as well as the other Celiac callers comments forwarded to the Marketing and Research Department has not impacted the Hershey policy in two years. So, I decided to call the COO of Hershey David J. West.

My call to David J. West landed me with an operator who took a message and had David J. West's assistant call me back. I told his assistant that my favorite candies are Hershey products but due to Celiac Disease I can not eat them because the company will not disclose whether or not they are gluten free. I rattled off a few statistics regarding Celiac Disease. I also mentioned the Mars and Nestle policy and I that I couldn't understand why Hershey doesn't adopt the same. She took the information and said that she would forward it to the Marketing and Research Department. I of course responded that I want the information to go the David J. West and she said that he gets reports from Marketing and Research.

We've all heard that the over used cliche the squeaky wheel gets greased. In my experience it's true so I'm asking you to consider two things:

1. Make a phone call to COO of Hershey, David J. West and ask that Hershey join the ranks of it's competitors and adopt good labeling policies that will clearly list any gluten containing ingredients.
David J. West
COO of Hershey Incorporated
100 Crystal A Drive
Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033
Phone: 717-534-4200
Fax: 717-534-6550

2. Boycott Hershey until at the very least the information their customer service representatives offer clear and concise information regarding their gluten-free products. You can find a listing of Hershey products to boycott here.

3. Don't depend on information you've found online to determine if a product is gluten free it may be incorrect.

Until Hershey's updates it's antiquated policies I'll happily eat M&M's. I hope you will too!

Campbell's and Pace Updates

From Cecelia's Marketplace:

"Product Alerts: Please note that the following items are no longer gluten-free and should be crossed out from your Cecelia’s Marketplace Gluten-Free Grocery Shopping Guide, 2008/2009 Edition.

broth: page 44 Swanson - REMOVE: All Listed Swanson Broths
rice: page 267 Old El Paso - REMOVE: Cheesy Mexican Rice
Old El Paso - REMOVE: Spanish Rice
salsa: page 290 Pace - REMOVE: All Listed Pace Salsas
sauces: page 298 Prego - REMOVE: All Listed Prego Sauces
soup: page 334 Campbell’s - REMOVE: All Listed Campbell’s Soups"

GF Status of MAC Products

From MAC web chat:
Our Global Consumer Communications Department maintains an up-to-date ingredient database for all MAC products. They are best able to assist you with your ingredient inquiry. Please be assured they will fully assist you.

This department can be reached via phone at 1-800-387-6707, (choose option #7) between the hours of 9am-5pm (EST) Monday-Thursday and 10am-5pm (EST) Fridays or via email at consumercare-us@gcc.maccosmetics.com.

GF Status of Wilton Products

The following was the response received in regard to the inquiry of a Wilton product:

"Good Afternoon Mary,
Thank you for your interest in Wilton products. You may contact customer service at 1-800-794-5866 , Monday-Friday, 8:00am -4:30pm central standard time. Wilton does not have a listing of Gluten free products. In order to provide the information, we require knowing the stock number of the item(s) you are interested.

Please let us know if we can be of any other assistance.
Sincerely,
Kerry
Consumer care center"

Information on Products from Aldi

I recently inquired whether or not an Aldi product was gluten free. Unfortunately, I learned that Aldi does not keep a list of gluten-free products. The representative with whom I spoke said the only way to get the gluten status of a product is to send a letter requesting the information. The representative said the more detailed the information we provide, the more likely they are to get the accurate answers from the various manufacturers. She suggested including the exact name, flavor or variety, size, UPC code, price, date of purchase, etc.

All product inquiries should be mailed to:
Aldi Consumer Relations
1200 North Kirk Road
Batavia, Illinois 60510

Propel and Gatorade

Earlier this month Mary emailed Gatorade/Propel to get the GF status of their products. The following is the response they sent on May 15th.

Date: Tue, 15 May 2007 13:12:07 -0500
Subject: RE: Propel Fitness Water , REF.# 026098635A
RE: Propel Fitness Water , REF.# 026098635A

Mary:

We are happy to answer your question about gluten in Gatorade Thirst Quencher and Propel Fitness Water.

Gatorade products (Thirst Quencher, Endurance Formula, Energy Drink, Nutrition Shake and Propel Fitness Water) are all gluten free. We understand that individuals sensitive to gluten cannot digest even trace amounts and are concerned about its presence in the products they select. We always try to consider these concerns when developing Gatorade products.

The only products being made at our plants is Gatorade, so the environment is also gluten-free.

We hope this information is helpful, Mary.

Gina
Gatorade Consumer Response

Niman Ranch Pork

Lynn contacted Niman Ranch to find out the gluten-free status of their products. According to Kelli Harrington as of March 16. 2007, "All of our products are gluten free except the pre-cooked pork ribs. Many of our packages state Gluten Free and, yes, the corned beef is Gluten Free."

Niman Ranch prodcuts are sometimes available at Trader Joe's or they can be purchased online. Their pork products are fabulous!

McCormick's Labeling Policy

From McCormick to Trina on Saturday, March 17, 2007 8:43:48 PM:

Thank you for contacting us regarding your special allergies and intolerances to gluten. We understand that there are a growing number of people that have gluten concerns. We would like to take this opportunity to provide some additional information and let you know that there are many products available to you that will add the flavor you desire.

We often get the request for a list of our gluten-free products. We do not provide a list because we want you checking the ingredient statements of our products. McCormick can guarantee you the following:

1. All of our single ingredient spices are gluten-free. Our single ingredient spices are 100% pure, with nothing additional added to them.
2. All of our extracts are gluten-free. They are made with a synthetic Ethyl Alcohol, not a grain-based alcohol.
3. If our products have gluten in them, it will be listed clearly in the ingredient statement. We do not hide any allergens under "natural flavors" or "spices." This pertains mainly to our Dry Seasoning mixes and some blends. An example is our Beef Stew Seasoning Mix. This contains gluten, and states, "Wheat Gluten," in the ingredient statement.
4. McCormick goes a step further. If an ingredient is derived from wheat source, such as Maltodextrin, it will be listed as "Maltodextrin (WHEAT), in the ingredient statement.
5. McCormick follows good manufacturing practices at our plants and takes extra precautions to eliminate the possibility of mislabeling or cross-contamination.

If we can be of further assistance, please call us a 1-800-632-5847, Monday through Friday, 9:30AM to 5PM Eastern Time.