12 replies to this topic

[melmak5]

I just wrote this to Utz:

I am writing to formally request the following:

1. You remove the “gluten free food” text from your potato chips.
2. You denote any and all possible cross contaminants in your products.

I have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease and became violently ill after consuming your “Kettle Classic Potato Chips” on 29th of February, 2008. This included diarrhea, sharp abdominal pain, fatigue and rectal bleeding.

For the health and safety of others, please include appropriate warning labels on your products.

Thank you,

***
They responded, very promptly, via email with:

"I am sorry to hear that you have recently been ill. Our Kettle Classic potato chips are “gluten free”, with no ingredients that would trigger any effects of celiac sprue disease. As for statements regarding cross contamination, we are adding this type of claim, as well as any allergy claims, as we need to reorder our packaging film."

***

I am not really sure if this means they KNOW they have cross-contamination issues and their packaging will change, or are flat out saying "our chips didn't make you sick."

Thoughts?

[jerseyangel]

Interesting that you got an answer from them...I never did after I reacted to the chips.

The statement on their website does say that the chips are not run on dedicated lines, they wash in between runs, but can't guarantee that a slight residue doesn't remain.

I think what they meant by their answer to you is that they plan on including this cross contamination statement on the packaging in the future. Perhaps they have gotten many complaints?

I hope you feel beter soon--I stick to Lay's Stax Original Flavor chips, not the same as good old kettle-type chips, but safe.

[melmak5]

Thanks JA, things are a little better, gut-wise... but I am suspecting its going to take a while. (I can at least make it through the night without be awoken with sharp abdominal pains, so there's a start

I was really surprised, they got back to me in less than 2 hours. I hope that their packaging will change soon, but yeah, I never thought I was as sensitive as I am.

I cannot eat the stax, but I fair well with Cape Cod Potato Chips.

[blueeyedmanda]

I would get sick on and off from their supposed gluten free homestyle chips. So then one day I tried the Wegmans chips which were the same style and marked gluten free. I never got sick so I never went back to Utz. The store brand is a bit cheapier anyway.
That does show good customer service that you get a response that quick.

Utz-is also from my neck of the woods!

[GFinDC]

I have been eating the Utz white corn tortilla chip rounds that are labeled gluten-free and haven't had a problem with those yet. I haven't tried the potato chips though.

[blueeyedmanda]

At work I eat the Utz dorito chips with no problems, but they only make them snack size so this is the only place I can get them

[Ridgewalker]

Wow, I didn't know so many have reacted to Utz! That's almost all I buy these days. Are the homestyle and kettle cooked types the only one people seem to react to? I've only gotten those a couple times. None of us have reacted to Utz so far. I usually get the ridged reduced fat, and the sour cream and onion. I've also gotten a couple different styles of their tortilla chips and the "dorito" type, with no problems.

[LLatham]

I just posted a new post in the 'products' section

I am having a SEVERE reaction to the newly labeled, newly gluten-free marked Honey BBQ flavor. I can't think of a word stronger than severe.

They were completely un-phased by my call to them informing them something is not OK, and had no answers for why if this flavor 'has been gluten-free for so long', why is there incorrect info on their website stating the chips, wavy or not in honey bbq AREN'T gluten-free..

I'm so angry.

[Jema]

Nearly one year later, the promise they made to you in their email is still a fantasy. I bought a bag of utz chips yesterday, ate them last night and spent all day in the emergency room today. I was diagnosed as having Celiac last October. I've been doing extremely well on the diet and only bought the chips because they claimed to be "gluten free food" with absolutely no warning about cross-contamination. This is what I wrote in response to my experience today:

I must say that I am really disappointed in UTZ. You are irresponsibly mislabeling your products "gluten free", leading the consumer to believe that there is no danger of cross contamination. I have been diagnosed with Celiac disease and had been doing really well on the gluten free diet until eating your "crisp all natural potato chips". I spent all day in the emergency room today after reacting to your product.

I've have now visited several on-line forums related to your product misrepresentation. Many people have posted their communications to your company about this issue and your responses. A year ago a representative of your company assured one poster that you were going to change the labeling to include a warning about cross-contamination. Interestingly, the package I bought yesterday includes absolutely NO such warning - one year later no less. Has this package really been sitting in a warehouse for a whole year - or is your company really that greedy? You are willing to put the 100,000 diagnosed Americans (and an estimated additional 2.9 million undiagnosed) at risk because - what - you don't think Celiac disease is a real thing?

I want to let you know that I am beginning an aggressive anti-utz campaign and will be posting this information from blog spots to you-tube. I shall encourage other sufferers to do the same until your packaging changes. We 100,000 may not represent a large portion of your consumer base, but thanks to the internet we can really do some serious PR damage. Maybe when your company is visiting the metaphorical emergency room, puking and bleeding your profits away, the label will change? I guess we'll see.

Sorry UTZ. No-one should have to suffer what I suffered today simply because a greedy company doesn't feel like changing it's packaging.

With absolute sincerity,

Jema

I urge anyone who has had a similar experience to email the company then post your experience in every gluten-free blog spot you can find!!

Take care all.

[sugarsue]

Wow, we have done so well with Utz. I will pay close attention now though. Scary.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

Crazy, I eat regular Utz a lot when I am in Baltimore. I like to get them made fresh at the market but also buy them at the store. Never had a problem.

[Tdrums]

I got really sick from the Utz Honey BBQ potato chips that say they are gluten free. This company should not put gluten free on their packaging because none of their products are gluten free by any means.

[Katie C.]

My celiac-diagnosed daughter got very sick because of the "gluten free" Utz honey BBQ chips, too. This is sad for me, as I grew up eating Utz chips in Baltimore and was so excited to see them in my grocery story here in Atlanta.