Conagra Labeling Policy And Gluten-Free Products Listed Here

[Polly]

Here is a copy of the email I received from ConAgra recently regarding their labeling for food allergies, specifically for gluten. It also lists their gluten-free products. Thought it might be some useful info for the forum.

We understand how important it is for people who have been medically diagnosed with gluten sensitivity to obtain accurate information about our food to help plan their meals and diets. And we continue to look for ways to meet the dietary needs of our consumers.

Since wheat is a major food allergen, if it is used in the product it would be listed in the contains statement following the ingredients list. The flour used in many of our products is wheat flour and you should avoid these products if you have gluten sensitivities. If any ingredient in the product includes rye or barley, it will be listed in parentheses immediately following the ingredient. Oats do not contain gluten, but they frequently have been exposed to wheat or barley and are not recommended for celiac patients. If Natural Flavors, Artificial Flavors, or Spices listed in the ingredients list contain wheat, rye or barley, these ingredients would be listed in parenthesis immediately following the ingredient. Some fermented or distilled products such as vinegar may be derived from wheat. Most of the vinegar in our products is distilled and through the distilling process protein gluten is removed.

Starting January of 2012, we began producing the following brands validated as gluten-free with gluten-free printed on their labels:

-Cocoa: Swiss Miss all varieties

-Egg Beaters: all varieties

-Tomatoes: Hunt's all varieties (excluding Pasta Sauces, Tomato Sauces and Ketchups)

-Orville Redenbacher's: all Ready to Eat varieties

-Pudding: Swiss Miss & Snack Pack, excludes those containing Tapioca

Below is a list of some of our other products that do not contain added gluten*

Category/Brand/Items

-PAM Cooking Spray: all varieties except PAM Baking

-Hebrew National: all items except Franks in a Blanket

-Wesson oils: all varieties

-Peter Pan Peanut Butter: all varieties

-Popcorn: Act II microwave, Orville Redenbacher jar and microwave, excluding Crunch n Munch and Poppycock

-Spreads: Parkay, Blue Bonnet, Fleischmann's and Move Over Butter

-David Seeds: all varieties

-Tomato Sauces: Hunt's tomato paste and sauces excluding pasta sauces

-Ketchup: Hunt's all varieties

-Reddi-Wip: all varieties

-Ro*Tel Tomatoes (excluding sauces)

*These items have been identified as not containing gluten. They are not currently routinely tested to affirm they contain less than 20ppm gluten for a 'gluten-free' claim.

We always advise consumers who may have sensitivities to recheck the ingredient list on each package. Products are oftentimes reformulated and the ingredients may change. If you have additional questions about your personal dietary needs, please consult your doctor or a registered dietitian.

[Thia]

Do you have any gluten-free foods?
Yes, we do. We understand how important it is for people who have been medically diagnosed with gluten sensitivity to obtain accurate information about their food to help plan their meals and diets. We have reviewed our entire pantry of foods and have divided our foods into three groups: gluten-free, should not contain gluten but has not yet been validated as gluten-free, and contains gluten.

Gluten Free: (validated and periodically tested)

• Egg Beaters^®
• Hunt's^® Tomatoes (excluding tomato sauces, tomato paste, pasta sauces and ketchup. See below.)
• Swiss Miss^® Cocoa
• Poppycock^®: Apple Crisp, Pecan Delight, Chocolate Lovers, Original, Cashew
• Crunch 'n Munch^®: Caramel, Buttery Toffee
• Fiddle Faddle^®: Caramel, Buttery Toffee
• Hebrew National^®: regular franks, reduced-fat franks, bologna, lean bologna, salami, lean salami, beef salami chub, corned beef, pastrami
• Peter Pan^® Peanut Butter: all varieties
• Popcorn: Act II^® microwave; Orville Redenbacher's^® jar and microwave and ready-to-eat; Jiffy Pop^®
• Table Spreads (tubs): Parkay^®, Blue Bonnet^®, Fleischmann's^®, and Move Over Butter
• Table Spreads (sticks): Parkay, Blue Bonnet, Fleischmann's
• La Choy^® Original Sauce Marinade (4430012068) and La Choy Orange Ginger Sauce Marinade (4430012067)
• La Choy Soy Sauce (Regular & Lite)
• La Choy Sweet & Sour Sauce
• Reddi-wip^®: all varieties
• DAVID^® Seeds: all varieties

What are the foods that shouldn't contain gluten, but haven't yet been validated as gluten-free?
Once we review the label, our recipe and the ingredient specifications to confirm that no gluten was added to a food, it falls into the "should not contain gluten" group. Foods that do not contain gluten but have not been validated as "gluten-free" may still be appropriate for those people with gluten sensitivities, but these products have not completed this rigorous review. Many of these foods are undergoing the final stages of our gluten-free validation, so continue to check our website for updates as more foods are added to the gluten-free list.

While the below foods do not contain added gluten, validation and testing on the food below is not complete.

• Wesson^® Oils: all varieties
• Hunt's Tomato Sauces (excluding pasta sauces)
• Hunt's Tomato Paste
• Ketchup: Hunt's all varieties
• RO*TEL^® Tomatoes (excluding sauces)

http://www.conagrabrands.com/frequently-asked-questions