Green Mountain Gringo Salsa

[terri]

Hello,

This morning my DH made breakfast of eggs, frozen chopped green peppers and frozen chopped onions, Whole Foods shredded cheddar and jack blend and mission tortillas with a brand new bottle of Green Mountain Salsa. Now, all the other ingredients were opened and had been already partially eaten. I got terribly sick and still am. I went on Green Mountain Gringo's website and they had "exciting news". They are too big to continue out of their Vermont farmhouse and have merged with another company, the TW Garner company that makes Texas Pete products among others. Their production is now in North Carolina. I wonder if I am suffering from cross contamination as their facility is probably not dedicated gluten free any longer. Has anyone else had problems?

[Guest nini]

I looked at the website and it appears that production is still in the old facility currently, that at some point in the future it will be moved to NC, but not yet apparently. Does the jar still contain the label Gluten Free?

[terri]

Their statement is dated December of 2004 so I would think their move has definitely been completed by now...

The label still says gluten free. It also lists apple cider vinegar but not 'distilled". I don't know, I hate when this happens and you try to figure out what in the world caused it. It's the only thing not previously used that I ate except for the eggs... I went on Mission's site and they said they have strict allergen controls in place and their corn products are on dedicated lines. I guess the flour could be airborn though.. Another poster previously complained she had an alien chip in her bag of Green Mountain chips and called the company. She was told it must have been left from a previous batch of some other product run on the same line. I guess the only way to be "safe" is to eat only fresh meats, vegetables and fruits... AARRGH!!!!

[Guest nini]

I didn't notice the date on there...

I hate it when that happens. Mystery glutening... I would probably call the company on Monday and ask them if there is the possibility of cross contamination... that sucks.

I love Green Mountain Gringo Salsa, it's my favorite. So far (knock wood) I haven't had any problems with it. I may resort to making my own salsa from scratch if this turns out to be a CC issue.

[lovegrov]

Apple cider vinegar is always gluten-free.

richard

[terri]

Well, I've been re-eating everything I had on Saturday except the salsa. That will be tomorrow. I realize it could have been a "bug', but with such typical celiac disease symptoms I am just not sure. So, I will come home from work tomorrow and eat a couple of teaspoons full of the salsa and let everyone know one way or another. I did go out and buy Amys salsa yesterday and ate it today with no problem....

I was curious about the apple cider vinegar because Heinz apple cider FLAVORED vinegar has gluten but their pure version doesn't. So, how do I know if this vinegar is "flavored" or pure? I guess they don't have to tell us, do they? RATS!

[lovegrov]

If it were "flavored" I suspect they would tell us. And they might even be required to, although I can't say for certain. There are actually some pretty detailed rules about what constitutes different kinds of vinegar.

richard

[terri]

Well, I came home today and ate a lot of the Green Mountain Gringo hot salsa. Aside from a burning tongue and some gas (normal for such hot food), I had no reaction. So, I'm back to square one with the mystery gluten. Maybe it was the frozen chopped green peppers. Maybe they flour the belts they ride on. I don't know and probably won't ever know but at any rate my favorite salsa is back on my grocery list!

[bluelotus]

You mentioned tortillas in your first post - I don't eat them, so I am not aware which brands are gluten-free - what about those?

[LaurieAnn13]

You mentioned tortillas in your first post - I don't eat them, so I am not aware which brands are gluten-free -  what about those?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I eat MISSION brand corn tortillas all the time. They are really good AND it says Gluten Free right on the back of the package!!!!

[terri]

I eat Mission brand tortillas also. They are very careful and take their gluten-free statement seriously. I wrote Whole Foods about their corn tortillas and was told they produce them on the same lines as their flour tortillas so they are NOT gluten free. It just shows that it is good to check before you chomp.