A1 And Why I Can Not Trust Kraft

[hepcat]

I've been really sick for the last few days like I've been contaminated. I convinced myself that I was just sick because I cooked all my own food. So in my mind it was imposable. Well today I decided to do some outside the label era search and found out that A1 is based on malt vinegar but labeled as just vinegar. I'm truly pissed at Kraft right now. This is a warning from my sick bed to all of you.

[kareng]

I find that very odd for several reasons - 1 is that malt vinegar is an expensive ingredient that companies like to promote. Another is that Kraft is a company that is very good about labelling gluten sources ( even barley). And yet another, in the US, I believe there is a legal definition of " vinegar" and it's not from barley.... I think it must be from apples.... But I will have to look that one up.

So, you are saying that Kraft told you it was malt vinegar? Because I am not sure how else you would know that for a fact? A friend that works in the factory?

Are you in the US? You spelled Kraft with a " C" so maybe we aren't talking about the same company & product? Also, sometimes foods have different ingredients in different countries.

[kareng]

Here is on thing I found. I think there is another but I don't have time to look for it. It may be that something in A1 doesn't agree with you. It does have a couple of ingredients that are not in my everyday diet. " raisen paste"?

http://www.fda.gov/iceci/compliancemanuals/compliancepolicyguidancemanual/ucm074471.htm

FDA considers the following to be satisfactory guidelines for the labeling of vinegars:

Natural vinegars as they come from the generators normally contain in excess of 4 grams of acetic acid per 100 mL. When vinegar is diluted with water, the label must bear a statement such as "diluted with water to _______ percent acid strength", with the blank filled with the actual percent of acetic acid - in no case should it be less than 4 percent. Each of the varieties of vinegar listed below should contain 4 grams of acetic acid per 100 mL.(20oC).

VINEGARS:

1. VINEGAR, CIDER VINEGAR, APPLE VINEGAR. The product made by the alcoholic and subsequent acetous fermentations of the juice of apples.

2. WINE VINEGAR, GRAPE VINEGAR. The product made by the alcoholic and subsequent acetous fermentations of the juice of grapes.

3. MALT VINEGAR. The product made by the alcoholic and subsequent acetous fermentations, without distillation, of an infusion of barley malt or cereals whose starch has been converted by malt.

4. SUGAR VINEGAR. The product made by the alcoholic and subsequent acetous fermentations of sugar sirup, molasses, or refiner's sirup.

5. GLUCOSE VINEGAR. The product made by the alcoholic and subsequent acetous fermentations of a solution of glucose. It is dextrorotatory.

6. SPIRIT VINEGAR, DISTILLED VINEGAR, GRAIN VINEGAR. The product made by the acetous fermentation of dilute distilled alcohol.

7. VINEGAR, MADE FROM A MIXTURE OF SPIRIT VINEGAR AND CIDER VINEGAR. The product should be labeled as a blend of the products with the product names in order of predominance. This labeling is applicable to a similar product made by acetous fermentation of a mixture of alcohol and cider stock.

8. VINEGAR MADE FROM DRIED APPLES, APPLE CORES OR APPLE PEELS. Vinegar made from dried apples, apple cores or apple peels should be labeled as "vinegar made from ______," where the blank is filled in with the name of the apple product(s) used as the source of fermented material.

[hepcat]

The c was just a typo. The info on malt vinegar was from the archive for a1sauce.com it states this on the FAQ page

Both products share unique core ingredients, like malt vinegar, dates, mango chutney, apples and orange marmalade. Our Zesty flavour has a "bit of a bite" and a welcoming southern flair, with added onions, green peppers and jalapeno peppers.

Moderator's note: I have corrected the spelling of Kraft in the topic title.

[kareng]

The c was just a typo. The info on malt vinegar was from the archive for a1sauce.com it states this on the FAQ page

Both products share unique core ingredients, like malt vinegar, dates, mango chutney, apples and orange marmalade. Our Zesty flavour has a "bit of a bite" and a welcoming southern flair, with added onions, green peppers and jalapeno peppers.

I am not getting that website to come up. If its old an old website, isn't it possible they have changed the ingredients over the years? It's hard to get any product info but recipes on the Kraft site.

http://kraftfoods.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1969

"For labeling purposes, Kraft includes wheat, barley, rye and oats as sources of gluten. Our packages identify gluten by listing these common sources. Other grains that contain gluten are triticale, spelt, kamut, mir and farina, and if these grains are included in our products, they will also be labeled."

[hepcat]

Well a1 is the only change to my diet and I got very contaminated. I've seen a few post on other sites saying that it contains gluten and others saying it doesn't for example http://www.celiaccess.com/products/a1-steak-sauce/p94f3c0/. But regardless your mileage may very but I would be very careful. Most companies don't change a 120 year old recipe in a major way without it hitting the news and I can't find any information about a change since 2008 to the recipe. So I'm reporting problems here.

[kenlove]

I've also had problems  with A1 and gave it up some time ago. Regardless of old recipes or websites, it made me sick twice.  I also find it hard to believe that spices bought from the lowest bidder in a third world country  are fully analyzed by  large multinational corporations before becoming part of a product like A1. While laws  are in place saying they have to mention these things -- they can only mentioned to the best of their knowledge. I had a lot of food scientist friends at Kraft as well as all the PR folks back when they were just Kraft Foods. They left the company or retired .. I'd be and was ticked at them too.

 

Well a1 is the only change to my diet and I got very contaminated. I've seen a few post on other sites saying that it contains gluten and others saying it doesn't for example http://www.celiaccess.com/products/a1-steak-sauce/p94f3c0/. But regardless your mileage may very but I would be very careful. Most companies don't change a 120 year old recipe in a major way without it hitting the news and I can't find any information about a change since 2008 to the recipe. So I'm reporting problems here.

[user001]

I remember A1 had a feeling to my mouth and sinuses like it was VERY caustic. I would stop using that stuff right away because it has like a thousand ingredients and any one of them could be bothering you. I would make my own sauce with stuff I know doesn't bother me.

[kareng]

If you believe that Kraft is mislabeling ingredients, you should report them to the FDA. What you are alleging is against the law and should be reported and there should be a recall.  There is a way to do that on the FDA website.

[SMRI]

My shopping app flagged my Kraft Zesty Italian dressing as containing gluten.  It flagged the artificial flavors.  No where on the bottle did it say Gluten Free.  No where on their gluten-free labeling online do they mention artificial flavors as gluten-free or not.....this of course after I ate some not realizing the artificial flavors were possibly an issue.  http://www.kraftnutrition.com/PDFs/knu-Label-Reading-for-Gluten-Information.pdf .  I bought some Wish Bone dressing because they said "Gluten Free".  This guessing game is really not fun.....

[kareng]

My shopping app flagged my Kraft Zesty Italian dressing as containing gluten.  It flagged the artificial flavors.  No where on the bottle did it say Gluten Free.  No where on their gluten-free labeling online do they mention artificial flavors as gluten-free or not.....this of course after I ate some not realizing the artificial flavors were possibly an issue.  http://www.kraftnutrition.com/PDFs/knu-Label-Reading-for-Gluten-Information.pdf .  I bought some Wish Bone dressing because they said "Gluten Free".  This guessing game is really not fun.....

 

 

Never heard of any artificial flavors that actually contain gluten. I guess if "wheat" was the flavor - they would legally have to say that.  They could be made from wheat, theoretically, but its one of those processed until it has no resemblance to any natural substance (including gluten).  

[SMRI]

Never heard of any artificial flavors that actually contain gluten. I guess if "wheat" was the flavor - they would legally have to say that.  They could be made from wheat, theoretically, but its one of those processed until it has no resemblance to any natural substance (including gluten).  

 

What I've been told via email or reading on websites is that when it comes to the processing of the "artificial flavoring" that they don't know what is in there because they get that from other suppliers so they can't or won't label products as gluten-free.  If you search, posts from this site, from a long time ago though, say it isn't gluten-free.  So, is it or isn't it???  For not, I have to go with the safe products until I'm better at this I guess.

[user001]

Wheat seems to be used a lot in savory foods as flavoring. A friend was trying to eat gluten-free and kicked herself when she discovered her chicken broth had wheat in it. I notice barley malt is in sweet stuff. Funny though, you don't think of wheat as a flavor.

[kareng]

Let me clarify what I said- Wheat isn't usually an " artificial flavor". It is added often to thicken something like a soup. Barley malt is a sweetener and used to sweeten products. It can be surprising to see wheat in a soup because we might not make it that way or malt in something we don't even associate with having a sweetener.

[psawyer]

Kraft has stated that the label on any Kraft product will correspond to the actual content of the package on which the label appears. This is good news, since it removes any doubt that the ingredients on the product you have might differ from those in the some list the customer service rep may have. The legal definition of the ingredient, "vinegar," has been given above. If you have probable cause to believe that Kraft is labelling as "vinegar" something other than apple cider vinegar, you should report it immediately to the FDA; IF THEY CONFIRM YOUR COMPLAINT THERE WILL BE A RECALL. Until then, I will continue to trust that Kraft is disclosing all sources of gluten.

[SMRI]

Kraft has stated that the label on any Kraft product will correspond to the actual content of the package on which the label appears. This is good news, since it removes any doubt that the ingredients on the product you have might differ from those in the some list the customer service rep may have. The legal definition of the ingredient, "vinegar," has been given above. If you have probable cause to believe that Kraft is labelling as "vinegar" something other than apple cider vinegar, you should report it immediately to the FDA; IF THEY CONFIRM YOUR COMPLAINT THERE WILL BE A RECALL. Until then, I will continue to trust that Kraft is disclosing all sources of gluten.

 

I guess I disagree...from the Kraft letter on gluten-free labeling:

 

"Kraft Foods products are labeled with 

very specific ingredient information to 

help you make accurate and informed 

choices. "

 

To me "artificial flavorings" is not specific, not even close....

 

So, either it is gluten-free or it is not and the conflicting information is what is hard.  I can find 5 sources that say it is gluten-free and 5 that say it is not.....hopefully with the new labeling requirements it gets easier, but in the mean time, if it doesn't say gluten-free, I'm not buying it until I get more versed on the products....and after using the Kraft Zesty Italian for years and years, the Wishbone gluten-free dressing was way better .

[Gemini]

The c was just a typo. The info on malt vinegar was from the archive for a1sauce.com it states this on the FAQ page

Both products share unique core ingredients, like malt vinegar, dates, mango chutney, apples and orange marmalade. Our Zesty flavour has a "bit of a bite" and a welcoming southern flair, with added onions, green peppers and jalapeno peppers.

Moderator's note: I have corrected the spelling of Kraft in the topic title.

Here is the information anyone can read to decide whether or not a product is gluten free.

 

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/Products/ProductInfoDisplay.aspx?SiteId=1&Product=5440000005  This is the ingredient listing for A1 sauce and it looks gluten free to me.

 

http://kraftfoods.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1969  The link in blue on the page gives a tutorial on label reading, for those who are having trouble with that.  Kraft (in America) uses distilled vinegar, not malt, and it is gluten free.

 

This is from the Canadian Kraft site:  http://kraftcanada-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3432/kw/gluten%20free  Looks like they use all gluten free vinegars in their products also. 

[cap6]

Kraft is very good about calling out allergens.  That said you may want to look at the list of ingredients that are in the product.  Any one of those, or all, are probably not healthy and your body may quite possibly be reacting to that!

[Margaret S]

Searching through Kraft's offical Gluten-free stuff reveals they only label their Oscar Meyer brand and 3 of their drink brands (Kool-aid, Country Time and Crystal Light) as officially gluten free. My personal level of bothered-ness by incidental gluten is low so I can use pretty much anything that doesn't include "wheat" on the label, but then again, I don't have an official diagnosis, it was just that eliminating gluten from my diet (to try to support the husband who is autistic and that was something I'd read was a potential contributing factor to having more issues) eliminated a super bad case of not being able to keep things down, and anytime I get into something with gluten I still get an awful stomach ache. Anything else produced by Kraft would be suspect for someone who needs to have those labels be correct. 

[psawyer]

This is an old topic, but as stated before, Kraft will cleanly label any gluten source. As noted, the single word ingredient "Vinegar" must be apple cider vinegar, which may be distilled (white) or not.

[MBradley]

I came looking for a thread on this after having steak last night with A1and waking up today feeling like garbage. I've been gluten free for almost 10 years, I know what my celiac reactions feel like and this is definitely it. Sadly, I find that some comments here are all too idealistic when it comes to food labeling. Especially a large company like Kraft will not disclose exactly what "spices", "artificial ingredients", and the type of vinegar. I read that "definition of vinegar" and no where does it state that the type of vinegar needs to be labeled, nor is it an expensive ingredient, especially if they are using the byproducts of the distillation process of another product. They will also never disclose what other items are produced on shared equipment. The bottom line though is that Kraft is a big enough company to keep all complaints quiet and find ways to bypass any labeling laws anyway. Just one more reason not to support massive corporations. 

[Gemini]

4 hours ago, MBradley said:

I came looking for a thread on this after having steak last night with A1and waking up today feeling like garbage. I've been gluten free for almost 10 years, I know what my celiac reactions feel like and this is definitely it. Sadly, I find that some comments here are all too idealistic when it comes to food labeling. Especially a large company like Kraft will not disclose exactly what "spices", "artificial ingredients", and the type of vinegar. I read that "definition of vinegar" and no where does it state that the type of vinegar needs to be labeled, nor is it an expensive ingredient, especially if they are using the byproducts of the distillation process of another product. They will also never disclose what other items are produced on shared equipment. The bottom line though is that Kraft is a big enough company to keep all complaints quiet and find ways to bypass any labeling laws anyway. Just one more reason not to support massive corporations. 

An updated statement from Kraft......

Open Original Shared Link

I don't know how it can be any more clear than this.  The only vinegar you cannot have is malt vinegar and that would be clearly labeled as there is barley in malt.  Does barley have to be disclosed, as a rule?  No, but Kraft states they disclose any gluten containing grain so they go beyond what many companies do.  None of the comments on here are "idealistic".  There are many Celiac's who use this with no problem.

A1 Sauce is not the healthiest product, as far as ingredients go.  I do not use it for that exact reason. Looking at the ingredient list, I would imagine that I might not feel so good after eating that but not because it isn't gluten free.  It's basically corn syrup with a bunch of flavors added. 

[ravenwoodglass]

7 hours ago, MBradley said:

I came looking for a thread on this after having steak last night with A1and waking up today feeling like garbage. I've been gluten free for almost 10 years, I know what my celiac reactions feel like and this is definitely it. Sadly, I find that some comments here are all too idealistic when it comes to food labeling. Especially a large company like Kraft will not disclose exactly what "spices", "artificial ingredients", and the type of vinegar. I read that "definition of vinegar" and no where does it state that the type of vinegar needs to be labeled, nor is it an expensive ingredient, especially if they are using the byproducts of the distillation process of another product. They will also never disclose what other items are produced on shared equipment. The bottom line though is that Kraft is a big enough company to keep all complaints quiet and find ways to bypass any labeling laws anyway. Just one more reason not to support massive corporations. 

Welcome to the board. As was stated Kraft is a company that you can trust. How long have you been gluten free?  It could be hard on a healing tummy. How was the steak cooked? Did you have it at a restaurant? If so you may have been CC'd, that could also be the case if you grilled it on a grill on which a gluten food was cooked. What did you have with the steak or eat earlier or even a day or two ago? Celiac reactions can be delayed so it isn't always the last thing you ate that made you ill. Do read the 'Newbie 101' thread at the top of the Coping section to be sure you are doing all you need to do to keep safe.

[tessa25]

I know this will go over like a lead weight, but I've had a couple of things come up low gluten on my Nima sensor. It can detect as low as 5ppm so it's entirely possible that the items had less than the 20ppm standard. Not going to list them as it is most likely <20ppm based on ingredients.