Rice And Packaging Labels?

[TammyTE]

We purchased rice at Costco (several pounds of it actually) and my daughter reacted to it. Zafarani is the brand name. I went to the company's website and they have a general blurb about how rice is a naturally gluten free food but nothing specifically stating it is gluten free.  I called the company and sure enough, it is processed in a facility with wheat.  I emailed them later to suggest they put on their packaging "processed in a facility that processes wheat" but haven't heard back.

 

We had been eating another brand with no troubles but it was not marked gluten free either. I also got it at Costco which is an hour away, so in the mean time I was just going to get some smaller packages locally.  None of the packages were marked gluten free, so I called Kroger and the lady there said that the package has to say "may contain wheat" if processed in the same facility. But then she changed it a bit and said if processed on the same line. She said their rice is "a gluten free food" but she couldn't guarantee it was not processed on the same line as wheat. I left the conversation not knowing.

 

Can anyone tell me what the rule is supposed to be?  Are there any companies that produce rice where I can buy in bulk?  It's our cheap "filler" food here. Thanks!

 

~Tammy

[TammyTE]

Oh and I am unsure of what to do with the 40lbs of rice we have. My four older kids are gluten intolerant and don't seem as sensitive as my youngest. She is the one that reacted to this rice. On one hand, I feel uncomfortable give this rice to the older kids knowing they are sensitive and knowing it is cross contaminated. We eat a lot of rice. But that's a lot of rice to waste.

[BlessedMommy]

Lundberg Farms rice is completely safe. (processed in a dedicated gluten free facility) According to my wholesale/retail outlet, you can get a 25 lb bag of it for around $31. Do you have a source where you can order stuff like this?

 

Do you know of a family in need who could use the rice that you have? Maybe you could donate it.

[cyclinglady]

I buy California grown rice from Costco and have not had any problems with it. Just curious....did you wash it several times? FYI, rice can last for years and years. I buy in bulk for my emergency earthqake food.

[TammyTE]

Thanks, I'll have to look into Lundberg Farms. I order gluten-free oats through a local amish store. I can see if they can get this brand. Thanks!

 

I can't remember the brand we were using from Costco. It was in a purple/black plastic bag. It seemed to be okay but now I am just wanting to make sure the rice we use is gluten-free so there is no question. Especially since we use so much of it.

 

I have never rinsed rice. I guess I should start.

 

I might know a good family friend that would be interested in buying the rice at a discount.  I tried giving it to another friend whose husband recently lost his job but apparently they don't eat much rice. ?? 

[BlessedMommy]

Rinsing rice is a good idea because it helps lower the arsenic content as well. 

[cyclinglady]

I do not think I have ever met an Asian who has not washed their rice. The FDA recommends it, since rice grown in the U.S. has high levels of arsenic (see Consumer Reports issue). Levels are lower in California. We still eat rice despite the arsenic threat, but we wash it. We wash beans too. Remember, legumes and grains are raw agricultural products like vegetables.

[BlessedMommy]

We still eat rice, but I eat a lot more white rice than I used to and try to somewhat limit the brown rice. I buy white basmati rice from India. We eat some brown rice, especially if I can find Lundberg rice at the Amish discount store.

[TammyTE]

I had no idea about the rinsing. Makes sense if I think about it. oops <blush>

 

Why limit brown vs. white?  We use basmati as I have read it is lower glycemic.

[cyclinglady]

I had no idea about the rinsing. Makes sense if I think about it. oops <blush>

 

Why limit brown vs. white?  We use basmati as I have read it is lower glycemic.

Brown rice has more arsenic contamination despite the benefits of being whole grain.

[BlessedMommy]

Brown rice is significantly higher in arsenic than white rice, as the arsenic tends to settle in the outer hull. I picked white basmati rice from India as our rice to stock up on, as I read that had one of the lowest arsenic levels. 

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

Here's a chart with levels of arsenic in various rice products.

 

Open Original Shared Link

[Adalaide]

Costco is really good about taking products back. There is no reason you wouldn't be able to just take the rice back on your next trip there rather than giving it away and basically giving away all that money. My local Costco also sells Lundburg for a good price (as well as other brands) so it may be worth checking to see if yours has more than one brand available.

[SMRI]

You could also check with a food pantry or soup kitchen in your area to see if they would take the rice?

[TammyTE]

Interesting about the arsenic. Thanks.

 

We already opened the packages and put the rice into a 5 gal food grade bucket to store. So I doubt we can take it back.

 

I just called Costco to ask what the name of the other brand of basmatti is. It is Kirkland Signature (their store brand). I talked with the lady about it and she suggested I bring the other rice back in trash bags. Seriously!   I can't believe they would take it back, but she was super nice about it and said that the package should have been clear. She gave me a number to call and their brand is processed in a wheat free facility!  woo hoo!  Now I just need to drive there. LOL

[psawyer]

To the original label question, there is no regulation in the US requiring the disclosure of shared facilities or shared equipment.

[TammyTE]

Thanks Peter, for clarifying that.

[lpellegr]

Rinsing is not recommended for many white rice brands, because the removal of the outer layer that takes it from brown rice to white rice removes a lot of nutrients.  Some rice brands are sprayed with nutrients to put back what was lost, so the package will say "do not rinse before or drain after cooking".  If you do, you lose the added nutrients, but if you have a decent diet and don't live on rice, chances are you'll survive the rinsing.

[TammyTE]

Interesting about the rinsing.

 

Thankfully my kids all eat pretty well. Lots of good fats and plenty of veggies. I just use rice as a filler to help meals stretch and keep them full. We don't do a lot of gluten-free breads because most of the those have egg and my youngest is allergic to eggs and they are expensive. ;-)  I need to try to do some white potatoes and sweet potatoes so I don't rely on rice so much but rice is just so EASY!

[SMRI]

Potatoes are easy too!!  Baked potatoes are as easy as you get, wash, poke a couple holes in them, stick them in the oven.  We are Irish, we eat a lot of potatoes.  We bake, mash, fry, roast, grill, potatoes.  I just made red skinned mashed potatoes the other day.  Easy, easy--clean, cut, boil, mash.  Leave the skins on for those.  I tossed in come garlic and added some sour cream and cream cheese but usually I just make them plain.  I always make enough for leftovers so you can get 2 or 3 meals out of one cooking.  If I make baked potatoes, I make several extra to use over the next couple days for making hash browns, potato skins or just warming up them up again.

[BlessedMommy]

One go to for me is oven baked homemade fries.