Starbucks Marshmallow Dream Bar possible concern

[MikeMacKay]

Does anyone else have trouble eating Starbucks Marshmallow Dream Bar? As I understand from previous posts I've seen about this product, thrye used to include barley malt in the rice krispie itself. However, this Dream Bar is considered gluten free, and is even certified NSF. I also can't see anything in it that should give me a reaction.  However, it seems to in terms of gassiness, and itching.  Is it possible it could be considered another ingredient? 

 

 

[apprehensiveengineer]

@MikeMacKay

Last I checked, the dream bar uses gluten-free rice crisp cereal (no barley malt). It does contain a lot of milk ingredients, which might upset your stomach if you have issues with lactose/dairy. You could be ultra sensitive (I am and can't eat most processed gluten-free foods), but I think this product is relatively safe, being that it is sealed and certified.

Are you also getting drinks at Starbucks? If so, that would be my first worry. Though many of the drinks they serve are devoid of gluten ingredients, the place is CC nightmare. This is especially true of anything that is not black coffee, since they use the same blenders, frothers etc.

If you sit around and watch a coffee place for a bit, you'll probably see some stuff that you won't like - dumping equipment in the sink (full of crumbs) then only rinsing quickly, using rags lying on the crumby counter to wipe down spouts/clean equipment, storing cups/lids below where baked goods are prepared etc. Some independent coffee places even use pasta to stir coffee (WTF). To be fair, Starbucks acknowledges that nothing other than pre-packaged stuff is guaranteed to be gluten-free.

I'm not saying this to make you paranoid, just some food for thought on ways that otherwise safe-seeming orders (eg. drinks) could go wrong. To be clear, I do sometimes get coffee/packaged snacks when traveling, but I take a close look at what's happening behind the counter before I do so. If the coffee prep station is far away from the baked goods/bagel prep, I feel much better about it.

[MikeMacKay]

@apprehensiveengineer Yea, sometimes I think I'm fine in terms of digestion when I eat it, but other times I'm not, so I'm not sure. I think it may all really depend on what I have. And although I don't tend to buy anything else typically, sometimes I'll get like a Jones Soda, or a Coconut Water. Do you think it could even be the sugar, combined with the fact that this is sometimes the only thing I eat all day between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.? 

[apprehensiveengineer]

@MikeMacKay

I'm not 100% sure Jones Soda is gluten-free. They certainly don't advertise it as such (meaning that there's no guarantee that it is). I can't seem to find an ingredient list for anything on their site, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of their flavours contained barley malt (and thus possibly some CC on other flavours?).

Barring that, zero calorie pops often use sugar alcohols as sweeteners. These are a common source of GI distress in many people, celiac or otherwise (including me).

 

[appleblossomtree]

TBH I wouldn't even drink the black coffee at starbucks. They grind their beans in house so every coffee would be contaminated with the flavoured coffee. The only coffee that is 'safe' would be the espresso beans since they have their own individual grinders that only the espresso gets poured into. If you watch you'll see different syrups and sauces spilled on the counter and then the baristas putting milk pitchers into the spills. I only drink plain espresso from them and only if I'm desperate.