Cottage Cheese?

[GeoffCJ]

I found some stuff online that seemed to indicate that cottage cheese was not gluten-free, but other things that indicate it is. I couldn't see anything on the ingredient list....

What do you guys think?

Geoff

[Juliebove]

Depends on the brand and what they put in it. Many use modified food starch. Yuck! Always read the ingredients. Here I could get a brand called Alpine Rose from the milk man. No modified food starch. Can't remember the name of the brand I bought on the east coast.

[Guhlia]

Breakstone's cottage cheese is gluten free even though it lists modified food starch as an ingredient. It's made by Kraft. Kraft will never hide gluten on a label. I'm eating some right now.

[darlindeb25]

I love Long Island, but New York does not know how to make good cottage cheese. In Michigan I used to eat, Pairie Farms, Michigan, Country Fresh, and Kroger brand cottage cheese. We have Breakstone here, yet I do not really like it, Pathmark is ok, Friendship brand is another that is gluten-free, but I do not like it, Shoprite brand is probably the one I like best, yet I still prefer Kroger brand--no Krogers here. I do not ever buy cottage cheese that states modified food starch unless it is Kraft.

[GeoffCJ]

I love Long Island, but New York does not know how to make good cottage cheese. In Michigan I used to eat, Pairie Farms, Michigan, Country Fresh, and Kroger brand cottage cheese. We have Breakstone here, yet I do not really like it, Pathmark is ok, Friendship brand is another that is gluten-free, but I do not like it, Shoprite brand is probably the one I like best, yet I still prefer Kroger brand--no Krogers here. I do not ever buy cottage cheese that states modified food starch unless it is Kraft.

Hmm. well neither of the two brands I have list Modified Food Starch, nor anything that jumps out at me as a problem. I guess I'll keep eating it.

Geoff

[happygirl]

Geoff,

If you have any more questions about it, feel free to list the ingredients on the label and we can help give you a more definitive answer.

Laura

[newg]

Walmart's Great Value Brand is gluten-free!

[kbtoyssni]

I've never seen a cottage cheese that wasn't gluten-free so the odds are that yours is, too. As always, you have to call and check, but it's probably going to be ok.

[Juliebove]

I love Long Island, but New York does not know how to make good cottage cheese. In Michigan I used to eat, Pairie Farms, Michigan, Country Fresh, and Kroger brand cottage cheese. We have Breakstone here, yet I do not really like it, Pathmark is ok, Friendship brand is another that is gluten-free, but I do not like it, Shoprite brand is probably the one I like best, yet I still prefer Kroger brand--no Krogers here. I do not ever buy cottage cheese that states modified food starch unless it is Kraft.

Friendship! That's the brand I bought. I liked it. I can't stand any kind with modified food starch in it. No matter the source.

[larry mac]

..... I can't stand any kind with modified food starch in it. No matter the source.

.....I do not ever buy cottage cheese that states modified food starch unless it is Kraft.

jb & db25,

Would you please elaborate on what kind of reaction/symptons you have experienced from modified food starch. I'm trying to form an opinion on this additive. Thank you so much.

best regards, lm

[darlindeb25]

Larry, I never eat anything that states modified food starch unless it is from a company such as Kraft, which always states the allergens. Modified food starch can be made from wheat, so when in doubt, I do not touch it. Some people feel that modified food starch is safe now that we have the new allergen laws in effect, but some companies are still not listing the allergens on the labels, until the law is policed, then I will not touch modified food starch. Therefore, I do not have a reaction to tell you because I do not use it. Sorry.

[ShannonM]

I received the following from Creamland Dairies in Albuquerque, NM about their cottage cheese and other gluten free products as of 3/13/09

"Thank you for your inquiry. Creamland Cottage Cheese products are gluten free. The other Creamland products that are gluten free include:

Fluid milk products

Sour Cream and Dips

Whipping Cream

Half & Half

Eggnog

I feel so appreciative when companies respond to a gluten inquiry!

Shannon

[lovegrov]

"Modified food starch can be made from wheat, so when in doubt, I do not touch it. Some people feel that modified food starch is safe now that we have the new allergen laws in effect, but some companies are still not listing the allergens on the labels, until the law is policed, then I will not touch modified food starch"

Please note that this information is absolutely wrong. I've seen no evidence that companies are not listing allergens, except perhaps on very rare mistaken occasions.

richard

[emcmaster]

I eat Daisy 2% on a daily basis without any problems

[brigala]

I appreciate that Darigold actually marks their Cottage Cheese as gluten-free. So I buy that brand. I know most Cottage Cheeses are gluten-free, but I like the guesswork taken out of it for me. Call me lazy, I'll admit it!

They also mark their chocolate milk and several other dairy products as gluten-free. I don't know how widely available Darigold is... there are a lot of brands listed in this thread I've never heard of. Seems like dairy companies are often local or regional.

My favorite Cottage Cheese, which is also gluten-free, is Nancy's. But I know that's not widely available outside of Oregon; it's only in health-food stores in my area, but it's in every store near my mom's house.

-Elizabeth

[Takala]

I have had such bad reactions to modified food starches in the past, that I will tend to avoid it just out of conditioned habit, if presented with a choice between 2 similar items, one with, one without. I could tell you what sort of condiment and brand it was, but I haven't eaten it in several years, so I don't know if they still use it in it, but at that time, it had to have been wheat derived. Now, with a product, ONLY if it says "starch, derived from cornstarch" or something similar, maybe I will risk trying it, if I don't have to be doing anything the next day. A "gluten free" label also helps. If it is a success, then I may eat the product again. But my tendency is to avoid it.

As an example, we are feeding one of the sensitive pets supplemental cottage cheese and rice right now, and of course, I want it to be gluten free cottage cheese. So we have a big tub of this stuff in the fridge with some modified food starch in it, but it is supposed to be from corn. I actually went thru all these brands in the store, trying to find one that had the least amount of additives with the best amount of labeling disclosure. And then, because I don't want the dog puking on the rug again at 3 am, I tasted it, gingerly, before I fed it to him. Figured I'd react faster. Waited a while. I seem to be okay with it. But would I just grab this off the shelf casually and munch down a bowlful after reading a label- nope.

This past reaction to modifed starches wasn't my imagination, it was a very strong gut pain reaction, with bloating, enough to force me to lie down, to more than one product with it, and it was one of the symptoms that led me to finally clue in that I had to be gluten intolerant, after researching just what modified food starch could be made of, in a food manufacturing textbook. I am not a super sensitive person normally, and this was one of my strongest reactions. I'd rather eat a slice of real bread than that product again, in fact, I have eaten something cross contaminated with gluten, deliberately, about 3 times in the past 6 years with far less reaction than that product. I am glad the labeling laws have been changed, are considered adequate by some people, but I remain suspicious because, as I have explained before, the world wide trade in processed grain byproducts uses the English language words "corn", "wheat," and "maize" sometimes interchangeably.

My last worst glutening was in December, on New Year's Eve, from a suspicious dairy product I used as a condiment on a baked potato at a restaurant with a gluten free menu, that I normally have no problem with. I was therefore totally wiped out on New Years, not from being hung over, but from some sort of stupid thickening agent. The stuff still lurks around.

[lovegrov]

I'm sorry you have such bad reactions to whatever, but there's no question that most folks with celiac who do not have a dairy problem have almost no problem at all with dairy products. Generally speaking, they do not have gluten.

richard

[NarniaHope]

Kroger brand cottage cheese IS NOT GLUTEN FREE!!!!

According to a company rep, they use gluten to feed the cultures in the cottage cheese, so it is NOT SAFE for Celiacs!

[jerseyangel]

Kroger brand cottage cheese IS NOT GLUTEN FREE!!!!

According to a company rep, they use gluten to feed the cultures in the cottage cheese, so it is NOT SAFE for Celiacs!

I was told the same thing recently--apparently they now use barley in processing. It wasn't always this way, so there are probably old lists out there that are out of date.

[lovegrov]

Is this like startng a culture on bread for blue cheese?

richard

[jerseyangel]

Is this like startng a culture on bread for blue cheese?

richard

I don't know, Richard. I called them about a different product, and the rep told me about the cottage cheese. She said they had just found out about it--this was probably 3-4 weeks ago at most.