Calling Manufacturers

[cdfiance]

I have a quick question about manufacturers and how much I can trust them.

Lately, I almost always have to talk Alex into eating, and I know some of that is because her tummy feels better when she doesn't eat but I think she's also a bit bored with food. She's been eating mainly bananas, rice/rice noodles, applesauce, and veggies for the past while. I was hoping if I got some more interesting food for her it might pique her interest in eating and encourage her appetite. But I want to make sure that there is no chance of gluten contamination. So when I call a manufacturer to find out if their product is produced in a gluten free facility can I trust their answer? Will they definitley be knowledgable about gluten and cross contamination?

Also any ideas on foods that would be like one step up from a BRAT-type diet? She's definitely still having GI problems and discomfort and malabsorption issues but I think she might benefit from introducing some new foods.

Thanks,

Ryan (fiance of Alex with Celiac)

[Guest lorlyn]

Hey Ryan,

My family is pretty new to the whole Celiac thing so I can understand the food situation. I have been buying my 10 year old daughter and my husband all the gluten free foods that they may like and try each one out. Just wanted to say tonight we had for the first time was singapore sweet and sour skillet meals from the Gluten-Free Pantry. It was wonderful. My family was scared to try new things at first just eating chicken, steak, bake potato, rice, canned vegetables and lots of fruits but my husband is looseing to much weight so we are trying new things.

Good luck

[Guest cassidy]

There is a list of manufacturers that won't hide gluten. You should be able to read those labels and tell if something is safe. Hopefully, someone can post that list for you. With large companies like Kraft I feel there is less of a chance of cc because they don't need to share machinery.

I'm very sensitive and I always like to know if something is made on shared lines or a shared facility. Most companies are concerned about giving bad info and will use a CYA statement like "we can't confirm there isn't cc with this product", so if someone comes right out and says that it is a gluten-free facility, I think you can trust them.

If you search for a product name here you can probably find info where someone contacted the company. Also, if anyone gets sick from the food anyway, people will usually post that.

Is she taking any probiotics or digestive enzymes? I wasn't 100% after the diet and I found out that I didn't have much good bacteria and too much bad bacteria. She might try something like that and see if it helps with her symptoms.

[gfp]

I wish there was a simple answer....

Kraft are a perfect example. They say they won't deliberatly hide gluten but they also lied about the effects of tobacco for 50 yrs... since they are the same company... so its like ringing a tobacco copany and asking for advice?

The point is now adays the tobacco companies (hence Kraft, Nabisco and most of the major food companies who are all ownded by tobacco money) will give you a coy answer... one designed to cast doubt... they probably train people specially for these lines on how to say what on what to admit and what not to admit...

Just remember your dealing with the same companies as lied in court, destroyed evidence etc. and spent 50 yrs providing research designed only to cast doubt and burying the research if it looked bad.

This sounds a bit conspiracy theiory like but do you know what companies do for employees who purger themselves in court ?

Go on guess, do they sack em or promote em?

The companies learned a lot I guess, I'm sure the director can hand on heart say he doesn't know of a single product with hidden gluten, what he can't say is he goes to great pains NOT TO LEARN ....

You do not need to believe ME .... you can satisfy yourself that these companies are eitherlying or not providing the information ..

Call Kraft and ask about

Open Original Shared Link

you could also ask about labelling....

08/01/2007 - The battle of wills between the UK food watchdog and industry heavyweights over nutrition labelling threatens to destabilise the balance of power between industry and government.

Top food firms and major UK supermarkets will fly the rebel flag this week by officially launching a nutrition labelling system rejected by the country's Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Hmm are they doing this for us or for them?

What they are doing is illegal, they don't care, they will be fined and they will have lawyers delay stuff and they will end up paying the fines but making more money than complying... just like they did selling cigarettes!

So phone them up ask them about gliten and then ask about cigarettes... ask why they hid reasearch and why their executies pergered themselves in court and if they lied about that why would you trust them over gluten ?

Open Original Shared Link

Are they all bad .. no of course not but its a matter of if you trust them really?

[darlindeb25]

Honestly, I feel we must decide ourselves. We can read the ingredients, we can call the company, yet we must make the final decision. We can be mislead by companies, sometimes the person you are calling has no idea what you are talking about and they will tell you what you want to hear. If I am ever in doubt, I do not touch the product. On the other hand, if I have used a product religiously and have never had a problem, then another will not convince me to worry about that product.

An example is Quaker. I have ate Quaker Caramel Corn Ricecakes for the entire, nearly 6 years I have been gluten-free and I have not once been glutened by them. I will not give them up. I have tried so many others and have never found a single one that meets the flavor or quality of Quaker. I did react one time to their Chocolate Chip Rice Snacks, yet it was gluten I reacted too, it was the corn and soy in them. I will not try them again. I was sick for 3 weeks and I had only eaten 4 or 5 of them.

So, it is up to us. We have to use our own judgment so much of the time.