Modified Food Starch - Correction Of Misconception

[RKB-MD]

I recently read a quote from another member:

"Most modified food starch is corn based and ok. If the food starch has wheat in it, it will say so on the label per 2006 food allergen laws"

WRONG!!!!!!!!!

Modified food starch is still a major issue for people who are gluten enteropaths.

This is an ill defined dietary supplement that does NOT require specific definition as to the source. Federal guidlines have NOT been enforced, nor, as written are they enforcable.

The laws set out in 2006 are "suggestions" only, not requirements. Fortunately with our litigenous society, many companies are complying. The specific requirements are NOT enforcable on a Federal level.

Unless otherwise specified (as they are "encouraged" to be) anyone with gluten enteropathy should avoid all ill defined "modified food starches" and should contact the manufacturer to explain, and should demand that that manufacturer specify in writing what EXACTLY the food starch is.

The following are currently FDA acceptable food starch additives: casein, wheat, barley, corn, soybean, millet. Notice 50% of these are not on a gluten free diet. And, most importantly, some of the gluten containing items allow the company to state "Wheat free" without being truely GLUTEN free.

[mftnchn]

yikes!

[darlindeb25]

Thank you RKB MD--I have been trying to say the same thing and it seems no one wants to believe me.

The following are currently FDA acceptable food starch additives: casein, wheat, barley, corn, soybean, millet. Notice 50% of these are not on a gluten free diet. And, most importantly, some of the gluten containing items allow the company to state "Wheat free" without being truely GLUTEN free.Very true! I do not believe all of them are on the allergen listing either, so the companies do not have to list what it is, even when the bill does get policed.

Myself, I do not trust "modified food starch" as an ingredient unless I know specifically that it is not gluten. So many of us will feel ill and not beable to figure out why. We can't trust, that's the bottom line.

[ravenwoodglass]

Thanks for posting this. Hopefully the folks who put so much faith in the FDA will read and absorb.

[debmidge]

I suppose this would also apply to "maltodextrin?"

[Lisa]

I recently read a quote from another member:

"Most modified food starch is corn based and ok. If the food starch has wheat in it, it will say so on the label per 2006 food allergen laws"

WRONG!!!!!!!!!

Modified food starch is still a major issue for people who are gluten enteropaths.

This is an ill defined dietary supplement that does NOT require specific definition as to the source. Federal guidlines have NOT been enforced, nor, as written are they enforcable.

The laws set out in 2006 are "suggestions" only, not requirements. Fortunately with our litigenous society, many companies are complying. The specific requirements are NOT enforcable on a Federal level.

Unless otherwise specified (as they are "encouraged" to be) anyone with gluten enteropathy should avoid all ill defined "modified food starches" and should contact the manufacturer to explain, and should demand that that manufacturer specify in writing what EXACTLY the food starch is.

The following are currently FDA acceptable food starch additives: casein, wheat, barley, corn, soybean, millet. Notice 50% of these are not on a gluten free diet. And, most importantly, some of the gluten containing items allow the company to state "Wheat free" without being truely GLUTEN free.

RKB MD can you quote your source please.

[tarnalberry]

I'd like to note that it's 33% of those that aren't on a gluten free diet. Wheat and barley are out, but casein, corn, soybean, and millet are all gluten free.

I too would like to see the source that says that the Food Allergen Labeling Law does not need to be followed.

[ravenwoodglass]

I thought it might be helpful to post a link to the most recent guidelines by the FDA for food manufacturors. There are a couple things we celiacs need to note, the most important being that while wheat is considered an allergen gluten is not. Just because wheat is not listed does not make it safe for us. Also take particular note of numbers 16 and 18 which deal with the bane of our existence crosscontamination. As to whether the FDA has the time and resources to really police these laws who knows.

Open Original Shared Link

[VegasCeliacBuckeye]

Folks,

I am the one she is quoting. Iam in the process of contacting the FDA for clarification on this issue.

If possible, please provuide a source that proves my statement is wrong/false.

I will continue to research the matter.

BB

[Lisa]

Folks,

I am the one she is quoting. Iam in the process of contacting the FDA for clarification on this issue.

If possible, please provuide a source that proves my statement is wrong/false.

I will continue to research the matter.

BB

I'd be interested in what you find out Chris.

[VegasCeliacBuckeye]

This is the only thing I found...

<a href="Open Original Shared Link disease=1&gl=us" target="external ugc nofollow">Open Original Shared Link disease=1&gl=us</a>

This letter is from the FDA in 2003 in response to a letter from a consumer 2001.

Obviously, this does not take the new 2006 allergen laws into account.

I trhink we migth be dealing with another "Celiac Urban Legend" here (like vinegar, blue cheese ect)

Unless shown otherwise, I still believe that even food starch from a wheat starch must be disclosed...

Your ball, RKB MD

BB

[VegasCeliacBuckeye]

Open Original Shared Link

[Lisa]

Open Original Shared Link

Just got home, but at a quick glance, it looks like they are going to require gluten free lableling, or list gluten ingrediences. If so, oh happy day.

[ravenwoodglass]

Just got home, but at a quick glance, it looks like they are going to require gluten free lableling, or list gluten ingrediences. If so, oh happy day.

I may have read this and the 2006 version of the same thing wrong but if I am understanding it wheat is of course an allergen and must be listed. The same is not being said for gluten. What they are trying to do, and actually have done now is to define what is gluten free for the purpose of labeling. Not to make companies declare gluten ingredients but to enable them to label gluten free items as such.

[Lisa]

I may have read this and the 2006 version of the same thing wrong but if I am understanding it wheat is of course an allergen and must be listed. The same is not being said for gluten. What they are trying to do, and actually have done now is to define what is gluten free for the purpose of labeling. Not to make companies declare gluten ingredients but to enable them to label gluten free items as such.

I think you are correct in that.

But baby steps are steps forward. With all the gluten issue in the news, whether it be diet related, medically related or pet related, times are changing.

That's why it's so important to call companies and inquire about the gluten free status of their products. Keep calling peeps.

[zansu]

And don't forget that the current definition of "gluten-free" that they are looking at is not 100% gluten free. It's mostly gluten-free. Which will actually make it harder to be truly gluten-free, not easier.

[lovegrov]

RKB MD really needs to return and give us his source for the claim that allergen law is nothing more than suggestions for manufacturers. That's not my understanding at all.

richard

[lovegrov]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what was being said, but according to this site the allergen law is NOT just suggestions. And there are criminal and civic penalties.

Open Original Shared Link

richard

[darlindeb25]

Whether it is or isn't doesn't matter if it isn't being policed.

15. Is there a penalty for non-compliance with FALCPA?

Yes. A company and its management may be subject to civil sanctions, criminal penalties, or both under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act A company and it's management MAY be subject to civil sanctions--that should state WILL be, not MAY be. This is scary in itself, to me.

[Added December, 2005] Is a major food allergen that has been unintentionally added to a food as the result of cross-contact subject to FALCPA's labeling requirements?

No. FALCPA's labeling requirements do not apply to major food allergens that are unintentionally added to a food as the result of cross-contact. In the context of food allergens, "cross-contact " occurs when a residue or other trace amount of an allergenic food is unintentionally incorporated into another food that is not intended to contain that allergenic food. Cross-contact may result from customary methods of growing and harvesting crops, as well as from the use of shared storage, transportation, or production equipment.So no cross contamination issues matter. It matters to us. In this statement though, as long as the company says, "We try to remove all residue", then they are covered by the law. It was only an accident and that's ok.

I have little respect for the FDA. There is a law on the books stating that no pets are allowed in stores selling foods, no I do not have it specifically, yet I know it's there, I have worked in retail. There is a significant fine for allowing pets in stores, other than service animals (seeing eye dogs, etc). Yet here in New York, people bring their pets all the time. You see them in grocery stores, you see them sitting in the child seats in shopping carts and no one does anything about it.

I kept getting spoiled milk from a local grocer. At first, I though I wasn't drinking it fast enough, or maybe the refrigerator was not working properly. Then I realized that nothing else was spoiling, only the dairy products from this local store. I could buy milk in another grocery and have no problems at all. Then I hear others talking about the dairy products in this local store. Finally, I emailed the FDA. The local FDA came into the store and checked the refridgeration and it seemed fine. They checked with the suppliers and found there was no problem with the same products in any other stores. They spoke with the manager of this store and he confirmed the product comes off the truck, directly into the cooler. Yet, I can not tell you how many times I have walked into this store and found dairy products sitting on a dolly in the middle of the aisle, unattended--who knows for how long.

The FDA agent called me and I was shocked at his response. He told me he knows there is a huge problem in this store. He also said he knows it is not the supplier. Then he added that he will not purchase his own dairy products at this store because they have received so many complaints and they know there is a problem. His recommendation to me was to shop elsewhere. He also added that this same store would not be giving refunds any longer because the supplier refused to reimburse them because the fault was not that of the supplier. As of yet, nothing has been done about this store--they still sell spoiled products, they still leave dairy sitting in the aisles and it was June of last year when I first spoke with the FDA.

I'm sorry, but I do not trust them to police this law anymore so than they do so many of the others. The law is only as good as the people making sure it is working. ARE THEY?????

[ravenwoodglass]

And don't forget that the current definition of "gluten-free" that they are looking at is not 100% gluten free. It's mostly gluten-free. Which will actually make it harder to be truly gluten-free, not easier.

To me that is the scariest part of trying to eat processed food, and the reason why I don't anymore. For those of us who suffered under the US health 'care' system for years mostly gluten free is not gluten free enough. What is even more frightening in this country is that most are not aware that any OTC or script med DOES NOT fall under the guidelines of the allergen labeling laws at all. Gluten need not be disclosed in any med formulation. This makes our scripts when needed even more hazardous than our food.

[debmidge]

that no pets are allowed in stores selling foods, no I do not have it specifically, yet I know it's there, I have worked in retail. There is a significant fine for allowing pets in stores, other than service animals (seeing eye dogs, etc). Yet here in New York, people bring their pets all the time. You see them in grocery stores, you see them sitting in the child seats in shopping carts and no one does anything about it.

I see this too in foodstores; only animals to be in there are "working animals" like seeing eye dogs, etc. This is usually a Health Code violation and the store manager should say something to that person. Yesterday I saw woman in Wal Mart with a mini chiaua in her pocketbook hanging from her shoulder.

I kept getting spoiled milk from a local grocer. At first, I though I wasn't drinking it fast enough, or maybe the refrigerator was not working properly. Then I realized that nothing else was spoiling, only the dairy products from this local store. I could buy milk in another grocery and have no problems at all. Then I hear others talking about the dairy products in this local store. Finally, I emailed the FDA. The local FDA came into the store and checked the refridgeration and it seemed fine. They checked with the suppliers and found there was no problem with the same products in any other stores. They spoke with the manager of this store and he confirmed the product comes off the truck, directly into the cooler. Yet, I can not tell you how many times I have walked into this store and found dairy products sitting on a dolly in the middle of the aisle, unattended--who knows for how long.

See this a lot too; seems like it should be against the law to be this stupid (to keep perishables lingering in aisle like this). Does the manager or owner of this store know that there's a delay getting the perishable to the refrigerator? Is it a new owner?

The FDA agent called me and I was shocked at his response. He told me he knows there is a huge problem in this store. He also said he knows it is not the supplier. Then he added that he will not purchase his own dairy products at this store because they have received so many complaints and they know there is a problem. His recommendation to me was to shop elsewhere. He also added that this same store would not be giving refunds any longer because the supplier refused to reimburse them because the fault was not that of the supplier. As of yet, nothing has been done about this store--they still sell spoiled products, they still leave dairy sitting in the aisles and it was June of last year when I first spoke with the FDA.

Would this be a Dept. of Health issue for your town? My sister won't go to a certain supermarket in her area in Princeton as they sell milk that wasn't handled properly and is either bad when she buys it or gets bad in a day or two. I find that Lactose brand milk lasts very long - maybe has something to do with the removal of the lactase sugar protein.....

[RKB-MD]

My first point, and real purpose of posting, was the gross misconception that a "senior" member of this forum was espousing. Specifically, that if not stated, it was "most likely" corn as the source for MFS.

For a disease state, such as ours, only a complete elimination diet is safe.

Don't take chances!

I hope by now that those who were the quickest to jump on this and claim that I was introducing, how was it put - "Another urban celiac myth" have had a chance to fully review the actual governmental regulation (Thank you to the resouceful member who posted the link!).

As others have pointed out, there is lack of specificity in the guideline that allows companies to make things WHEAT-free, without being giladin/gluten-free (I state the giladin aspect to divert from the whole corn gluten conversation).

In addition, the weak enforcement of the regulation allows for statements on labels in the "Contains" portion that are not, when the actual ingredient list is read, consistent. I personally have read labels that did not have "Wheat" in the Contains line, yet the ingredient list included wheat.

I'm not a Libertarian who says: "Don't trust the Governement!" I'm simply another celiac who has spent his life reading labels. I too have been encouraged by the 2006 FDA guidelines, but I wanted to convey to those around here - especially the newer members - that the guidelines may not always be followed.

[Tim-n-VA]

My first point, and real purpose of posting, was the gross misconception that a "senior" member of this forum was espousing. Specifically, that if not stated, it was "most likely" corn as the source for MFS.

For a disease state, such as ours, only a complete elimination diet is safe.

Don't take chances!

Everyone with this disase/condition takes chances if they ever eat something they didn't grow themselves and control each step to the plate.

I haven't seen anything to contradict the "most likely" for corn. In a perfect world we would completely avoid something so vague. In the real world we sometimes get in a bind and modified food starch is a relatively low risk. We all have to decide how we make decisions with imprecise terms such as "most likely" and "relatively low riks".

Just curious, does "RKB-MD" mean you are a medical doctor, from Maryland, or something else?

[psawyer]

"Modified food starch" is, in fact, usually corn. This is why you need to ask about it, if the manufacturer is not one with a gluten disclosure policy (such as Kraft has). If you automatically reject all foods with modified food starch as an ingredient you are rejecting many, many more safe foods than ones with wheat. If in doubt, ask.

[darlindeb25]

Yeah Deb: I see this too in foodstores; only animals to be in there are "working animals" like seeing eye dogs, etc. This is usually a Health Code violation and the store manager should say something to that person. Yes, it is a health code violation, initated by the FDA. In Michigan, I never saw a dog or any other pet in a food store. I worked the service desk at Kmart and we never allowed any animals, other than service animals. When I worked the Kmart service desk here in Babylon, a woman came in with her dog and I told her she had to remove thew dog from the store. She told me she was leaving and I repeated the dog had to be removed and that I had just seen her coming into the store. She told me I did not get paid enough working at Kmart to tell her what to do with her F***** dog! So, I went to the manager and he told me, "As long as the dog's butt does not touch the cart, we don't care!" Then he says, "Sweetheart, this is Long Island, get used to it!"

Does the manager or owner of this store know that there's a delay getting the perishable to the refrigerator? Is it a new owner? He doesn't care. He is not a new manager and it isn't a new store. It has been here in E. Islip for years, it's a devision of A&P called Waldbaum's. If I had treated customers in Mich the way they treat customers here, I would have been fired. I've been told by friends that yes, it isn't right, but they have never known any different. Sad, isn't it.