Skittles, Candy, And Modified Food Starch

[Misaram5]

Hi,

My son is 10 and was recently diagnosed with Celiac. I'm completely confused on Modified Food Starch and Malt Flavoring in products. I've read that Modified Food Starch is not safe, and I've read that it is safe. One person said that food starch in the U.S. is corn based unless otherwise stated. Is this the case? And is Malt Flavoring artificial and therefore okay? Is Malt only unsafe if it states that it's Barely Malt? I really wish there was a uniform way manufacturers would label these ingredients!

I also thought Skittles were not safe, but maybe it's because of the food starch. Please Help!!!!

Misa

[JennyC]

Here's the deal: MFS in the US is always corn or wheat. If it is wheat, which is a top 8 allergen, it will be clearly labeled. In the things we even consider buying it is corn. That being said, theoretically MFS could be other things, but practically it is always corn. Some people assume it's corn unless the label says the product contains wheat. Other people call the company or don't buy the product. It's a personal decision. I assume it's corn unless otherwise stated. However, I mostly buy from companies that will not hide any gluten. Someone posted this list and it has been the single most helpful list I have ever received. (Thanks so much to whom ever originally posted it!) I called these companies myself, and I encourage you to do the same.

Malt is made from barely, and is not safe. When a label reads: malt (barley), they are clearly disclosing the gluten in their ingredients, which is a good thing. So malt and malt flavoring is off limits. However, in the US maltodextrin is also corn based.

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[confusedks]

Skittles and Starbursts are safe. They have actually started putting "gluten free" in tiny print under the ingredient list!! Yipeeee!

Kassandra

[Guest j_mommy]

Yup MFS is usually made from corn and it will state if it is made from wheat.

Malt is almost always made from Barley and you should stay away from that!

[Misaram5]

Thanks for the clarification! I really appreciate it. =)

[lovegrov]

Any grain can be malted and I've found a couple of mainstream things over the years that used something other than barley, but for our purposes you HAVE to assume the malt is barley unless the company tells you otherwise.

richard