Artificial Flavors

[Erica94]

ok, so i just started eating gluten-free 5 days ago, and we haven't gone back to see the doctor or nutritionist yet, and this is driving me crazy:

my dad refuses to let me eat anything with "artificial flavoring" becuz he read somewhere that that's where some companies "hide gluten," so i can only eat it if i can find online that it really is gluten-free. has anyone actually asked a doctor if artificial flavoring is safe to eat?? please??

[happygirl]

This website has a list of companies that won't hide gluten. Any gluten will be clearly disclosed, so you don't have to worry about artificial/natural flavors, etc. Hope that this list makes food shopping easier.

If you have a product that you are unsure about, you can always call the company to ask.

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[Guest j_mommy]

I do eat food with artifical flavoring....if it's made in the US. If it's something I haven't had before then I call/email the company and ask.

By law they have to list wheat. They don't have to list teh others.

[lovegrov]

These days you need not worry about artificial flavors. In fact, you never really needed to.

richard

[hathor]

I've seen some lists that say you need to check on artificial flavors, such as:

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The list on celiac.com just puts down "flavors." But I don't know why artificial colors could hide gluten (as they say) and not artificial flavors.

I avoid artificial flavors to begin with due to possible MSG, so I can't say I've run across gluten in an artificial flavor before. Perhaps someone else will weigh in on this.

Natural flavors can certainly contain undisclosed gluten. THAT I have run across.

Just to clarify -- wheat has to be listed on FDA-regulated foods. Those regulated by the USDA are not yet covered by allergen labelling rules. That agency has talked for a couple years about promulgating similar rules but they haven't. Last I saw they claimed they would be issuing a NOPR (notice of proposed rulemaking) this upcoming March. We'll see. They've sat on this so long and it isn't a complicated issue. Back in 2005 a senator asked for these rules. In 2006 a public interest group filed a formal request for rulemaking. Still nothing.

(The exact parameters of FDA versus USDA jurisdiction is complicated in practice. The theory is any meat, poultry or egg product [doesn't have to contain much meat I know] is for the USDA, unless they decide to let the FDA handle it.)

[psawyer]

These days you need not worry about artificial flavors. In fact, you never really needed to.

richard

I agree completely.