Bulk Food Olive Bars

[scottyfeelsick]

This might be a dumb question, and I'm not sure if i'm in the right place. But, are the olive bars at grocery stores like whole foods gluten-free? They don't really list the ingredients, they usually just list the main flavors like "stuffed with red peppers and garlic, tossed in olive oil". I am guessing there are probably a couple more ingredients than that. I hear people(celiacs) talk about eating at olive bars at thier local markets all the time, so is this generaly pretty safe? Is it just very unlikely that they would use any gluten containing ingredients in any of the olive flavorings? Does anybody know what I am talking about at all? If anybody knows anything about olive bars I would love to hear from them. Thanx alot, scotty.

[VioletBlue]

I had to throw out a jar of black olives the other day. They made me sick when I used them. They contaminated the whole chicken I cooked. The only guess I have for why is the red wine vinegar listed on the ingredients. I also wouldn't be suprised to see something like balsamic vinegar used in some exotic olives. I wouldn't automatically assume all olives are safe. But then I wouldn't eat out of any kind of public food bar anyway. It's literally begging to be cross contaminated.

This might be a dumb question, and I'm not sure if i'm in the right place. But, are the olive bars at grocery stores like whole foods gluten-free? They don't really list the ingredients, they usually just list the main flavors like "stuffed with red peppers and garlic, tossed in olive oil". I am guessing there are probably a couple more ingredients than that. I hear people(celiacs) talk about eating at olive bars at thier local markets all the time, so is this generaly pretty safe? Is it just very unlikely that they would use any gluten containing ingredients in any of the olive flavorings? Does anybody know what I am talking about at all? If anybody knows anything about olive bars I would love to hear from them. Thanx alot, scotty.

[scottyfeelsick]

I had to throw out a jar of black olives the other day. They made me sick when I used them. They contaminated the whole chicken I cooked. The only guess I have for why is the red wine vinegar listed on the ingredients. I also wouldn't be suprised to see something like balsamic vinegar used in some exotic olives. I wouldn't automatically assume all olives are safe. But then I wouldn't eat out of any kind of public food bar anyway. It's literally begging to be cross contaminated.

yeah, your probably right about the chance of cross contamination. But you said balsamic and red wine vinegar are a problem? I am still relatively new to this, but I feel like I am pretty diligent about learning everything with gluten, though I have never heard of why any vinegars would be a problem exept for malt vinegars of course. I would love to hear more about this. I use vinegar in a lot of my cooking, and I hope I have not been contaminating myself. thanx alot for your response.

[Juliebove]

I think it would depend on what's near them. I know of some stores that have just olives on the bar but others that have other things.

Just tonight my daughter got some salad from a salad bar and I could see shreds of cheese on her fruit. Guess she wasn't paying attention. We are allergic to cheese. Normally I check and if I see anything slopped where it doesn't belong, we don't get whatever it is.

[Jestgar]

My local store has started listing all ingredients on the salad bar. At my (and possibly others) suggestion they also started breaking down the ingredients: (soy sauce (soy, wheat, salt)). Just talk to the salad bar manager. They know what's in there, and the offerings are usually the same, so they don't have to make up a lot of labels every week.

[VioletBlue]

Some balsamic vinegars can contain gluten, either in the coloring or sweetener. It depends on the brand and the ingredient. Theoretically pure balsamic vinegar shouldn't be a problem, but manufacturers can add color or "natural flavors" that may be sourced from wheat or barley, particularly if it's a flavored vinegar. So it depends on the brand and the ingredient list.

I have a problem with wine because of the suflites, but I didn't think red wine vinegar would be a problem. I was surprised that I reacted the way I did. It wasn't a typical sulfite reaction for me either so I really don't know. It's also possible the vinegar had additives in it. Some manufacturers have tended not to list an ingredient breakdown for what I believe they call secondary ingredients in their products. This is why "natural flavors" and "food coloring" are such an issue. It's possible there was more to that red wine vinegar than wine and vinegar. That's a problem with food bars as well, where they may not have detailed ingredient lists for the items. It's like russian roulette.

yeah, your probably right about the chance of cross contamination. But you said balsamic and red wine vinegar are a problem? I am still relatively new to this, but I feel like I am pretty diligent about learning everything with gluten, though I have never heard of why any vinegars would be a problem exept for malt vinegars of course. I would love to hear more about this. I use vinegar in a lot of my cooking, and I hope I have not been contaminating myself. thanx alot for your response.

[48lowesracer]

This might be a dumb question, and I'm not sure if i'm in the right place. But, are the olive bars at grocery stores like whole foods gluten-free? They don't really list the ingredients, they usually just list the main flavors like "stuffed with red peppers and garlic, tossed in olive oil". I am guessing there are probably a couple more ingredients than that. I hear people(celiacs) talk about eating at olive bars at thier local markets all the time, so is this generaly pretty safe? Is it just very unlikely that they would use any gluten containing ingredients in any of the olive flavorings? Does anybody know what I am talking about at all? If anybody knows anything about olive bars I would love to hear from them. Thanx alot, scotty.

Even if the ingredients look safe, the cross contamination factor would keep me away. A little goes a long way when you are super sensitive like me. I would stay away-better to be safe than sorry.

[lovegrov]

I personally have never found a red wine or balsamic vinegar with gluten.

richard