Tyson

[MNBeth]

Last week I found some Tyson Polish Kielbasa at Costco, and tried to find out whether it contained gluten. There was no phone # on the package, so I called Costco. ( From inside the Costco ;-) . Those are big stores and I was faaaar away from the customer service desk!) Anyway, they didn't know a thing about it. So I called my husband and had him check the website. No info there, either, but a phone #. Called that; they're closed on Saturday.

So later I sent an e-mail through their website asking if their Polish Kielbasa sold through Costco contained gluten. Following is the completely unhelpful response I received:

"Thank you for contacting us via the Internet regarding Ingredients in

our Tyson Foods, Inc. products. In order to verify ingredients in our

products we must have a product UPC bar code(proof of purchase). I

apologize, but we do not maintain a list of products free of allergens.

Although, in an effort to improve awareness of potential food allergens

we have initiated a proactive step towards identifying and labeling

packaged products that contain known allergens.

The top eight major food allergens are:

Shellfish

Milk

Eggs

Peanuts

Fish

Soy

Tree Nuts

Wheat

Thank you,

Leslie Hickman

Consumer Relations"

I responded by pointing out that I don't plan to purchase the product first and then find out whether I can eat it. And that it was hard to see how following labeling laws constituted "initiating a proactive step," and that gluten isn't covered by the law in any case. And that celiacs were a rapidly growing and well-connected community that keeps track of the helpful vs. the unhelpful food companies. Probably won't make a difference, but you do what you can.

I had read here that Tyson was a "safe" company that labeled their products for gluten, but I can hardly believe that's the case if even the customer service representative can't tell me the status of a product w/o a bar code.

Argh.

[hez]

The food "allergy" law does not cover gluten, only wheat which is a top 8 allergen. Hopefully, with the new gluten-free law (currently in the works) it will clear up confusion.

Hez

[JennyC]

I called Tyson a couple of months ago to ask about their sausage patties that I bought at Costco and they told me that they will disclose any gluten in the ingredients list. The key is to look up the company website, then find their contact information. I know it's a pain. Costco is not very helpful, which is why I try to avoid buying their Kirkland brand food on a matter of principle.

[MNBeth]

I called Tyson a couple of months ago to ask about their sausage patties that I bought at Costco and they told me that they will disclose any gluten in the ingredients list. The key is to look up the company website, then find their contact information. I know it's a pain. Costco is not very helpful, which is why I try to avoid buying their Kirkland brand food on a matter of principle.

I did go to their website and call, but they were closed, so I e-mailed. If they are so careful to disclose gluten in their ingredients, I wonder why the person who responded to my e-mail wasn't aware of it. Makes me nervous.

On the other hand, I've always gotten prompt answers from Costco about Kirkland products. Guess it all depends on who you talk to - though it shouldn't!