Conagra May Not Be Labeling All Gluten Sources!

[Mae1118]

I am very newly diagnosed with celiac disease. Although I have had to deal with reading ingredient labels and labeling policies due to my 3 year-old's food allergies, I have to admit that trying to find hidden gluten in foods is a million times more difficult and frustrating than trying to find hidden dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, or fish. Because I had read many posts here stating that ConAgra has stated they will label all sources of gluten, I was VERY upset after my recent experience with the company.

I called ConAgra on 10/30/08 to verify that the ActII popcorn that we had bought did not contain gluten, as it does state on the ingredient label that it contains artificial and natural flavors and coloring. I spoke with a customer service rep who would not guarantee that it did not contain gluten. What he said was that ConAgra does not add any gluten to the product, but they will not guarantee that the ingredients that they buy from vendors do not contain gluten. I asked if there was any way to contact these vendors to find out what was in the ingredients, and he said that they could not give out any information on their vendors. When pressed, he reluctantly told me that he could "make some phone calls and see what I can find out." He said he would call back in a day or two, but I have not yet gotten a response.

I then tried looking at ConAgra's website, and managed to find this statement on a FAQ page:

"We are sorry to inform you that we do not have a source that lists the gluten content of our products. However, our product labels list common allergens, such as wheat, for those allergic to wheat gluten."

Here is the page: Open Original Shared Link

This is alarming because it means (at least to my understanding), that they are not labeling gluten from sources other than wheat, although I know others have posted that they have been told differently by ConAgra, and that they are regarded by many to have a clear gluten-labeling policy. It does not bother me if they don't have a gluten-free list, as long as I know I can trust the ingredient label.

I plan on writing to ConAgra, and I will post any updates, but I wanted to share this.

[happygirl]

Interesting, because in 8/08 they said: Open Original Shared Link

"ConAgra Foods currently does not make "gluten-free" claims on any of our products as there are no federal regulations defining "gluten-free". I can, however, share some information that will be helpful for any of our ConAgra Foods products so you can determine whether or not the product contains gluten.

The flour used in our products is often wheat flour and should be avoided by individuals with gluten sensitivities.

Some fermented or distilled products, such as vinegar, may be drived from wheat. We suggest that you speak to your physician to determine if you need to avoid distilled products derived from wheat, rye, barley, or oats.

If Natural Flavors, Artificial Flavors, or Spices listed in the ingredients list contained wheat, oat, barley, or rye, these ingredients would be listed in parenthesis immediately following the ingredient.

We always advise consumers who may have sensitivities to recheck the ingredient list on the package each time you purchase it. Products are oftentimes reformulated and the ingredients may change.

If you have a question regarding a specific ingredient in a specific product, please let me know. We would be happy to contact the supplier to determine if it contains an ingredient of concern."

(unsigned) ConAgra Foods, Inc. Consumer Affairs, 887-266-2472, www.conagrafoods.com "

Thanks for sharing the information you found.

[Lisa]

There is a mountain of information to learn when you first begin the diet. It can be overwhelming and confusing.

ConAgra is one of the good guys. I have the utmost of confidence in their disclosure policy.

[psawyer]

ConAgra is one of the good guys. I have the utmost of confidence in their disclosure policy.

As do I. The operative word in your conversation with them is guarantee. Since they obtain ingredients from outside sources, they are not prepared to accept the legal liability that would be created by a guarantee. In today's overly litigious society, they have little option. I trust them.

[Mae1118]

Thank you all for your replies! It is true that this is all very overwhelming and confusing. Even though I was on an even more restricted diet than this when I was breastfeeding my daughter, who was on multiple dietary restrictions, I am finding the gluten-free diet more frustrating in many aspects, just because it is so difficult to determine all of the sources. I guess I am also more frightened because I don't have any symptoms, so I am afraid that I could be ingesting gluten and causing damage without even knowing it.

I still want to write to ConAgra, because I have learned from dealing with food allergies to make sure that I can always verify info with the source, but all of your confidence in the company does make me feel much better about the situation. I was very excited when I had initially read on here that ConAgra's labels could be trusted, because they make SO many things!

happygirl - I had also found that same link, which was part of what confused me. I can discount my phone conversation because of their inability to provide a "guarantee," which I guess I can understand. But I wasn't sure why the statement that I found on their own website seemed so different from the other statement from them that you found.

Just out of curiosity, have any of you seen a ConAgra ingredient label that has a gluten source other than wheat labeled? I am just wondering, if they are labeling it, how it would look. Thanks to all of you! This website/forum has already been an invaluable source of information for me!

[spunky]

I have my doubts about some "gluten-free" labeling practices too.

Whenever possible, I try my best (not always easy or possible) to buy foods more in their whole state...I eat a lot of popcorn, but I buy the kind you pop on the stove only. That way, whatever goes on there for flavoring is under my control.

[Mae1118]

Okay, update - I was going to send an email to ConAgra, but since the phone number in the link from Happygirl was different from the one I had called previously, I decided to try that number first. As it turns out, the number I called last week was specifically for ActII, but the other number, 1-877-266-2472, was ConAgra's corporate customer service number. I spoke with Lisa, who was absolutely wonderful, and described to me in great detail the same labeling policy from Happygirl's link. This was before I mentioned the previous problems I had encountered. I described my confusion with my previous call to the ActII customer service number, and she apologized and said she would contact them to make sure that they were all on the same page as far as the labeling policy. I also described the info that I found on ConAgra's website that seemed to imply that they were only labeling gluten from wheat sources. She was very interested in this, and she got the exact web address of the page from me. I suggested that it would be helpful if ConAgra could consider updating that info on their website with the policy that she had described to me, and she said she would definitely pass that info on. She was very kind and courteous, and she addressed my concerns completely. I even made sure that I got her supervisor on the line so that I could complement her excellent customer service. She made me feel so much better about ConAgra's gluten policy that I wish I could change the subject of this email, so as not to damage the company's name! I feel bad for jumping to conclusions, but after getting troubling info from 2 separate ConAgra sources, I was definitely concerned. It sounds like I fell victim to one less than helpful customer service rep at ActII and some somewhat outdated info on the website. I feel much relieved now! :)

Whenever possible, I try my best (not always easy or possible) to buy foods more in their whole state...I eat a lot of popcorn, but I buy the kind you pop on the stove only. That way, whatever goes on there for flavoring is under my control.

Spunky - I agree. In recent years I have started doing this to some extent, and now will probably be doing it more, but it is an extreme relief when you know there are at least some prepared foods you can trust!

[happygirl]

Mae - Thanks so much for the update and for sharing what you learned. Its very helpful to us all.