Newbie Label Reader

[webagail]

I was confirmed Celiac this past Monday and I have a question that might have been posted here before but...

When a label specifically says "CONTAINS: Soy and Milk" but not Wheat/Gluten is it safe? aka is a wheat intolerance mainstream enough for the manufacturer to list it next to soy, milk and peanuts?

I apologize if this has been discussed but I am still new to the forum posting/searching.

[RideAllWays]

If there are some allergens listed, the company would not leave out wheat. It is when there is nothing listed that you have to be more careful. Some people eat things that say "may contain traces of wheat"...but trace amounts are too much for me. Good luck, and welcome to our world...

[nmlove]

My son was recently diagnosed and we just met with a dietician at Nationwide Children's Hospital who has dealt with this for 20+ years. This is what she said concerning labels. In the US, the top 8 allergens must be listed if present (whether bolded in the ingredients list or in the contains: statement). Wheat is one of those allergens. That leaves rye, barley, malt and oats which would be stated just like that. No other weird names. Now, meat/dairy/eggs are not regulated by the FDA but most voluntarily list allergens so you have to watch there. The other thing is medicines to make sure they're gluten-free.

As far as the made in a facility that processes wheat (or something to that effect), that's a personal matter. In our situation, she said not to worry about that for now unless his counts don't come down like they should. Then we should start looking at that as he might be more sensitive (assuming everything else is ok, like cc issues at home). Oh, and this statement is voluntary at the moment so just because it doesn't have it on there doesn't mean that it's not produced in a facility...

She did say to buy flours from a dedicated facility because risk of cc is too high.

Hope this helps!

[DownWithGluten]

From what I understand, even if it doesn't contain wheat, it could still contain gluten. In malt or some other thing. I air on the side of paranoia or extra safety. I basically don't eat anything unless I have previously looked it up and/or investigated and have had it confirmed as 'gluten free.' By calling the company, or doing a google search to hopefully get a result. OR...if the label specifically says 'gluten free' I'll go with that. I've heard people say even that is not 100%...but I usually go with it.

[webagail]

All of these comments helped, Thanks! I have been trying to get an appointment with a nutricianist/dietician but the one my GI referred me to doesn't answer the phone and, apparently, doesn't return messages in a prompt manner. Sigh. Anyway thanks for the suggestions and support!

[psawyer]

Now, meat/dairy/eggs are not regulated by the FDA but most voluntarily list allergens so you have to watch there.

Meat in the United States is regulated by the USDA (as are milk and eggs). ANY grain added to meat must, by USDA regulation, be explicitly declared on the label.

[nmlove]

Meat in the United States is regulated by the USDA (as are milk and eggs). ANY grain added to meat must, by USDA regulation, be explicitly declared on the label.

Thanks Peter. I bet the dietician was talking about the top 8 allergerns (as regulated by the FDA) being voluntarily put on meats, etc. Good to know grains must be put on the label. There was a lot of info coming at me, as you can imagine!