Does Anyone Have This Problem?

[Rowena]

I am so very tired of checking everything online or having people check online for me. It frustrates me to no end that many products are unlabeled. I look in the the ingredients and there are no tell tale signs of gluten. (Or any allergy info for that matter). But they don't say gluten free. They don't tell you processed on what equipment its been produced. I am utterly frustrated, because apparently I am one of those people who are insanely sensitive to cc! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE PLEASE make the food safe again?

Sorry for the rant but I just got frustrated after I spent an hour trying to determine if tomato pastes and green chilis were safe last night, and reached a new boiling point when not even the staff could help me. "It's just tomatoes!" Gah! No it ain't. Ever heard of cross contamination?

PS anyone ever had a problem with Hatch green chilis or Pomi tomatoes? (I got the chopped ones)

[Christi1996]

I do know that Hatch makes an enchilada sauce (I *think* it is the green sauce but it could be red) that has wheat listed in the ingredients. I don't know if they share equipment or not though.

You could make your own roasted green chilies. Buy some anaheim chilies and blacken the skin on the grill or stove top, then remove the blackened skin. You can also freeze them with the blackened skin on and then slip the peel off right before using.

[Gemini]

I am so very tired of checking everything online or having people check online for me. It frustrates me to no end that many products are unlabeled. I look in the the ingredients and there are no tell tale signs of gluten. (Or any allergy info for that matter). But they don't say gluten free. They don't tell you processed on what equipment its been produced. I am utterly frustrated, because apparently I am one of those people who are insanely sensitive to cc! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE PLEASE make the food safe again?

Sorry for the rant but I just got frustrated after I spent an hour trying to determine if tomato pastes and green chilis were safe last night, and reached a new boiling point when not even the staff could help me. "It's just tomatoes!" Gah! No it ain't. Ever heard of cross contamination?

PS anyone ever had a problem with Hatch green chilis or Pomi tomatoes? (I got the chopped ones)

I am also insanely sensitive, along with many Celiacs, and there are products that I just don't worry about and have never had a problem with. I have also been doing this for almost 6 years so have a pretty good understanding of what you need to be careful with and what you don't. Food, for the most part, is safe, except for anything that would naturally contain wheat which a company is trying to make gluten-free or is manufactured in a shared facility. Canned veggies, tomato paste, canned tomatoes to make a sauce with, etc., I have never found to contain anything remotely containing gluten. Never had an issue with cc before either...only in shared facilities and that usually involves food which absolutely contains wheat as opposed to a gluten-free line that they may try to do. If you read the ingredient listings and the product says tomatoes, then it will contain tomatoes only and unless it's a bread company that is also making tomato sauce, I don't understand the worry. It might just be an issue with being new at this and learning the ropes but you can eat many things non-Celiacs do and it shouldn't cause a problem unless you have multiple food intolerances. It can be frustrating at first but you will soon learn that most of what people worry about are non-issues. I do not eat many foods from shared lines because I have had problems with those but

as far as figuring out what contains gluten and what doesn't from the label, you get the hang of it over time.

The problem with expecting things to say gluten-free in large letters is that manufacturers will not go that far unless they have a completely gluten-free facility....as it should be. Even if the baked beans are gluten free, by putting that on the label, they open themselves up to liability from sue happy America. I just returned from a trip to the UK and Starbuck's has many more gluten-free options than we do here. Gluten-free salads and desserts you will not see here because of the difference in liability laws. Yet, I ate those things and had zero issues so I know they were safe. The salads were really good too......

[GlutenFreeManna]

I have yet to have a problem with canned foods that have single ingredients such as tomatoes or just chilies. I figure the more ingredients in the product the more likely cc could have occured. I avoid most things with long ingredient lists. It does get easier the longer you do this. You learn what brands you can trust. The problem is that "Gluten free" on the label does not guarentee no cross contmination. I get sick from Bob's Red Mill products and they are made in a dedicated gluten free facility. Other people here have expressed they have problems with Udi's. And even if the government mandated tommorrow that ALL food had to test for gltuen and declare a gluten status on the label, the tests cannot detect zero gluten. I think the most sensitive test detects 5 PPM and in some countries the standard is 20 PPM. Those levels may be safe for most celiacs, but there will always be super sesnitive individuals that can react. Bottom line is you just have to read the labels, cook as much from scratch as you can (using as many whole food ingredients instead of canned as possible) and trust your body's reactions to be the final judge on whether you should keep eating certain products.

[Rowena]

The problem with expecting things to say gluten-free in large letters is that manufacturers will not go that far unless they have a completely gluten-free facility....as it should be.

It ain't so much the problem of them stating "gluten-free" but more of the fact that not everyone has a label stating "May contain traces of" or "Processed in a facility that...." The thing is, I am new to this gluten-free diet, yes. I am also not familiar with a lot of the brands at Whole Foods, as I have never shopped organic.

But also, I was asking in particular about the chilis because Walmart's do contain a warning on them. It was the last thing I expected, but I tossed them anyway (Or I gave them away, I don't remember). Turns out I didn't have a problem with the tomatoes or chilis though. And my chili was amazing!

(And yes, I do normally use fresh foods as opposed to canned but when I asked, I had started making chili, and I needed ingredients FAST! After all I don't get home in time to cook extravagant meals. I did make my own beans though. It was fun... Had my hubby prepare/soak them while I worked so it could be ready on time.)

[psawyer]

Rowena, I am assuming that you do not have any gluten-containing products in your house, because if you do then it would be a shared facility.

I am also assuming that you never, ever eat or drink anything at a restaurant, since every single restaurant I have ever been in is a shared facility with shared equipment.

We had gluten products in our kitchen for years after my diagnosis, but washed thoroughly (as do restaurants and manufacturing facilities).

For the most part, I treat those voluntary shared disclosures as CYA statements.

Contamination in tomato paste is more likely to be from the crop coming into the factory than from within the factory itself.

I am in my eleventh year on the diet, and have had very few problems in that time.

[Takala]

I have seen Contadina brand canned tomato paste, with added flavors with gluten. Right on the label, is wheat.

Never assume. That is what gets you in trouble.

Most canned single ingredient items are going to be okay. Some are not.

[psawyer]

Most canned single ingredient items are going to be okay. Some are not.

It isn't "single ingredient" if it also has anything else.

[Rowena]

Rowena, I am assuming that you do not have any gluten-containing products in your house, because if you do then it would be a shared facility.

I am also assuming that you never, ever eat or drink anything at a restaurant, since every single restaurant I have ever been in is a shared facility with shared equipment.

We had gluten products in our kitchen for years after my diagnosis, but washed thoroughly (as do restaurants and manufacturing facilities).

For the most part, I treat those voluntary shared disclosures as CYA statements.

Contamination in tomato paste is more likely to be from the crop coming into the factory than from withing the factory itself.

I am in my eleventh year on the diet, and have had very few problems in that time.

No offense psawyer, but that was a bit on the rude side. I am just starting out this diet. Its been a month since I last ate gluten. So yes I may be a little over cautious. But about as long as you have been on the diet I've had skin problems that I just attributed to bein dry skinned and sensitive. Never crossed my mind that I could be allergic/intolerant to somethin like gluten, and that it would be in such products. And for at least 4 years now I have been dealin with GI problems, and nothin helped. The past year and a half I could barely get out of bed I was so sick. I somehow managed to gain a lot of weight that I have never been over 120 lbs in my life. My girl time rarely happened, I've been infertile. I didnt have any energy. Life just stopped. And finally I am feelin better. So if I seem over cautious forgive me. I for the first time in a long time feel human. And I aint about to take unnecessary risks, when I am finally feelin better. So if I am annoyed at unclear labellin, or some other newbie thing, Id appreciate it if you didnt insult my intelligence. And that is what I feel like you have done

Sorry if that was harsh, I don't ever mean to be harsh. I usually have a hard time sayin how I feel, so it often comes out harsher than I mean it. But like I said, it was a little bit rude. I am sure you didnt mean it to be that way. But sometimes we need to be careful how we write online because there is no tone to tell us how it is really meant. I admit I sometimes need a reminder of that too (actually no I should say frequently, because I feel things very deeply), but hey. We're only human right?

[psawyer]

Rowena, I did not intend to be rude, although in rereading my post it was more blunt than I usually am.

What I did intend to do was put shared manufacturing facilities in perspective. Most of us visit restaurants at least occasionally, and many of us live with people who eat gluten in the house.

Cross contamination is possible in ANY product, and not just at the final production point. But it is not really that common.

If you consistently experience problems after eating a product, discontinue its use. But the fact that there is wheat in the building is not, for most of us, enough reason to boycott the company.

[gf-soph]

Rowena, I did not intend to be rude, although in rereading my post it was more blunt than I usually am.

What I did intend to do was put shared manufacturing facilities in perspective. Most of us visit restaurants at least occasionally, and many of us live with people who eat gluten in the house.

Cross contamination is possible in ANY product, and not just at the final production point. But it is not really that common.

If you consistently experience problems after eating a product, discontinue its use. But the fact that there is wheat in the building is not, for most of us, enough reason to boycott the company.

For my part I do see a bit of a difference in comparing the shared facilities warning with a shared household. I think the biggest difference is the transparency - I know every procedure in my house that keeps the gluten out of the kitchen, I can monitor it directly and set in place procedures that I am comfortable with. It also involves trusting just 3 people that are well informed about my condition and want me to be well. I can ban flour and keep the bread in a different room. I KNOW that it is safe.

Even restaurants - I can speak directly to the people involved in preparing my food, and ask about their procedures. It's not as safe as home, but I only ever trusted about 4 places for that reason.

A shared facility is different as I have no idea how big it is, what else they make there, their procedures for reducing cross contamination - I don't have the information to judge what sort of a risk I am taking. I am not sure about my exact position on these warnings as they are not on any of the food I eat, but I know I would treat that information seriously when deciding whether to eat them. I understand that it isn't high risk, but I am pretty risk averse with my gluten free diet and I imagine that a lot of people who are still adjusting to the diet and recovering their health would be too.

Just another perspective on the issue!

[Rowena]

psawyer- all is dandy. Just wanted to point that out. Because hey, I am sure I would have taken it a different way were I sitting next to you in person. But that's the problem, we ain't next to each other in person. I did grasp your meaning though.

gf_soph- I am of your opinion on the matter. Shared facilities you never know what REALLY goes on behind the scenes. At least at home you can put up preventive measures to make sure your food stays safe from the gluteny stuff that may or may not be in your home. (I can count on one hand the unsafe foods that are in my home. Because thankfully my husband eats for the most part what I eat. The only times he doesn't is when he realizes we're low on something and we have an alternative for it. He always says "I don't want eat the rest of the only food you can eat when I have something else to replace it.)

We also sanitize our dishes as they get washed (with bleach then soap it off) so I am always certain that my dishes are safe. (The bleach also helps get some of the worst grit off.. *grin*)

As for restaurants, I always pick ones that have distinct gluten free menus, and then call ahead and make sure they really are gluten free. I've found that a number of gluten free menus at restaurants were not really gluten free. Beyond the incessant calling and probably annoying people with my questions, I mostly stick to restaurants that have high ratings from other gluten-free eaters.

But the food in stores that we buy, I always question, unless it is product line that is entirely gluten free, or fresh foods. (Which are usually the only two ways I buy things.) But when you are in a hurry and need something fast, the lack of labeling is rather frustrating. And that's why I started this thread. And since I am new to this diet, I haven't yet gained a knowledge of what foods that aren't clearly labeled are safe. I rely on your guy's advice for that right now.

[kareng]

We also sanitize our dishes as they get washed (with bleach then soap it off) so I am always certain that my dishes are safe. (The bleach also helps get some of the worst grit off.. *grin*)

Just FYI: Bleach doesn't "kill" gluten. Its a very large, strong protein. I have found that plain white vinegar dissolves wheat flour well from when I used to use wheat flour. Also, dissolve alot of other things.

[Rowena]

Do you mix that with your soap? Or how do you use it?

(As for the bleach tip thanks. I am not to worried since my stuff is all new pretty much but good to know! I use bleach for other purposes when washing my dishes... but that's good to know)

[Gemini]

Never assume. That is what gets you in trouble.

I never, ever assume anything. To this date, I always read every label of anything which goes into my mouth. However, for the above mentioned items,

it's fairly easy to come to a conclusion on whether it contains wheat, barley or rye. I really understand how difficult being a new Celiac can be, especially for those who aren't used to cooking or knowing what is in the food they eat but if you worry about cc in everything you buy or eat, life is going to become very difficult when it needn't be.

My husband is not gluten-free and we have a shared facility household and in almost 6 years, it has never, ever been a problem. Common sense and thinking things through will work for most people, plus a forum of seasoned Celiacs (no pun intended!)to help out. This is not rocket science.

[kareng]

Do you mix that with your soap? Or how do you use it?

(As for the bleach tip thanks. I am not to worried since my stuff is all new pretty much but good to know! I use bleach for other purposes when washing my dishes... but that's good to know)

I usually use half water half vinegar in a little spray bottle. Spray all over my Kitchenaid mixer and in the little cracks after it used for wheat cookies. Also good for slow drains and toliets. Boil water and pour down drain. Pour full strength and let sit. Pour more boiling water.

[Rowena]

I usually use half water half vinegar in a little spray bottle. Spray all over my Kitchenaid mixer and in the little cracks after it used for wheat cookies. Also good for slow drains and toliets. Boil water and pour down drain. Pour full strength and let sit. Pour more boiling water.

Sweet, thanks! (And yeah for drains and toilets it is EXCELLENT! Though I usually mix it with baking powder.)