Rice Dream

[missy'smom]

Hi all, I haven't been around in a LONG while. Been sticking with mostly fresh, whole foods and not kept current on some things in the gluten-free world.

What's the currect scoop on Rice Dream beverage? A local dedicated gluten-free bakery uses it in their breads that I am thinking about purchasing for an event this weekend.

Thanks

[shayre]

Bad reactions for me on Rice Dream!!!!!!!! I didn't know why I kept feeling worse everyday while I was drinking it. I saw somewhere that they process it with barley from other people with celiac disease or gluten allergies. There was a website bashing it. I forgot about it by the time I was drinking it. Then I remembered...oh yeah. I decided after getting sick to look it up. It's on their website that they process it with barley. They claim that all of the barley is processed out of it...but my body will beg to differ! Maybe you should inform the bakery of that!!! I don't know if less sensitive people will be okay, but why take the risk? The same people said that Trader Joe's brank was okay...the bakery should switch if they must use rice milk!!! Btw...I drank it two different periods of time...with the same results...sick as a dog!

[Takala]

I don't get why they would do that. They should use water, sugar, flavoring such as vanilla, and a bit of rice flour and it would be a much safer and cheaper equivalent.

Maybe drop them a note, since the problems with this stuff are well known if you've ever been drinking it regularly, and then had to attempt to figure out what was "getting" you with a low grade reaction - and it was this board that clued me in.

Oh, "it's not much" - but it is the accumulative amount of gluten that counts. If one or more of the gluten free bread flours used is also on the high end of unknown cross contamination, then that's just more chance of hitting the reaction threshold.

[Salax]

Every time I have used it for cereal I have had a reaction. Small but enough to check and indeed barley is in it. Whether it was removed or not, it was in it at some point. I don't know about everyone else, but that gives me a red flag. I am surprised that a bakery would use it, I would let them know that maybe they should rethink their processes. Just my 2 cents.

[missy'smom]

Thanks guys. I tried to find the barley info on their website before posting and didn't find it. Evidently I didn't look hard enough. After reading your reply I tried again and found it. Nothing's changed. I get it. Same issue with miso.

Now, how to diplomatically share that with this baker. It is a new business in an area where there is a potential good customer base but still I think they will have to work hard to survive. It is dedicated gluten-free so I'd love to be supportive, but as you know, so many just trust the labels and companies and don't dig further.

I'm busy and in advocate for me mode lately so I'm a little blunt and just said directly without saying too much that that brand was a bit controversial and the lady on the phone said the baker was gluten intolerant and had it everday.

Well, I can print out the copy of the company's web page and bring it in but again, what to say... any ideas?

Any safe rice milk brands?

I hear you Takala about the cumulative effect of the potential cc in the flours plus that rice milk. I was thinking of that. I was weighing the risk in the amount of bread that I would eat-this bread will be for a communion loaf. Call me crazy for even thinking about weighing the cc risk. I eat such simple foods these days and haven't been glutened, that I know of, in so long...

[ravenwoodglass]

Any safe rice milk brands?

If you live in an area that has a Wegmans their Wegmans label rice milk is safe. Pacific brand also makes some good gluten free milks but I don't know if they make a rice milk.

[shayre]

I may not be great in the diplomacy dept, but why can't you print off the info of rice dreams site? I bet you could print off hundred's of people's response the stuff from THIS site and slap that down in front of her. If she is catering to the gluten-free community then she needs to be aware that MOST of us are more sensitive than her!!!!!!!!!! She can't ignore a bunch of people who say that they have problems with it. I wouldn't touch her baked goods with a 10-foot pole...knowing that she uses Rice Dream!

[Skylark]

Rice Dream's website claims their finished product is less than 20 ppm barley protein, not all of which will be gluten since it's an enzyme extract (0.002% is what is on the website). That's the same standard used for gluten-free flours and breads in the US and many celiacs will not react to it.

Open Original Shared Link

I agree it's not ideal for the bakery to be using it, but really any of their flours could test at 20 ppm gluten. The finished product should still be below 20 ppm gluten.

If you're making a big order for an event you may be able to negotiate a special order of bread made with Pacific rice milk (you bring them the milk). You might make more of a impact if you are not willing to buy bread made with Rice Dream, but are willing to buy bread made with a barley-free rice milk.