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Root Beer Safe Or Not?

basilicious

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basilicious Explorer
basilicious
Posted

Can anyone tell me whether root beer is generally safe or not? I just drank half a bottle of Old Dominion Root Beer before rethinking proprietary extracts listed on the ingredients (Root Beer Extracts #214, #79-400)...although no obvious gluten ingredients were listed, I'm concerned that those two extracts could contain gluten via malt.

As a side note, I am so depressed that I could not just relax and enjoy a root beer on a hot day without suddenly realizing my possible mistake. Any advice would be much appreciated. I already contacted the company via phone and email, but no info from them yet. So far, the posts on here discuss caramel color, which I know should be fine...but I can't find any info about malt and root beer.

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kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

You aren't in the US? In the US, I haven't seen any soda pop with malt. If it had malt, it would list it. Not sure of the rules in your country.

basilicious Explorer
basilicious
Posted
  • Author

You aren't in the US? In the US, I haven't seen any soda pop with malt. If it had malt, it would list it. Not sure of the rules in your country.

I am in the US. I didn't think that malt had to be listed. Are you saying I probably don't have anything to worry about? I'm bloated after drinking it (about half of it), but that could just be because I never drink soda...just had it today because it was hot...and it could be because of the stress of not knowing if it's safe.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

I am in the US. I didn't think that malt had to be listed. Are you saying I probably don't have anything to worry about? I'm bloated after drinking it (about half of it), but that could just be because I never drink soda...just had it today because it was hot...and it could be because of the stress of not knowing if it's safe.

Try and relax until you hear from the company. Chances are really in your favor that you were not glutened. While barley malt does not have to be listed most companies will list it if it is there.

basilicious Explorer
basilicious
Posted
  • Author

Try and relax until you hear from the company. Chances are really in your favor that you were not glutened. While barley malt does not have to be listed most companies will list it if it is there.

Thanks for your help, ravenwoodglass. It definitely helped me adopt a wait-and-see attitude. I heard back from the company today. Though the root beer does not have gluten in its ingredients, there is a pretty high risk of cross-contamination. The sugar water is made in the same tank as beer. Yikes. They clean before producing the sugar water, but who knows to what extent gluten is eliminated from every nook and cranny. I am really sensitive right now - hopefully temporary during healing, but we'll see - and I always avoid any products made on shared equipment; so that brand is totally out for me. Really nice of them to actually get back to me though. Hopefully this information will be helpful to others.

pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

Thanks for your help, ravenwoodglass. It definitely helped me adopt a wait-and-see attitude. I heard back from the company today. Though the root beer does not have gluten in its ingredients, there is a pretty high risk of cross-contamination. The sugar water is made in the same tank as beer. Yikes. They clean before producing the sugar water, but who knows to what extent gluten is eliminated from every nook and cranny. I am really sensitive right now - hopefully temporary during healing, but we'll see - and I always avoid any products made on shared equipment; so that brand is totally out for me. Really nice of them to actually get back to me though. Hopefully this information will be helpful to others.

Really?

I wonder if the beer gives the rb a little extra somethin' somethin'??

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Thanks for your help, ravenwoodglass. It definitely helped me adopt a wait-and-see attitude. I heard back from the company today. Though the root beer does not have gluten in its ingredients, there is a pretty high risk of cross-contamination. The sugar water is made in the same tank as beer. Yikes. They clean before producing the sugar water, but who knows to what extent gluten is eliminated from every nook and cranny. I am really sensitive right now - hopefully temporary during healing, but we'll see - and I always avoid any products made on shared equipment; so that brand is totally out for me. Really nice of them to actually get back to me though. Hopefully this information will be helpful to others.

Thanks for the update. That will be one I will avoid also. I do tend to go to Pepsi most of the time except for an occasional root beer float.

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IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

I never drink soda but I had a Virgil's root beer while on vacation and oh boy--did that taste great. Gluten free. No HFCS...(but pure cane sugar) I bounced off walls for an hour or so from the sugar buzz :D

basilicious Explorer
basilicious
Posted
  • Author

Really?

I wonder if the beer gives the rb a little extra somethin' somethin'??

I know, right? Sort of surprising.

basilicious Explorer
basilicious
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for the update. That will be one I will avoid also. I do tend to go to Pepsi most of the time except for an occasional root beer float.

I never drink soda but I had a Virgil's root beer while on vacation and oh boy--did that taste great. Gluten free. No HFCS...(but pure cane sugar) I bounced off walls for an hour or so from the sugar buzz :D

Raven and IH, I thought I had already replied to your follow up posts but I was wrong...

As it turns out, I was seriously craving a root beer float when I got that root beer...but you can be sure I will get Virgil's next time. :P

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