Cheez Whiz Not Gluten Free?

[123glldd]

I'm in Canada right now visiting my family..I was calling some companies making sure about different foods that mom has here in the house..I was informed by Kraft that Cheese Whiz is NOT gluten free. I read on this website it was.....is there a difference between U.S. and Canada or what?

[psawyer]

The answer is not a simple one.

Kraft has an excellent policy regarding gluten, but it can be confusing for folks new to the game.

Kraft's gluten disclosure policy is the same in every country where they do business. If an ingredient is derived from a gluten grain, the gluten grain will be named on the package label, either in the ingredient list, or in a "contains" statement (in practice, usually both).

If you call their customer service line, they will NEVER say that a product is gluten-free. This is because products change, and they can not be sure that the ingredient information in their CURRENT files matches the product you actually have, even if the UPC (bar code) is the same.

They WILL tell you to read the label on the package that you have. The ingredient list there will accurately reflect the product in that container. If any gluten-grain derived ingredient is present, the grain will be clearly disclosed.

That is as good as it gets with mainstream manufacturers. Kraft is on our side.

So, read the label on your mom's Cheez Whiz jar. It will have the answer.

[Lisa]

I'm in Canada right now visiting my family..I was calling some companies making sure about different foods that mom has here in the house..I was informed by Kraft that Cheese Whiz is NOT gluten free. I read on this website it was.....is there a difference between U.S. and Canada or what?

Krista, many products vary from county to country....even US and Canada, for instance, Campbell's products are very different in both countries.

[123glldd]

To add to this now..I called them about something from my grandmothers house the other day...regarding a jello chocolate pudding snack. I wasn't sure about what one ingredient was and i wanted to be sure so i called them and the guy on the phone told me it contained stuff derived from gluten.....even though nothing was clearly listed..so i was confused....Later on that day I called them again about something else unexpectedly and the woman on the line told me the same thing you have...they will clearly list. But when i told her about what the guy told me about the jello she didn't know why he'd say it contains it and to not eat it if it's not clearly listed. I wonder if it was the same guy who told me that about cheese whiz? It's only causing me confusion..should i eat the cheese whiz and pudding snacks or not? uugh

[~**caselynn**~]

I guess there's only one way for you to know, how bad do you want the flippin' cheez whiz??? Patrick which thread was it that we discussed the modified food starch? That's a good one with a link to the info. Very interesting info. I'm not knew to this gig, per se, but there's always more to learn. I have made the choice that if I don't know what it is, can't pronounce the ingredients, or question anything I won't eat it. Some are better at the labels than I, but I just can't take a chance and that's my own personal feelings. I'm more of a whole foods person anyway, so it all comes down to what you like I guess. So, how bad do you want that cheez whiz? Lol I think I'd forgotten it even existed until now, my Canadian cousins used to eat it on toast...while I was breaking out my American peanut butter, oh the memories!

[psawyer]

Kraft will clearly label any ingredient derived from a gluten source by naming the grain. They do not test their ingredients or final products for gluten content. Many of us here, including me, trust Kraft products.

[Mateto]

Wow this scares me. I haven't had Cheez Whiz since going gluten-free, but...I'll have to check the label like you said.

[Skylark]

You're the second person who has gotten a weird answer from Kraft. I don't think they are training their telephone people about gluten. I'd trust the label.

I'm enough of a health food person that Cheez Whiz is out of the question anyway. If I'm going to wreck my stomach with dairy, it's going to be a really high-quality aged cheese!

[123glldd]

Oh I didn't want the cheese whiz but my mom may put it on my gluten free hamburger bun for instance and put it in the oven to toast it to have hamburgers etc.

I just called about their peanut butter..and the guy...who i hope isn't the same guy...gave me the same talk about labeling and i felt okay about it but then he went on a seperate shpiel and said if it lists "spices" on the label or anything like that to ASSUME IT HAS GLUTEN. So I said to him this confused me cause I thought kraft was a company that if the spices contain gluten it will list it in brackets next to it....he said to assume it does...anyone out there eating kraft products that list "spices"? Just sheer curiosity.

[psawyer]

Nothing grain-derived can be listed as "spices." "Seasonings" are another matter.

In Canada and in the US, wheat must be disclosed using the word "wheat."

Kraft's policy is:

The ingredient information on labels of Kraft products is very specific to help you make accurate and informed choices. If a Kraft product has an ingredient that is a source of gluten, the specific grain will be listed in the ingredient statement, no matter how small the amount. For labeling purposes, Kraft products will always state the names 'wheat, barley, rye and/or oats' when they are added to a product either directly as an ingredient or as part of an ingredient.

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[123glldd]

Gee I wonder if it's the same guy I got on the phone before? So i SHOULDN'T assume spices means gluten then like he was saying?

[Skylark]

If you did get a different guy on the phone at Kraft, I'm really starting to wonder about the accuracy of the information on their website. There is a pretty serious discrepancy between what Peter quoted and what their telephone reps are telling people. Do you trust the website or what the telephone reps are being instructed to tell customers???

[psawyer]

In any event, it would be a violation of Canadian and US rules to label a grain product as "spices." That fact says that the person is confused or misinformed.

[psawyer]

I was at the grocery store just now to get some items. Although Cheez Whiz is not a product I use, I read the labels on the regular and light versions.

I am in Canada, and based on a read of the labels, they are both gluten-free per Canadian label regulations.

Both list mustard as an ingredient. Both say "Contains: Milk, Mustard"

The inclusion of mustard means they have been updated to comply with new rules effective August 4, 2012. Those revisions add mustard, and ALL GLUTEN GRAINS to the priority allergen list (wheat has been there for years).

FWIW, the ingredients did not list spices, but did list seasoning. Under the old rules, barley malt could conceivably have been hidden there, although I never found a case where it was.

[123glldd]

Really really strange...well...I honestly trust the fact that they say they label properly...i still use their shredded cheese and what not but i'm just a little nervous now but a lady i talked to on the phone the same day as the guy who originally told me this....she said what you all are saying...so it's rather confusing. Seems like there is a divide with the phone representatives.

[hoggja]

I was at the grocery store just now to get some items. Although Cheez Whiz is not a product I use, I read the labels on the regular and light versions.

I am in Canada, and based on a read of the labels, they are both gluten-free per Canadian label regulations.

Both list mustard as an ingredient. Both say "Contains: Milk, Mustard"

The inclusion of mustard means they have been updated to comply with new rules effective August 4, 2012. Those revisions add mustard, and ALL GLUTEN GRAINS to the priority allergen list (wheat has been there for years).

FWIW, the ingredients did not list spices, but did list seasoning. Under the old rules, barley malt could conceivably have been hidden there, although I never found a case where it was.

I am a super sensitive Celiac and have recently tried Cheez Wiz in Canada, and I was fine. I have reacted to many other products

listed as gluten free by the manufacturer which were under 20 ppm such as Frenchs Mustard (I am currently having a severe reaction to Frenchs Yellow Mustard) but Cheez Wiz has not caused me any grief. Hooray!!