Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Kraft Shredded Cheese?

abby03

Recommended Posts

abby03 Contributor
abby03
Posted

I was wondering if anyone could let me know for sure if this shredded cheese I have is gluten free?

It's Kraft Natural shredded sharp cheddar cheese. The ingredients are:

"Cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, annatto (color); potato starch, cellulose powder, and calcium sulfate added to prevent caking; natamycin (a natural mold inhibitor)"

I've read that Kraft is good about labeling or something (can someone explain?) but I'm still pretty new to this and paranoid about things that don't specifically say gluten free on them. And the other week I thought I read something on here about kraft not confirming that products are gluten free when people call or something. I'm not sure, maybe I'm remembering wrong. I think the cheese looks okay but I just wanted to be sure. if you guys could help that would be great. Thanks so much!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

This cheese is fine. I use Kraft shredded cheeses quite often:)

Kraft is a company that will disclose any gluten on the ingredient list.

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

Kraft cheese is good stuff. If you can find the WHITE cheddar, it is even better. Here in the midwest they put that nasty orange dye (annatto)in ALL cheeses and all it does is water down the taste and mealy up the texture. Safeway has white cheddar, and so does Walmart - they have Cabot extra-sharp white cheddar, and if you've never had it, TRY it! It's so good it's worth bying the big brick and shredding your own.

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

Yeah-- Cabot is really good:)

abby03 Contributor
abby03
Posted
  • Author

Thanks so much, guys!

Oh and believe me- my mom and I LOVE Cabot. We have some of the Seriously Sharp white cheddar right now and it's sooooo good. I bought the Kraft pre shredded because it's better for salads. Not really taste wise but in texture. The Cabot is very moist and it tends to stay in one big clump when you put it in a salad while the Kraft doesn't really stick together at all. Plus when I shred up some of the Cabot to put into a salad it tends to disappear before it makes it into my bowl...strange haha. Anyway, thanks again for the help!

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

They dust the shreds with corn starch to keep it from clumping together. If you can tolerate corn you could do the same with the Cabot.

Darn210 Enthusiast
Darn210
Posted

I've read that Kraft is good about labeling or something (can someone explain?)

What this means is that for the generic terms of "natural flavoring" or "seasonings", Kraft will put something like "natural flavoring (derived from barley)" so that you know when you read the label if something is hidden in the generic term.

Other good companies that do this are Unilever and ConAgra.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

They dust the shreds with corn starch to keep it from clumping together. If you can tolerate corn you could do the same with the Cabot.

Not too sure they dust with corn starch. Most use cellulose.

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

And the cellulose is often derived from corn. (It's better than wood chips!) The corn allergy forums said to avoid these so I assumed it was corn starch, but either way it has a high potential to have corn. And they DO reccommend using corn starch at home.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

And the cellulose is often derived from corn. (It's better than wood chips!) The corn allergy forums said to avoid these so I assumed it was corn starch, but either way it has a high potential to have corn. And they DO reccommend using corn starch at home.

I have never heard of Open Original Shared Link being derived from corn (or any other grain). Please provide a verifiable source for this allegation.

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

And they DO reccommend using corn starch at home.

HUH? :blink: I'm pretty knowledgeable about gluten, but I have no need to research corn...thank goodness. I can assume it would be very difficult.

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

It is extremely difficult! If the only thing that bothered me were gluten I would be able to eat most gluten-free breads and other goodies. As it is, I have to eat only whole foods. (Well, except for the Hagen Daz vanilla. :rolleyes: ) But then again, I wouldn't be back to BELOW my high school weight, so I guess I'll take the good with the bad.

Here's a link about using corn starch at home:

Open Original Shared Link

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

Here's a link about using corn starch at home:

Open Original Shared Link

Okay, but using corn starch at home has nothing to do with cellulose used in manufacturing.

From that very link: "If you look at bags of pre-shredded cheese in the supermarket, you will see they have an anti-clumping agent, usually cellulose." [emphasis mine]

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

But my point is, cellulose CAN be from corn. It isn't always, but if you have a corn intolerance or allergy it's wise to avoid cellulose. They don't have to name the source on the label and the only way to know for sure is to contact the manufacturer. And half the time they can't tell you because they get their cellulose from many different sources depending on price and availability.

Here is a list of POSSIBLE corn containing ingredients I got from one of my corn allergy sites:

Open Original Shared Link

  • 9 months later...
CommonTater Contributor
CommonTater
Posted

We just called Kraft because I've been sick for the past 3 days after eating Kraft cheese. My husband spoke to them and they told him it is NOT gluten free. They said IF the ingredients show 'Color' or 'flavor' or 'Spice it' could contain trace amounts of gluten because they get those ingredients from another source.

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

We just called Kraft because I've been sick for the past 3 days after eating Kraft cheese. My husband spoke to them and they told him it is NOT gluten free. They said IF the ingredients show 'Color' or 'flavor' or 'Spice it' could contain trace amounts of gluten because they get those ingredients from another source.

..and that would be a clear violation of the law.  If wheat is used in a product, by law, it must be listed on the ingredient listing or allergin statement.  Kraft had a great policy and lists all forms of gluten.  Perhaps, you contacted an uninformed customer relations representative.

 

Open Original Shared Link

CommonTater Contributor
CommonTater
Posted

The lady seemed to be very informed. Here is the phone number. 1-800-847-1997

 

She said IF the ingredients show 'Color' or 'flavor' or 'Spice it' could contain trace amounts of gluten because they get those ingredients from another source.

Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted

Unless the rep has Celiac Disease, she is not informed.  I am extremely sensitive and use Kraft cheeses and have never reacted.  Ditto for many other Celiacs.  You cannot hide gluten in flavorings or anything else without disclosing  that and Kraft is a very gluten-free friendly company.  What she gave you was a CYA statement to cover their butts from a litigation point of view.  Everyone says this and it means nothing for the Celiac.....it just protects the company in case someone decides to sue them.

 

In any case, "color", "flavorings" and "spices", not spice blends, are safe for Celiacs 99.9% of the time.  That's another clue she wasn't informed or she would have known this.  These are celiac myths that just won't die.  Cheese can make anyone sick for many other reasons but there is no gluten in Kraft cheese.....shredded or otherwise.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

We just called Kraft because I've been sick for the past 3 days after eating Kraft cheese. My husband spoke to them and they told him it is NOT gluten free. They said IF the ingredients show 'Color' or 'flavor' or 'Spice it' could contain trace amounts of gluten because they get those ingredients from another source.

In other words, they won't make a "gluten-free" claim for legal reasons. Frequently "not gluten-free" only means not tested to verify gluten-free status--not that gluten is actually present.

  • 1 year later...
Seeking2012 Contributor
Seeking2012
Posted

We just called Kraft because I've been sick for the past 3 days after eating Kraft cheese. My husband spoke to them and they told him it is NOT gluten free. They said IF the ingredients show 'Color' or 'flavor' or 'Spice it' could contain trace amounts of gluten because they get those ingredients from another source.

What specific product was it?

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

This is an old topic, and CommonTater has not been here in over a year.

  • 5 weeks later...
mynxr Rookie
mynxr
Posted

Thanks so much, guys!

Oh and believe me- my mom and I LOVE Cabot. We have some of the Seriously Sharp white cheddar right now and it's sooooo good. I bought the Kraft pre shredded because it's better for salads. Not really taste wise but in texture. The Cabot is very moist and it tends to stay in one big clump when you put it in a salad while the Kraft doesn't really stick together at all. Plus when I shred up some of the Cabot to put into a salad it tends to disappear before it makes it into my bowl...strange haha. Anyway, thanks again for the help!

The reason the Kraft cheese shreds don't stick together is because of the potato starch.  The shreds are covered with the potato starch so they don't stick together.  You can use that same thing to keep raisins suspended in breads, etc.  Just coat them with potato or corn starch before putting them in the batter.  Then they grab onto the dough instead of being so heavy that they drop to the bottom.  I don't know if you can make this work with cheese that you shred yourself or not.  I'll have to do some experimenting.  I usually just dice the cheese up very fine and that works pretty well.

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

Oops. Wrong thread.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. TheDHhurts
      - TheDHhurts posted a topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      0

      Prana Organics no longer GFCO-certified

      I've been buying my seeds and nuts from Prana Organics for a number of years because the products have been GFCO-certified. I just got a new order delivered of their flax and sunflower seeds, and it turns out that they are no longer GFCO-certified. Instead, it just has a generic "Gluten Free" symbol on the package. I reached out to them to ask what...
    2. cristiana
      - cristiana replied to Dizzyma's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      Hi @Dizzyma I note what @trents has commented about you possibly posting from the UK. Just to let you know that am a coeliac based in the UK, so if that is the case, do let me know if can help you with any questions on the NHS provision for coeliacs. If you are indeed based in the UK, and coeliac disease is confirmed, I would thoroughly recommend...
    3. trents
      - trents replied to Dizzyma's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      Welcome to the celic.com community @Dizzyma! I'm assuming you are in the U.K. since you speak of your daughter's celiac disease blood tests as "her bloods". Has her physician officially diagnosed her has having celiac disease on the results of her blood tests alone? Normally, if the ttg-iga blood test results are positive, a follow-up endoscopy...
    4. Dizzyma
      - Dizzyma posted a topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      Hi all, I have so many questions and feel like google is giving me very different information. Hoping I may get some more definite answers here. ok, my daughter has been diagnosed as a coeliac as her bloods show anti TTG antibodies are over 128. We have started her on a full gluten free diet. my concerns are that she wasn’t actually physically s...
    5. Scott Adams
      0

      Better-Than-Takeout Gluten-Free Chicken Fried Rice

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,924
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Jimlock
    Newest Member
    Jimlock
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • TheDHhurts
      Prana Organics no longer GFCO-certified

      By TheDHhurts · Posted

      I've been buying my seeds and nuts from Prana Organics for a number of years because the products have been GFCO-certified. I just got a new order delivered of their flax and sunflower seeds, and it turns out that they are no longer GFCO-certified. Instead, it just has a generic "Gluten Free" symbol on the package. I reached out to them to ask what protocols/standards/testing they have in place. The person that wrote back said that they are now certifying their gluten free status in-house, but that she couldn't answer my questions related to standards because the person with that info was on vacation. Not very impressed, especially since it still says on their website that they are GFCO-certified. Buyer beware!
    • cristiana
      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      By cristiana · Posted

      Hi @Dizzyma I note what @trents has commented about you possibly posting from the UK.  Just to let you know that am a coeliac based in the UK, so if that is the case, do let me know if can help you with any questions on the NHS provision for coeliacs.    If you are indeed based in the UK, and coeliac disease is confirmed, I would thoroughly recommend you join Coeliac UK, as they provide a printed food and drink guide and also a phone app which you can take shopping with you so you can find out if a product is gluten free or not. But one thing I would like to say to you, no matter where you live, is you mention that your daughter is anxious.  I was always a bit of a nervous, anxious child but before my diagnosis in mid-life my anxiety levels were through the roof.   My anxiety got steadily better when I followed the gluten-free diet and vitamin and mineral deficiencies were addressed.  Anxiety is very common at diagnosis, you may well find that her anxiety will improve once your daughter follows a strict gluten-free diet. Cristiana 
    • trents
      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the celic.com community @Dizzyma! I'm assuming you are in the U.K. since you speak of your daughter's celiac disease blood tests as "her bloods".  Has her physician officially diagnosed her has having celiac disease on the results of her blood tests alone? Normally, if the ttg-iga blood test results are positive, a follow-up endoscopy with biopsy of the small bowel lining to check for damage would be ordered to confirm the results of "the bloods". However if the ttg-iga test score is 10x normal or greater, some physicians, particularly in the U.K., will dispense with the endoscopy/biopsy. If there is to be an endoscopy/biopsy, your daughter should not yet begin the gluten free diet as doing so would allow healing of the small bowel lining to commence which may result in a biopsy finding having results that conflict with the blood work. Do you know if an endoscopy/biopsy is planned? Celiac disease can have onset at any stage of life, from infancy to old age. It has a genetic base but the genes remain dormant until and unless triggered by some stress event. The stress event can be many things but it is often a viral infection. About 40% of the general population have the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% actually develop celiac disease. So, for most, the genes remain dormant.  Celiac disease is by nature an autoimmune disorder. That is to say, gluten ingestion triggers an immune response that causes the body to attack its own tissues. In this case, the attack happens in he lining of the small bowel, at least classically, though we now know there are other body systems that can sometimes be affected. So, for a person with celiac disease, when they ingest gluten, the body sends attacking cells to battle the gluten which causes inflammation as the gluten is being absorbed into the cells that make up the lining of the small bowel. This causes damage to the cells and over time, wears them down. This lining is composed of billions of tiny finger-like projections and which creates a tremendous surface area for absorbing nutrients from the food we eat. This area of the intestinal track is where all of our nutrition is absorbed. As these finger-like projections get worn down by the constant inflammation from continued gluten consumption before diagnosis (or after diagnosis in the case of those who are noncompliant) the efficiency of nutrient absorption from what we eat can be drastically reduced. This is why iron deficiency anemia and other nutrient deficiency related medical problems are so common in the celiac population. So, to answer your question about the wisdom of allowing your daughter to consume gluten on a limited basis to retain some tolerance to it, that would not be a sound approach because it would prevent healing of the lining of her small bowel. It would keep the fires of inflammation smoldering. The only wise course is strict adherence to a gluten free diet, once all tests to confirm celiac disease are complete.
    • Dizzyma
      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      By Dizzyma · Posted

      Hi all, I have so many questions and feel like google is giving me very different information. Hoping I may get some more definite answers here. ok, my daughter has been diagnosed as a coeliac as her bloods show anti TTG antibodies are over 128. We have started her  on a full gluten free diet. my concerns are that she wasn’t actually physically sick on her regular diet, she had tummy issues and skin sores. My fear is that she will build up a complete intolerance to gluten and become physically sick if she has gluten. Is there anything to be said for keeping a small bit of gluten in the diet to stop her from developing a total intolerance?  also, she would be an anxious type of person, is it possible that stress is the reason she has become coeliac? I read that diagnosis later in childhood could be following a sickness or stress. How can she have been fine for the first 10 years and then become coeliac? sorry, I’m just very confused and really want to do right by her. I know a coeliac and she has a terrible time after she gets gluttened so just want to make sure going down a total gluten free road is the right choice. thank you for any help or advise xx 
    • xxnonamexx
      Fermented foods, Kefir, Kombucha?

      By xxnonamexx · Posted

      very interesting thanks for the info  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.