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I just happened to be eating a balance bar when I read the message from
[log in to unmask] regarding power bars. She said "Just to double check, I
called the company and was informed that they cannot certify their bars as
gluten free because they flour their belts to keep the bars from sticking. I
suggested to them that they use corn starch instead and they are looking into
it." Companies are unlikely to switch to corn starch because it is more
expensive and because it is also a common allergen, but why can't companies
use rice flour as their anti-sticking agent. Many bakeries already use rice
flour for this purpose because it is flavorless and inexpensive to buy in
bulk. Best of all, rice is not a common allergen. Maybe we could even lobby
the FDA to prohibit using common allergens like wheat and corn flour on
process lines. Then companies we have to switch to rice flour.