<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Boy, are there alot of cheese lovers out there!  I had an overwhelming
response to my confusion on which cheese products were GF.  I had so
many wanting to know the same thing as I, that I did some investigating
and contacted some companies. I only contacted the companies that sell
in my area, but I will later list some other companies that I was given
by list members that may sell in your area.

The following is my response from Borden:

> Thank you for contacting us regarding Borden Cheese.  Because we do not use
> any wheat, rye, oats, or barley products in any of our cheeses, they are all
> gluten-free.

They also have a web site at www.elsie.com, go to the contact us part on
the web site and read frequently asked questions and it'll tell you
about GF products.  I have no interest in the company other than eating
their products, but they were real helpful.

Next, I contacted Sargento.  Here is what they stated:

> Thank you for your question. We're pleased to tell you that most
> Sargento natural cheeses should be acceptable to a gluten-free diet.
>
> Sargento Imitation Mozzarella Shredded Cheese contains a modified food
> starch which may contain gluten.  We would also not recommend that
> anyone on a gluten-free diet eat our Taco Blend Shredded Cheese or our
> Nacho & Taco Blend Shredded Cheese.  There's wheat flour in the spice
> mixture in these products.  For obvious reasons, we would also not
> recommend our MooTown Snacks Cheeze & Sticks, Cheeze & Pretzels,
> Cheeze & Crackers, Cookies & Fudge, Strawberry & Sprinkles, Chocolate
> Chip & Creme, or S'mores.
>
> You'll notice that we use microcrystalline cellulose as an anti-caking
> agent on most of our shredded cheeses.  When added to shredded cheese,
> cellulose prevents the shreds from sticking together.
> Microcrystalline cellullose is a white, odorless, tasteless, totally
> natural powder made from cellulose, a naturally occurring component of
> most plants.  It's not derived from wheat, oats, barley, or rye.
>
> The source of the vinegar in Sargento Ricotta Cheese can vary;
> however, it's triple distilled, and, to the best of our knowledge, no
> gluten is present.
>
> We hope this information is helpful.  If you have questions about how
> our products may affect your medical condition, we suggest you discuss
> this information with your physician

Kraft states:  the natural (hard) Extra-sharp, Sharp, Medium & Mild
cheddar cheeses are GF.

These are the cheese companies that produce GF products that I gathered
from all the information
from list members:  Cabots;  Hoizon;   Costco;  Stella;  Frigo;
Dragone;  Daisy Brand Sour Cream and Peverly Sour Cream, Cottage Cheese
and Ice Cream are all GF.

From what I have gathered from my e-mail from all of you;  Blue cheese
is a no-no.

 Soft cheeses are made using vinegar, so even though the vinegar is
double or triple distilled, some of you may be wary.
"Low fat" or "non fat" cream cheese, cottage cheese or sour cream may
have additives which contain gluten.  The main thing with these cheeses
is to read labels carefully and look for "modified food starch" or
additives.

 I apologize for the length of this summary, but felt that all you
cheese lovers out there would like to know all of what I found out.
Guess I better go, as I feel the need to go grocery shopping and stock
up on all the cheeses I have deprived myself of.

HAPPY EATING!

Connie R. in North Carolina