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Hi,

Today Buitoni-Contadina (part of Nestles) told me that they are no
longer maintaining a gluten free list and can't even give any
information out over the phone because "There are so many things that
could contain gluten...."

This concerns me since it's happened to me with a couple of companies now.

Last winter when I called Lipton, I was told that they were updating
their list and I should keep checking back. Finally, this summer, I was
told that they have decided not to maintain their list anymore either.
They will give info out over the phone, but ONLY if you have the
manufacturer's code.

Cascadian Farms has also stopped providing as much info. When I wrote to
them they replied:

"I'm sorry but we are not able to give you the information you requested
as our products can be reformulated at any time.  We prefer our
customers to call us...If a product contains one of the top 8 allergens
(peanuts, tree nuts, dairy products, eggs, soy, wheat, crustaceans, and
fish), that ingredient is always listed in the ingredient panel, and
also in bold letters just below the list of ingredients.  This list is
your ingredient assurance for that package.  It is not intended for
other packaging of the same product.  Ingredients may vary from one
package to another due to product reformulation.

We prefer consumers to read labels while they are in the store for the
most up-to-date information concerning the product in hand."

On the other hand, I'd like to applaud Boar's Head who recently assured
me that their hotdogs are gluten free. They also have some new cheeses
to add to their gluten free list: Gold Label Swiss, Monterey Jack, Gouda
and Edam. Not only are the cheeses made gluten free -- NOTHING is used
on the equipment so no cross contamination is possible, I was told. If
you'd like to call Boar's Head to thank them for thinking about the
celiac community, you can call 1- 800- 352-6277.

Buitoni-Contadina's number is 1-800-727-0050.

Best wishes,
Lani K. Thompson
Clan Thompson Glutenfree Food Database
www.clanthompson.com