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

Here is my original inquiry;  When more answers come in, I will forward the
company's response.
Laura Y.

>HI Kerry, I was forwarded your response about the gluten-free status of
>your
>product, the Rebar.
>I would like to know the following:
>1)  What kind of test was used and at what level of detection is the
>sensitivity of the test for the presence of gluten?
>2)  How is the "wheatgrass" ingredient harvested and how do you insure that
>no cross-contamination with actual wheat or leftover wheat in the fields
>from earlier harvesting does not occur in the final product?
>3)  Does the Canadian Food and Drug Adminstration have to give you approval
>in order to make claims on your product, that your product is gluten-free?
>>Thank you.

>From: Kerry <[log in to unmask]>
>Hello,
>I will have to forward your email to Mark to see if he can answer questions
>1 & 2 better than I but I can answer question 3 and also part of question
>2.
>To begin with I do not know how we are ensuring no cross contamination but
>I
>do know that we can say conclusively that the wheatgrass we are using
>contains zero gluten simply because the CFDA did require that our product
>be
>tested by an independent lab before we were allowed to make the claim that
>ReBAR was gluten free.
>
>As you may already be aware wheatgrass is not actually a form of wheat. It
>is considered a vegetable and while it is derived from the wheat kernel, it
>is harvested as a grass and is therefore not mature enough to create the
>gluten found in wheat. There are a number of sites on the Web that you can
>access concerning Wheatgrass that will confirm this statement.
>
>One of them is www.wheatgrass.com where at the bottom of the page on
>"Frequently Asked Questions" they also explain why wheatgrass contains no
>gluten that could cause an allergic reaction.
>
>There are also a number of comprehensive books on wheatgrass that explain
>the bountiful benefits that can be derived from consuming wheatgrass and
>the
>following quotes are directly from one of these books readily available on
>the topic entitled: Wheatgrass, Nature's Finest Medicine by Steve
>Meyerowitz.
>"What does it do?"
>"It has broad effectiveness, but its three most therapeutic roles are;
>blood
>purification, liver detoxification, and colon cleansing. As a food it is
>very nourishing and restorative with such a complete range of nutrients
>that
>it can, by itself, sustain life. This nutritional miracle is most evident
>in
>the animal kingdom where studies prove large and small grazing animals not
>only sustain themselves on young grass but also improve their health.
>
>He further writes: "Wheatgrass contains raw chlorophyll. Whenever anyone
>talks about the healing powers of grass, they mention chlorophyll first.
>Grasses, along with alfalfa and algaes, are the richest sources of
>chlorophyll on the planet."
>
>Under a section entitled: "Allergies and Sensitivities", he writes;
>Many people ask: If I have an allergy to wheat, can I still take
>wheatgrass?
>Wheatgrass is different than wheat. One is a grain, the other a green
>vegetable. The green vegetable grass contains no gluten. It is no more
>'allergic' than spinach, kale, chard or lettuce. In fact, it contains
>anti-allergic factors. Since allergies are immune responses to toxic
>irritants, detoxification is crucial to any allergy treatment program. As
>discussed, colon health is key. In addition to the liver purging, blood
>purifying and oxygenating capacity of grass, it coats the colon tissues
>with
>soothing, anit-bacteriostatic chlorophyll.
>
>I hope that this explanation allays any concerns that you may have had
>about
>wheatgrass and the gluten-free status of ReBAR. Mark should respond to your
>first two questions within the next day or so.
>Thank you for your interest in our products and the best of health to you.
>Kerry

_________________________________________________________________
MSN 8: Get 6 months for $9.95/month. http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/dialup

*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*