At 10:29 AM 6/19/97 +0200, you wrote:
>What are people's experience with relying on food labels being complete >in
including everything that's in the product.

Hi Denise,

There are several products I've run across that temporarily or from
cross-contamination had casein in them that were not labeled.  I'm sensitive
(allergic) to casein...so I know nearly immediately.  Some examples are
White Wave (soy yogurt) for a while had problems with their cultures being
dairy contaminated--during this time the only packaging change was not in
the food label but in the blacking out of the kosher symbol.  There is a
"chocolate chip" (Tropical Source) that is labeled as if it were 100% dairy
free--it is not.  Most recently I picked up an Amy's frozen cheese-less
pizza and had a horrible reaction.  Amy's pizza's also produce cheese
pizza's so though I did not call the company, I am sure that it was a case
of cross-contamination on the production lines. People with severe reactions
to casein (or any one of the other milk proteins that are often not
mentioned...but can also be an additive in foods) need to call the companies
directly, not trusting the label, to determine if any cross contamination
may have occurred in the production of the product in question...and then
companies change production line techniques and ingredients so frequently
you really have to be on your toes to completely avoid casein and other
dairy additives.