<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
Recent posts regarding curry powder and the health food supermarket
conglomerate reminded me to put in an update call to The Spice Hunter, a
brand of spices and powdered stocks sold in the
WholeFoods-Mrs.Gooch's-Bread&Circus chain. Here's what I learned.
 
I called the 800 number on the spice jar label: 1-800-444-3061 and asked
for ingredient information. One of the four customer service reps, Mary,
informed me that celiacs may rely on the information on each product's
label, with the knowledge that when we see <natural flavoring> on two of
their product labels they may assume that those products contain gluten.
 Those two products are the Seasoned Stock Clear and the Seasoned Stock
Brown. So, as Mary put it, The Spice Hunter's spices, including the spice
blends, are just spices. It is the stock powders that celiacs must avoid.
As an afterthought, she wanted us to know that their spices are
non-irradiated.
 
On a budget note, I've been comfortable buying the economical zipbag herbs
that some grocery stores sell and refilling my herb jars. When I want a
reliable ground spice, then I choose between McCormick and Spice Hunter,
depending on where I'm shopping.
 
But be reminded that McCormick doesn't necessarily make their curry powder
gluten-free, according to a posting in Listserv's archives. If someone on
the east coast would like an update on spice blends from
McCormick-Schilling (between 9:30 and 5 EST), their number is
1-800-632-5847.
 
Season away!
Mary