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

I spoke to Kate in customer service at Hidden Valley Foods today.  She was
less than cordial (who are you people anyway, and why is information about
our products on the internet...).  She did confirm that none of their
products are gluten free.  But if you use the packets of dry dressing, be
assurred that there's only 0.09 grams of gluten per serving(!!).  Talk
about being clueless...

I went to their website (http://www.hiddenvalley.com) and sent them the
following e-mail.  Perhaps if enough of us responded, they might
reconsider their product formulation...

Change in Gluten Free Status of Your Products:

I was very disappointed to find out that your bottled Hidden Valley Ranch
Dressing now contains gluten.  My family has a genetic disorder known as
celiac disease or gluten sensitive enteropathy.  The only treatment for
this condition is strict adherence to a gluten free diet.  Recent studies
have shown that 1 in 300 people may have this condition.  That means that
there are about 900,000 people in this country with this condition.  If
you consider the additional non-celiac family members who also purchased
and used your product because of it's previously gluten free status, you
stand to lose quite a bit of market share.

By taking away one of the few commercially available products we could
use, we are being forced to take our buying power to your competitors.  We
will now be using Wishbone and Hellmans/Best Food products.  I certainly
hope that you will reconsider the change in the formulation of your
products.

Thank you
Chris Spreitzer & Family

FWIW
Chris in CA
MoM of Eileen, Anna, and Laura
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