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

Dear Listmembers,

I recently posted the following questions: Does anyone know about the GF
status of a Rice Innovations macaroni product that I found in our local
Whole Foods store...in the bulk food section and it was labeled "wheat
free".   After reading the ingredients, it looked safe to me.  If anyone
could share their knowledge about this product I would be very grateful.

I received a total of 12 responses.  A few people wrote in to specify their
favorite brands - Tinkyada and Bi-Aglut were the pasta favorites and one
person recommended Food-for-Life rice-based pasta. Below are excerpts from
the other responses received:

Their pasta is gf. I use it myself. You can buy it at the Gluten Free
Trading Company at 1-888-993-9933

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wheat free is hardly ever Gluten Free. It can have oats, barley and rye in
it.

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Don't know- but I hate bulk products becuase of rick of cross
contamination. Try Tinkyada pasta - the BEST!

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This is definitely gluten free, right here in Ontario. They also have kids
Kraft dinner too. Rice Innovations - Pastariso, Pastato & Celifibr. Email
them at: [log in to unmask]

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What concerned me about your question is the fact that you get the pasta in
the bulk food section. I never do that because the possibilities for cross-
contamination are too numerous. It might be that the pasta itself is fine
but that it has been contaminated by other bulk items.

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I'm very pleased with Food for Life elbow
macaroni (rice-based, gluten-free).

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I'm not sure about the macaroni you found but I can tell you that my
daughter loves Bi-Aglut pasta. It cooks and tastes like the real thing.

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I wanted to give you a heads up about buying foods from bulk bins.
I've been a bulk foods manager in the past...I have quite a bit of hands-on
time at the bulk department. There is quite a bit of cross contamination in
the department. Wheat flour spills quite a bit, and we use feather dusters
to sweep it off the tops of the bins and on to the floor. We don't use
separate dusters for the different bins. I have also seen flour fall into
the bins on the lower tiers. This isn't usually a problem as the flours
tend to be grouped together (unless you're buying rice flour out of the bin--=

a definite problem).  On the contamination issue: I'm not super picky. But
the amount of flour I see spilled concerns me. I'll buy rice, beans, nuts,
or anything that comes from the gravity fed bins. If the dried fruits are
far enough away, I'll sometimes buy something from them as well.  If you're
concerned with the possibility of flour getting into the bin,  ask any team
member there to get you some from the back stock, which will be safe.


On a final note, after I received the above responses I found Pastoriso
pasta (made by Rice Innovations) at my local grocery store (Stop & Shop) in
a 10oz. box and it seems to be the same pasta that I bought in a bulk
bin...different shape but same ingredients. We have since cooked it and my
daughter really likes it.  Thanks to all of you that helped us on this one.

Anne