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

Thank you to everyone who responded to my question about the MSG in
Hillshire Farms Kielbasa. Many people said MSG is GF, has nothing to do
with Celiac Disease and, therefore, fine on a GF diet. Many people also
said that they have had no ill effects from eating the Hillshire Sausage
or products containing MSG. I will summarize the other responses.

MSG is _fine_ on a GF diet -- it's monosodium glutamate, which is _not_
gluten, nor is it derived from gluten.  Not chemically related, isn't
derived from grain.

MSG is not acceptable if it is made outside this country. 

There is a possibility you might have a separate intolerance to MSG, but
it doesn't contain gluten. A great reference I have found to help
identify safe ingredients is a book by Tricia Thompson "The Gluten Free
Nutrition Guide." Also, the Celiac Disease Foundation publishes a
handbook which discusses safe ingredients. 

Our dietician says it is fine.  We buy the Jeannie O Turkey Calbasa
Sausage, which is essentially the same as the hillshire farm and haven't
had any problems with it.

MSG is gluten free but many people either cannot, or will not eat it for
many other reasons. It can cause migraines, and generally just not
something that we need to consume.  But it is in many processed foods.

Hillshire Farms is owned by Sara Lee Foods -- and Sara Lee has a policy
of marking ALL gluten clearly on their labels -- which is what they told
you on the phone.  

As far as gluten goes, all MSG made in the U.S. is corn-based.  Further,
if the MSG in the product contained gluten, I'm pretty sure that Sara
Lee/Hillshire Farms would list that on the label.  Some people are
allergic to MSG -- but this is not related to gluten.  It is a separate
allergy and/or reaction.  As far as I know, one only has to worry about
MSG when it is in foods not made in the U.S., because it is generally
not possible to know the original source (and whether it was wheat or
barley).  HOWEVER, that said -- and just to throw you into a tizzy -- if
you do a lot of reading about MSG, many will say that any original
gluten proteins would be destroyed in the process of making MSG.
Personally (and this is only for ME), I am very sensitive to gluten.  I
have never had any gluten-type reaction from eating ANY MSG, whether it
comes in a U.S.-manufactured product or any foreign products. But, the
bottom line is that you can safely eat Polska Kielbasa from Hillshire
Farms, as long as you've read the label and it says nothing about wheat,
barley or rye.  

I've never heard of MSG being unacceptable on gluten free diets? It
contains no gluten, nor is it derived from any gluten containing source
material.... 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate
Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate and MSG, is a
sodium salt <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_salt>  of the
non-essential amino glutamic acid
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamic_acid> . It is used as a food
additive <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_additive>  and is commonly
marketed as a flavour enhancer
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavour_enhancer> . It has the HS code
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonized_System_Code>  29224220 and the
E number <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_number>  E621. Trade names of
monosodium glutamate include Ajinomoto, Vetsin, and Accent. Contrary to
popular belief, it does not contain gluten
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten> , and is therefore safe to be
eaten by people with Coeliac disease
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac_disease> .
Although traditional Asian cuisine had often used seaweed
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seaweed>  extract, which contains high
concentrations of glutamic acid, MSG was not isolated until 1907. MSG
was subsequently patented by Ajinomoto
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajinomoto>  Corporation of Japan
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_Japan>  in 1909. In its pure
form, it appears as a white crystalline powder; when dissolved in water
or saliva, it rapidly dissociates into sodium
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium>  cations
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cation>  and glutamate
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamate>  anions
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anion>  (glutamate is the anionic form of
glutamic acid <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamic_acid> , a naturally
occurring amino acid <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amino_acid> 
Clan Thompson says the gluten status of that product is unknown because
the company says if there is a gluten containing ingredient it will be
listed on the label.  This is what they told you as well, so, if the
label doesn't list it, I would say you are good to go.  MSG is fine on a
gluten free diet
(http://www.celiac.com/articles/181/1/Safe-Gluten-Free-Food-List-Safe-In
gredients/Page1.html).

Many people, Celiacs and non-Celiacs cannot tolerate MSG - it has
NOTHING to do with Gluten.  If our tummies can tolerate MSG, we can eat
it. Also, all liquor is GF as long as there are no additives.  If the
ingredients say "Distilled Bourbon", "Distilled Gin", "Distilled
Scotch", etc., enjoy!  All organizations agree that the distillation
process removes any and all gluten from the liquor.

Carol in NJ

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