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

Yikes!  I completely forgot to post my summary on Miso, so here it is...

Most people weren't too sure about it, but thought it wasn't safe, or said
something to the effect of "It depends on the miso," but I got some
informative answers, too:

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I don't think that all miso soup is safe. However, I know that edward and
Sons brand instant miso soup is safe.

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Miso is not safe.  Many miso formulations contain barley (as well as
rice) and I suspect if you search you will also find some containing
wheat.

In detail, miso is made from at least soy, aspergillus ("koji")
spores, and salt.  The koji culture may be maintained in either rice
or barley, and if the latter, it would a source of contaimination.
But more importantly, miso often does have other grain ingredients
such as barley.  Not all brands do, so you need to research the
sources.

See http://www.cjn.or.jp/hatchomiso/index-j.html for a brand that
definitely contains barley.  See http://www.takeya-miso.co.jp/e-
takeya.html for another that apparently does not.

See also this page: http://www.fuchu.or.jp/~kanemitu/what'smiso.htm which
shows a varienty of misos, some with barley, some without.

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So, there you have it - there are several safe brands of miso, but we
should not blindly trust it in restaurants like I had been doing, since the
barley fermentation is apparently the favorite.  But we can buy it in
stores, and if we can establish a rapport with a local restaurant, we can
find out which they use, and whether it's safe.

-Meredith

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Meredith Johnson