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

Kemp Randolph recently objected to an out-of-context quote
of a message on annatto, where I mentioned that it's possible
mixing with flour, and he questioned whether my statement
was hearsay, or could be verified.

The CSA/USA Commercial Products Listing, 3rd Edition, states
on page 52 that ground spices may be mixed with flour as a
filler, or to increase pourability. It cites only 2 manufacturers
that will say that their annatto coloring is gluten-free:
American Home Food Products, Inc. (08/95) page 87
Land O'Lakes, Inc. (08/95) page81

The TCCSSG Shopping Guide, Oct.97-Oct.98, mentions the
use of flour as an anti-caking agent in spices on page 3.

I knew annatto was used in ground form as a spice, as I had
often seen it displayed and demonstrated on cooking shows
(Mexican mostly--"2 Hot Tamales"--and also several Caribbean
cooking shows). I also watched a travelogue which featured a
segment on annatto (also called achiote) and it showed some
of its manufacture into a spice, where they did add flour! I do
not remember that show's name, unfortunately but it did alert
me to the possible hazard. I don't mean to single out annatto,
that was simply the ingredient under discussion on the List.
Any ground spice may be so treated; that's one reason we
might call manufacterers about them! Read on:

While flour must be declared as an ingredient in some circum-
stances, it is not required to be declared if considered part of a
product's packaging, as in dusting conveyer belts or used as an
anti-caking agent. Coleman's Mustard is a good case in point:
it is gf in the UK, but that sold in the USA may not be, although
both labels say it is 100% mustard. Please see the List archives
if you are interested in this long discussion.

There are lots of websites on annatto, describing its use in both
paste and powdered form on a net search:
http://food.epicurious.com/db/dictionary/terms/a/annatto.html
http://www.cuisinet.com/glossary/achiote.html
are only two; the second site mentions, as others also do, that
the paste may contain vinegar (source unspecified). I was
interested that powdered and paste were the two most often
mentioned forms: asafoetida is also sold both ways, but all
the asafoetida I have seen so far is powdered, and is labeled
as containing wheat flour. I haven't seen annatto on any shelves,
but I haven't been in any Caribbean or Latino markets yet.

Good luck and good health!
Bobbi in Baltimore