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

Yesterday at our local food coop (Food Conspiracy Cooperative in Tucson, AZ), I noticed they were carrying a new brand of tempeh, made by the folks who make the Tofurky (a product which is predominantly wheat gluten and not on our diets.)

A couple of the seasoned tempeh varieties stated Gluten Free on the label, yet the ingredients listed soy sauce made with wheat and wheat as an allergen, then included this statement with an asterisk
"*Wheat used in fermentation of soy sauce but independent lab tests detect no residual gluten."

I checked tofurky.com and their tempeh FAQ, then emailed for their gluten-free statement and received this prompt reply:

"We have since taken that off our packaging because it was too confusing for
people, but here is the statement...
We have tested our tempeh products for gluten and they are 'gluten free'.
Wheat is used in the fermentation process to make shoyu soy sauce, however,
gluten is the protein portion of whole wheat and is insoluble in water. As
such it does not transfer into the shoyu soy sauce during the fermentation
process.
We have used two independent labs to test our tempeh products. The testing
criteria for gluten to be present is 10ppm. Both labs reported 'non
detectable' levels of gluten in Turtle Island Foods tempeh products. "

I thanked the writer for his reply and responded:

"So I understand correctly, is it correct to presume you removed the GF reference and this explanation, both, from the labels?And I am curious if Tofurky tested the shoyu soy sauce used, relied on the statements of the shoyu maker, or only tested the final product after dilution with the tempeh ingredients? "

My question for this list is about the scientific accuracy of this part of Tofurky's reply:
"Wheat is used in the fermentation process to make shoyu soy sauce, however,
gluten is the protein portion of whole wheat and is insoluble in water."

Thanks

Jack

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