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

I recently wrote to the South River Miso Company (Conway, MA) about their
chickpea miso (soy-free). The ingredients listed on the jar are: water,
brown rice, chickpeas, sea salt, and koji culture.  I specifically asked
them about the contents of the koji culture and about whether barley,
wheat and other problematic grains might be included in the miso (either
deliberately or through cross-contamination).

They sent me a detailed answer saying that the koji culture is made with
rice (Lundberg short grain), rice flour, wood ash and a powder of spores
of the aspeyrllus oryzae mold (that spelling may not be quite right, the
letter was hand written). No barley or wheat are used in this culture
(note: those are the main grains to look out for in other misos).  I did
not ask about the koji in their soy misos.

The one cross-contamination issue is that the miso is made in large wooden
vats (holding from 2400-7500 pounds of miso).  They age the misos in
designated vats but sometimes are forced to use the same vat for more than
one kind of miso (some of which contain barley).  They scrub down and
clean out the vats completely each time they start a new batch.
People will have to judge for themselves whether this constitutes a
significant cross-contamination risk or not.

They also said the miso keeps indefinitly in the refrigerator and sent
some recipes and instructions for its use.  It was a very thorough and
helpful letter.

I can purchase this miso at my local Bread & Circus store.  The company's
address and phone number are: South River Miso Company, South River Farm,
Conway, MA 01341  413-369-4057, FAX: 413-369-4299.

Amy (Massachusetts)