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The most common response I got was a concern that Lundberg had a gluten
free brown rice syrup.  It had been some years since I had last spoken with
Christine there, so I decided to call her and get the new scoop.  This is a
synopsis of the conversation I had:

Regarding the Brown Rice Syrup:  They still purchase the enzymatic culture
from CNP, but a few years back had reformulated it and are now making it an
entirely different way.  It is now from a culture grown on agar.  CNP still
makes the old barley based one as before, but that is primarily for use in
the Imagine Products, with whom CNP is affiliated.

Lundberg has also added new products to thier line over the last few years.
 Christine has been very involved in formulating these products, including
the development of the natural flavors in cooperation with their vedor,
Pacific Foods.  She lists only four products Lundberg sells that are NOT
gluten free, as far as she knows.  The four products which are NOT gluten
free are listed as follows:

Organic Multigrain Rice Cakes
Italian Herb Rissotto
Garlic Primavera Risotto
and Savory Mushroom Brown Rice Pilaf

I specifically asked about the Creamy Parmesean, since it had an autolysed
yeast extract.  She indicated that as far as she knows, it should be gluten
free also.  Also GF is some tamari flavored crackers, as these have the
wheat free tamari from San J in them.

I was quite impressed with her accumulation of knowlegde about celiac
disease  since years back, when I last spoke with her.  She regularly
contacts quite a few  people in celiac groups and is very familiar with our
needs.  She has become quite an advocate for us.  It is a pleasure to work
with such concerned people.

As a side note:  Regarding Imagine Foods, I recieved a fax document
indicating which of thier products are GF.  They claim thier soy dream
beverages have natural flavorings from a corn based alcohol, and a few of
thier dream frozen desserts are also GF.  Regardless, they warn that the
rice syrup used in thier products have a trace amount of barley protien.

They indicate that they have been informed that there is no establised safe
limit and that only a minute amount is in the final product.  This is still
used in thier pudding snacks, etc.

One thing I found disturbing was that thier new packages, they no longer
even list rice syrup as an ingredient.  In thier fax, they indicated that
the FDA does not require them to describe thier manufacturing processes,
which presumably includes the production of the rice syrup.  Therefore, the
new labels  simply say water and partially milled brown rice.  On the
bottom of the side of the container there is a small warning under the
company name that the product contains .002% barley protein.

Joanne