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

Hi all.  I have decided to put the UTZ Brand Products back on the safe list.

  Marion Levy wrote to tell me more about her correspondence with the
company.  They say that although the products are not made on dedicated
lines, the lines are thoroughly cleaned between runs. They even periodically
call their suppliers to make sure that the ingredients are still gluten free
ones and that others are not being substituted.  However, at any time their
gf list could change, so users of UTZ products should still call
periodically to make the products they are using are still safe.

Please if anyone has had trouble with these products, please drop me a line.
  I would like to hear from you.

Here are the UTZ products I am re-adding to my GF Food List:

Utz Snacks ([log in to unmask]): White Corn Tortilla Chips, Restaurant
Style Tortilla Chips, Nacho Tortillas - regular and spicy, Spicy Nacho
Tortilla Chips, Black Bean & Salsa Tortilla Chips, Corn Chips, BBQ Corn
Chips, Butter Popcorn, Cheese Popcorn, White Cheddar Cheese Popcorn, Baked
Cheese Curls, Baked Cheese Balls, Crunchy Cheese Curls, Unflavored potato
chips fried in pure cottonseed oil, Low Fat Baked Tortilla Chips,
""Unflavored reduced fat and YES! fat free potato chips""
_____________________________

Here is what the Director of Quality Assurance wrote about their products:

"Please note that we believe the aforementioned product listing is accurate,
but we can not completely guarantee it at all times.  It is possible that
some of our suppliers may change the source of some of the raw materials
they use to manufacture our various seasonings and flavorings without the
legal requirement of notifying us, as long as it does not alter the required
ingredient statement, nutrition content, flavor profile, and shelf life.  As
a consequence, we periodically contact all our ingredient suppliers to
update our file for the purpose of determining if different incidental
additives and/or processing aids, which may represent allergenic components
and which may not be reflected in our current ingredient statement, are
being used.  An additional complication to this matter is the potential fact
that the manufacturing facilities of our ingredient suppliers may use common
manufacturing lines to produce different formulations for accounts other
than our own.  Obviously, these production lines are thoroughly cleaned
between changeovers, but there is always the potential for trace
contamination.  Notwithstanding the above concerns, we have been giving out
the aforementioned list of Utz branded "safe" snacks to people who have
celiac disease for the last two years.  We have not been contacted as yet by
anyone experiencing a problem with this list.  We hope this information is
helpful to you.

Though we believe the information provided here is accurate, we can not
assume responsibility for any undesirable consequences.  We encourage you to
use this information in consultation with your physician or nutrition
specialist.  If we can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to
contact us again.

Sincerely,
UTZ QUALITY FOODS, INC.
Donald Kline, CNC
Director, Quality Assurance
_____________________________________

Also, I would like to say that I recently was contact by one of my support
group forum assistants regarding Frito-Lay.  While shopping in the store,
she found a bag of Tostitos with Funyons mixed in it.  This was evidience to
her that Frito-Lay must not be very careful with cleaning the lines.
Needless to say Frito-Lay products are remaining on my contamination page.