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From:
Hilary Shughart <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Hilary Shughart <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 20 Sep 2004 13:57:14 -0500
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<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Below you will find my questions to McCann's, and their reply, which fails to answer the questions (are they grown in dedicated fields; if not, how can you sort out gluten-containing grains; are all of your oats grown in Ireland). If anybody out there knows the bottom line as to whether it is truth or myth that oats and canola are rotated with wheat and other gluten-containing grains, I would surely like to know. It seems to me that it would be impossible to sort out the stray grains that grow from the previous crop.
Why they would not answer a simple question as to whether all of their oats are grown in Ireland is a mystery. I should think that they would want to boast about being exclusively Irish, if that were the case. I recently purchased a product which had imprinted on it that it is from a New Jersey company, yet the box clearly indicated that it is made in Russia. Interesting. Well, on reading their reply again, it is not clear whether they are saying that indeed they are all grown in Ireland - the "products" are made in a dedicated mill, but I am asking about the "inputs". I will ask them to clarify.
Since my son reacted to McCann's I have to wonder how much of a Russian Roulette their product really is. An awful lot of "super sensitive" celiacs seemed not to react to products which where later revealed by the manufacturer to contain gluten, so, to go by word of mouth on the list is rather risky. 
Anyone with real science behind your answers, feel free to post a reply! I know that studies have shown pure oats to be okay; what I don't know is whether pure oats are available to the public. I don't see them listed at CSA or Delphi, or even celiac.com, which does list some Quaker products which I sincerely doubt are from pure oats...I guess it all boils down to selecting a tolerance level.
Thanks.
Hilary
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Paul Germann 
To: Hilary Shughart 
Sent: Monday, September 20, 2004 12:12 PM
Subject: Re: McCann's Irish Oatmeal


Dear Hilary,
 
Thanks for your e-mail regarding McCann's oatmeal.   All McCann's oatmeal products are made in Ireland in a dedicated mill that makes only oat products.  In the process, there is a cleaning system that removes non-oat grains, stones, pieces of straw etc.  The farmers deliver in the oats direct from the fields in trailers that might have contained wheat or barley earlier but we insist that they are swept out and cleaned before they use them for oats.  We approximate that the admix is less than 0.05%

As you can see, we take every reasonable precaution to ensure that there is no possible cross contamination - but can we guarantee absolutely 100% that this is the case with every pack of McCann's that leaves our premises - the answer would have to be "No".  I think that the majority of people would have no problem using our products but they really have to make that decision themselves.

We get quite a few calls from Celiac's that use our product and enjoy it.  In addition, the 

U.S. Celiac Foundation publishes a newsletter and for the Summer 2002 edition they gave their members a recipe for crispy oatmeal cookies using McCann's Quick Cooking 

Oatmeal.



I hope this information is helpful.





Best regards,





Naisha Silvey



Hilary Shughart wrote:

  I have three questions:
  1. Are McCann's Irish Oats grown in dedicated fields, or are they grown in fields that are rotated with other crops including wheat, barley, or rye?

  2. If they are grown in fields that rotate with gluten-containing grains (barley,wheat, rye), then how would the stray grains that would grow in that field be sorted out? (they are so similar that this seems improbable).

  3. Are McCann's Irish Oatmeal products made only with oats grown in Ireland, or does the term "Irish Oats" refer to the coarser texture rather than the country of origin?
  Thanks.
  Hilary

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