<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Miscellaneous Notes:
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Kosher For Passover: In 1999, the Jewish Holiday of Passover will be
celebrated for eight days beginning at sundown March 31st. This can
have significance for celiacs if they have access to a store which
stocks special products for Passover. If these products:
1. Are marked Kosher for Passover
AND 2. Do NOT contain Matzos (can be spelled many different ways),
Matzos Meal, or Cake Meal,
they are safe for celiacs.
Cookies made by Gruenebaums, Washington Heights, NY were attractive,
tasty and survived one year in the freezer. They use potato starch.
Also, look for condiments and other products.
But remember, read that label.--Carolyn Sullivan
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Passover Is For All Celiacs: Passover is a time in which the Jewish
people observe strict dietary laws by omitting such food items as
leavening and many grains. While many Passover baked goods will
contain matzo meal or cake meal [not GF] in their ingredients, there
are many baked goods that contain potato starch as their only flour
source. One popular brand of potato starch baked goods is
Oberlanders, who bake cookies, brownies, soup nuts, and sponge cakes.
These items can be found in Kosher meat markets, specialty Kosher
delicatessens, and on the shelves of supermarkets at this time of
year. There are other brands of potato starch-based items, so check
the labels.
Also, beware, as many popular brands such as Manischewitz and Goodmans
do use matzo meal and cake meal in some of their Passover baked items
such as macaroons. Read labels carefully.
Passover is a great time to buy soup mixes, ketchup and other
condiments, salad dressing, tuna, and candy, which are all made
without wheat as required by the Passover traditions. This even
extends to vinegar distilled from grain; at Passover time products are
made with apple cider vinegar. Many of these non-baked items can be
found in Passover displays at your local supermarket.--Jill Morey
Gaines, CDF President<1>
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Product Information:
* Bush's Chili Beans and Chili Magic Beans are no longer gluten-
free.
* Erewhon Twice Rice Cereal: Boxes which have a GF sticker on them
are gluten-free; those that don't have a sticker are not gluten-
free.
* Frookie has a new line of gluten-free cookies. At our last
meeting we had a chance to try some, and they got rave reviews.
Look for the varieties that are marked "gluten-free" on the
package.
* Jet-Puffed marshmallows and crŠme are both gluten-free, according
to Lisa Hirde of Favorite Brands International Consumer Affairs.
The imitation vanilla is derived from corn. Call 800-244-4596
(9am-6pm EST) if you have any questions. Upon request, they will
send you a recipe booklet that can easily be adapted to be
gluten-free.
The Gluten-Free Mall(tm): There is a new "one-stop shop" on the
Internet for gluten-free products. You can order and have delivered
at your door a variety of gluten-free and wheat-free products from
many outstanding companies, all from one web page. With one order
(but separate bills with separate shipping charges from each company),
you can get products from all of these companies (with more coming
soon):
Freeda Vitamins
Gifts of Nature
Jowar Foods, Inc.
Legumes Plus
Nelson David of Canada
Oakland Dietetic Bakery (who sells GF cookies at most of our
meetings)
Quinoa Corporation
Tritamyl Bread Mix
[Note: Tritamyl Bread Mix contains wheat starch, which we do NOT
recommend for celiacs.-ed.]
The Gluten-Free Mall is located at <http://www.glutenfreemall.com/>.
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Dermatitis Herpetiformis: The Celiac Disease Research Foundation
International is about to start clinical trials on a topical treatment
for dermatitis herpetiformis. For more information, call Bill Person
at 800-423-2341, or send e-mail to [log in to unmask]<2>
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The Joint Commission Accreditation of Health Care Organizations
(JCAHCO) is the accrediting body for all hospitals and health
organizations to be approved for Medicare reimbursement. Most private
insurance companies and state health plans also follow JCAHCO's
accreditation. Hospitals and health care systems listen to JCAHCO.
You can make complaints regarding poor health care service (such as
failing to provide a GF diet during a hospital stay or uncooperative
pharmacists) to JCAHCO. To make a complaint, be very specific as to
the date and type of treatment, the health organization involved, and
the nature of the complaint. You cannot just write that the doctors
did not know anything about celiac as JCAHCO can only investigate
specific incidents The address is: Division of Accreditation
Operations, Accreditation Service Specialist, Joint Commission
Accreditation of Health Care Organizations, 1 Residence Boulevard,
Terrance, IL 60181.--Greta De Wolf<3>
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Pharmaceutical Companies: There is a web site on the internet which
lists contact information for many drug companies. Most have a
toll-free phone number and an address for contacting them. The web
page is at <http://www.needymeds.com/companies.html>.<4>
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