<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
I received twenty-eight responses to my question about Amy's GF frozen
foods. Of those twenty-eight responses, twelve people stated that they had
DEFINITELY had trouble with Amy's and refused to buy it as a result; conversely,
eleven people stated that they had not had any trouble with Amy's and bought it
regularly. Five people thought they might have had a reaction to Amy's but
weren't entirely sure...
Interesting, a bit frustrating, and not altogether surprising, I don't
suppose ... even for those of us who are newly diagnosed and trying to make sense
of it all. Amy's GF food is labeled as such, but it's made in a facility that
also makes food containing gluten. So the discrepancy must lie in the fact
that cross contamination does sometimes (but not always) occur. Also, I'm
learning, some folks seem to be more sensitive then others.
I've included, in this summary, a sampling of the responses I got, along
with a letter from the folks at Amy's explaining their process.
In the end, Amy's is a problem for some but not all, and the bottom line
seems to be this: eat Amy's at your own risk.
Sara
I've been using Amy's Rice Mac and Cheese, and Rice Pasta Lasagna for a
number of years without problems. First, be sure you picked up the gluten
free version of what you want; Not all Amy's is gluten free.
Mushrooms: I have never reacted to mushrooms. I buy the non-organic kind,
and buy the whitest, freshest ones I can find. I cut off the ends of the
stems, wipe off dirt and growing soil with a dry paper towel, then work them
into my recipes.
These are all common sense actions, and I have never reacted to a carefully
selected Amy's Kitchen product, or to mushrooms. I have been GF 10 years,
and I raised 2 Celiac Children.
We definitely had a problem with Amy's. The only thing my 6 year old was
missing was her Mac & Cheese, I saw Amy's in the frozen section with "Gluten
Free" on the front of the box and snatched it right up. I ignored my common
sense and did not read the package until after she had inhaled the entire
contents in 3 minutes (she was very excited) and saw the disclaimer that it was
processed in a plant which also processes wheat. Within a few hours, we know
that she had ingested gluten. I was beyond mad - at myself for not reading
the fine print and at Amy's for advertising that it was gluten free. The food
itself is gluten free but the process may not be and it is wrong to be able
to put gluten free on the package.
I eat Amy's most days of the week for lunch. Never had a problem.
I eat Amy's about once a month and I have only been glutenated once - it
was vegetable lasagna (which I had eaten before with no problem). It was
DEFINITELY gluten, and DEFINITELY the lasagna. I called their company to report
it, and they said they didn't have any other complaints - but who knows.
From Rochelle at Amy's Kitchen:
Amy's Kitchen manufactures a number of products that are formulated without
gluten containing ingredients. We strive to make these products as delicious
as our popular gluten containing products. We currently have over 60 products
that are formulated without gluten.
Current US food regulations do not define "Gluten Free". By August 2006, the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must issue a proposed rule that will
define the criteria for "Gluten Free" labeling of foods; the final rule defining
"Gluten Free" must be issued no later than August 2008. In the meantime,
Amy's Kitchen has decided to label the US products we make without any
gluten-containing ingredients as "No Gluten Ingredients". In April 2006, you will start
to see "No Gluten Ingredients" on the front of frozen product packages and
on the back of canned and jarred product labels manufactured for the US market
. Once the criteria for "Gluten Free" are final, Amy's Kitchen will update
our packaging according to the FDA criteria.
Amy's has always had strict Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) to avoid
cross-contact of our non-gluten products with gluten and we continue to
strengthen these practices. The GMPs include strict raw material control, sanitation
practices and employee training. We are constantly updating these procedures
to include more testing and in process checks. At our main processing
facility, we have segregated our preparation and cooking areas into distinct
"gluten" and "no gluten ingredients" areas to minimize the risk of cross-contact. In
addition, we recently designated a completely enclosed area as "No Gluten
Ingredients" at a new production facility. These activities support our
commitment to ensuring that Amy's Kitchen's "No Gluten Ingredients" products are
acceptable for any consumer who wants to avoid gluten.
A wide range of activities and cross-checks are completed to ensure that
cross-contamination and/or inadvertent use of the wrong ingredient does not
occur. Examples include:
v Full shift manufacture of products with complete clean-up of all
food contact surfaces between products. Pieces of equipment that come in
contact with the food are cleaned and sanitized prior to the manufacture of the
next product.
v Separate item numbers for all ingredients; these are checked by two
individuals on receipt of the ingredient and three people on use of the
ingredient to confirm the correct item is used.
v Use of colored tags, papers and containers in production as an
addition visual check to ensure intermediate components are not interchanged.
v Designated areas for flour use to control airborne gluten and
minimize its spread.
v Bar code readers at packaging lines to ensure correct package is
used with each product.
v Spot screening of ingredients and finished products at University
of Nebraska (FARRP - Food Allergy Research and Resource Program) to confirm
there are no unlabeled allergens (utilize tests for gluten, soy, milk and
peanuts).
I hope this helps!"
Rochelle
Visit the Celiac Web Page at Http://www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html
Archives are at: Http://Listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?LIST=CELIAC
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