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

After quizing 2 vitamin enrichment suppliers in the U.S., I discovered that
they usually pair the same type of starch used with the vitamin enrichment
with the product.
I then based this knowledge to contact a polenta manufacturer
(Golden Pheasant Polenta, The Polenta Company, South San Francisco,
California) who told me that their polenta contains a vitamin enrichment
mixture paired with corn flour.

However, after speaking to John Hillhouse of Koda Farms who makes sweet rice
products, he disclosed that the vitamin enrichment mixture used in their
sweet rice flour/or sweet rice products contained wheat starch (see his
response below).  He told me that those who had wheat allergies never
complained about their products.  However, I explained to him that celiac
disease was not an allergy and it can be symptomless.  More than a year ago,
I contacted this company who told me that no wheat was in the product and
that if I questioned the vitamins in the sweet rice, the company would not
research all the vitamins but a couple of them since it was too difficult to
research all of them (iron, thiamin, niacin, folic acid.  When I asked to
have the folic acid researched, the vitamin enrichment supplier responded
that it was chemically synthesized and contained no gluten.  However, when I
contacted the company again, Mr. Hillhouse discovered that it was a vitamin
enrichment "mixture" used in the rice that contained wheat starch.



>From: "John M. Hillhouse" <[log in to unmask]>
>>Subject: Gluten content
>Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 09:35:07 -0800
>
>After doing some research I have discovered that the nutrient we
>currently use has less than one percent gluten content.  We apply the
>nutrient at a rate of one ounce per one hundred pounds of rice.  So if
>any gluten is present in the flour it would be an extremely small
>percentage.  However due to your condition I do not recommend using our
>product at this time.   I do hope to eventually make our product
>completely gluten free, so at this time I am researching alternatives to
>the nutrient we currently use.  Sorry I can't be of more help, but I
>will notify you when changes are made.  If you have any questions please
>don't hesitate to call me.
>
>Thank you,
>
>John M. (Mike) Hillhouse
>
>Koda Farms, Inc.
>
>

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