<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Kemp Randolph recently objected to an out-of-context quote of a message on annatto, where I mentioned that it's possible mixing with flour, and he questioned whether my statement was hearsay, or could be verified. The CSA/USA Commercial Products Listing, 3rd Edition, states on page 52 that ground spices may be mixed with flour as a filler, or to increase pourability. It cites only 2 manufacturers that will say that their annatto coloring is gluten-free: American Home Food Products, Inc. (08/95) page 87 Land O'Lakes, Inc. (08/95) page81 The TCCSSG Shopping Guide, Oct.97-Oct.98, mentions the use of flour as an anti-caking agent in spices on page 3. I knew annatto was used in ground form as a spice, as I had often seen it displayed and demonstrated on cooking shows (Mexican mostly--"2 Hot Tamales"--and also several Caribbean cooking shows). I also watched a travelogue which featured a segment on annatto (also called achiote) and it showed some of its manufacture into a spice, where they did add flour! I do not remember that show's name, unfortunately but it did alert me to the possible hazard. I don't mean to single out annatto, that was simply the ingredient under discussion on the List. Any ground spice may be so treated; that's one reason we might call manufacterers about them! Read on: While flour must be declared as an ingredient in some circum- stances, it is not required to be declared if considered part of a product's packaging, as in dusting conveyer belts or used as an anti-caking agent. Coleman's Mustard is a good case in point: it is gf in the UK, but that sold in the USA may not be, although both labels say it is 100% mustard. Please see the List archives if you are interested in this long discussion. There are lots of websites on annatto, describing its use in both paste and powdered form on a net search: http://food.epicurious.com/db/dictionary/terms/a/annatto.html http://www.cuisinet.com/glossary/achiote.html are only two; the second site mentions, as others also do, that the paste may contain vinegar (source unspecified). I was interested that powdered and paste were the two most often mentioned forms: asafoetida is also sold both ways, but all the asafoetida I have seen so far is powdered, and is labeled as containing wheat flour. I haven't seen annatto on any shelves, but I haven't been in any Caribbean or Latino markets yet. Good luck and good health! Bobbi in Baltimore