<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Miscellaneous Notes: -------------------- 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 -=-=- -=-=- 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> -=-=- -=-=- 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/>. -=-=- -=-=- 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> -=-=- -=-=- 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> -=-=- -=-=- 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>