<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> I am forwarding this information onto all the list members. Hope this helps anyone interested in it. This is what I asked and the answer comes right afterwards. To Whom It May Concern: This is an urgent request for information. I am a celiac - intolerant to gluten proteins found in wheat, oats, barley and rye. I have also become lactose intolerant and need to go to some other type of milk, preferably soy. Celiacs are being warned to stay away from rice or soy milk due to the fact they are processed with malt (which, of course, comes from the barley.) I really want to drink Soy Dream because I like the taste, but am afraid to continue til I hear from you. I thank you in advance for the information you provide me. Ellen Dear Ellen, Thank you for contacting our office with questions about gluten in our products. The following Imagine Foods products are gluten free: Imagine Natural(r) Garden Vegetable Soups, Soy Dream(r) Beverages, Imagine Natural(r) Puddings, Power Dream(tm) Natural Energy Drinks - Raspberry and Chai flavors, and Rice Dream(r) Frozen Desserts in plain Carob, Chocolate, and Vanilla flavors only. There are two primary areas of concern regarding the gluten content of our Rice Dream products. They are grain alcohol based flavoring extracts, and the use of enzymes grown on grain in processing. Rice Dream Beverage is made primarily from rice, it contains no whole wheat or barley ingredients. However, our patented enzyme process utilizes enzymes, which are derived from various grains including barley, to convert the complex carbohydrates in brown rice to naturally occurring sugars. It is this process that gives Rice Dream products their sweet flavor without the need for added sweeteners. The actual grains used to grow the enzymes are discarded after the enzymes are extracted. However, it is possible, that gluten may exist in minute amounts in the final product. The barley protein in the final Rice Dream Beverage product, if present at all, would occur in parts per million amounts (less than 5 mg barley protein per 8 oz serving). We are not required by the FDA to list on the product labels, the enzymes, how they are developed, or how they are used in the processing of our products. However, we certainly did not wish to mislead or endanger our gluten sensitive customers. In response to consumer requests, Rice Dream Beverage containers have been labeled to indicate the presence of trace amounts of gluten (the container says "contains less than .002% barley protein"). Many gluten sensitive people are also advised to avoid grain alcohol based flavoring extracts. These types of extracts are contained in most of our products and listed as "natural flavors". The total volume of these extracts in a serving of any of our products is less than half of 1%. According to a representative from the USDA, a proper distillation of alcohol should not contain any gluten. One notable exception to the use of wheat based alcohol is our vanilla extract, and the flavoring extracts used in our Imagine Natural Puddings, and Power Dream. These extracts are corn based and therefore acceptable in a wheat-free diet. Imagine Foods products that do not contain alcohol based flavoring extracts are the plain Carob and Chocolate flavors of Rice Dream Frozen Dessert. Products that contain corn based extracts are: All flavors of Power Dream, Imagine Natural Puddings, and The Vanilla Flavor Rice Dream Frozen Dessert. These products should be acceptable in a gluten-free diet. We understand that there is no established "safe" level of gluten for Celiac patients. We hope knowing the amount of gluten which may be present In Rice Dream will allow people, in conjunction with their health care providers, to make informed decisions about whether Rice Dream products are appropriate for their diets. We have developed a process for utilizing a non-grain enzyme source for our Rice Dream Frozen Dessert and Imagine Pudding Snacks. Unfortunately, this enzyme does not work for the processing of Rice Dream Beverage. If we can successfully meet our product requirements using enzymes grown on another medium, we will switch to them. Because of it's minimal gluten content, we believe that Rice Dream can be a useful alternative for many people wishing to avoid gluten. Unfortunately, for previously mentioned reasons, we are unable to guarantee the total absence of minute amounts of gluten in many of these products. I apologize for any confusion regarding this subject. Please feel free to contact me again if I can be of further assistance, or visit our web site at www.imaginefoods.com for additional product information and store locations. Cordially, Mary Stift Consumer Relations Manager Imagine Foods 800-333-6339 Ext. 57 Fax: 360-647-2724 [log in to unmask] On Monday, October 11, 1999, Ellen <[log in to unmask]> wrote: