<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
In response to this posting:
> MSG can indeed cause a serious reaction, and lurks in many seemingly
> non-grain foods, such as tuna fish and tomato paste. Watch out for
> Contadina tomato paste, it contains "hydrolyzed vegetable protein"
> which I believe is the same as MSG, and can be formulated from wheat.
> I made the mistake of using it in chili, and my celiac husband had a
> reaction. We couldn't figure it out until I went back and read the
> label.
There are several points I feel need to be clarified:
1) MSG occurs naturally in some foods. It can also be created
artificially in three different ways, one of which can involve
wheat. So MSG might contain gluten, but does not always contain
gluten. Like so many other additives, it depends upon its source.
2) MSG is NOT the same thing as hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP).
Many people, both celiacs and non-celiacs, have a reaction to MSG.
If you have a reaction, it might be due to gluten, or it might be
because you are allergic to MSG.
3) Hydrolyzed vegetable protein can come from many sources, including
soy and wheat. If you don't know the source, then you should
avoid it. If the source is soy, and you don't have a soy allergy,
then you should be able to eat it.
4) Under the new labeling laws, which I believe took effect last May,
food manufacturers are required to indicate the source of
hydrolyzed vegetable protein. Therefore, if you purchase anything
that lists hydrolyzed vegetable protein, without listing the
source, you should contact both the manufacturer and the FDA as
they are in violation of the new labelling laws.
5) We contacted Contadina last year. Contadina Tomato Paste was
listed as being gluten-free, as of May 1994. Therefore, either
the ingredients have changed and it is no longer gluten-free
(possible), or it causes an MSG-allergic reaction in some people
(more likely).
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