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

here is the response I received about the Imagine brand vegetarian soups,
plus their added comments about Rice Dream products.
--
Bill Lucas
[log in to unmask]
Burlington, NJ USA

Member of Celiac list (gluten free foods);
Genealogy: Researching Cain (PA), Dock (PA), Flora (PA), Garner (PA),
                   Lucas (PA/NJ), Speese (PA), Freyer ?, Rank ?


Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 07:52:03 -0700
From: lori dunn <[log in to unmask]>
CC: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Soups

Thank you for contacting our office with your concerns about gluten in
our products. The following Imagine Foods products are gluten free:
IMAGINE NATURAL GARDEN VEGETABLE SOUPS, IMAGINE NATURAL PUDDING SNACKS,
and RICE DREAM DESSERTS 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 enzymatic 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.

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). In addition, the enzymes are
essentially used up in the process, (broken down to peptides and amino
acids).  It is possible however, that gluten may exist in minute amounts
in the final product.

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, beginning in the fall of 1998, the Rice Dream Beverage
container will be labeled to indicate the presence of trace amounts of
gluten.

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%.  Furthermore, according to a representative from the USDA, a proper
distillation of  alcohol should not contain any gluten.  One notable
exception to this is our vanilla extract, and the flavoring extracts
used in our Imagine Natural Pudding Snacks.  These extracts are corn
alcohol 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 alcohol extracts are: All
flavors of IMAGINE NATURAL PUDDING SNACKS, and the Vanilla Flavor RICE
DREAM FROZEN DESSERT.   These products should all 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 product lines.
RICE DREAM DESSERT and IMAGINE PUDDING SNACKS products produced after
May of 1996 contain no gluten from barley enzymes. 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 RICE DREAM can be a
useful alternative for many people wishing to avoid gluten.
Unfortunately, for the previously mentioned reasons, we are unable to
absolutely guarantee the total absence of minute amounts of gluten in
many of these products.  I apologize for any confusion regarding this
subject.  Please contact me again if I can be of further assistance.