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

HI to the List,

   Thank you for everyone who took the time out to respond to my query
concerning the difficulty of navigating ones way around the CSA/USA guide as well
locating individual products which are gf.

    Unfortunately, like myself, I found that quite a few of  the other
respondents mentioned that they also had trouble finding specific GF items in the
CSA/USA guide. This seemed due to the fact that the guide largely lists
supermarkets with gf foods in targeted regional areas of the country.  Many folks
informed me that during the first year or so on the gf diet, they bought the book,
but afterwards, they discontinued buying the book, and did their own research
into locating gf products.

   One person told me that the CSA/USA tries to contact food manufacturers
directly, and many of them do not choose to respond to the CSA, so their
products aren't listed in the guide. Shame on them!

    I was also informed that the CSA/USA guide is largely compiled based upon
the help of  volunteers(this meaning individual members of the celiac
community, as well as individual food manufacturers). It sounds to me that, we, as
individual Celiacs, and as individual chapters across the country, should be
doing our homework and calling various companies(as well as regional
supermarkets) on our own free time to verify the gf status of various products, and report
it back to the CSA/USA to publish in their annual guide.

     It would be especially helpful for all the individuals/individual
chapters, to call in their information to CSA/USA on a regular basis so they can
especially help new folks who are recently diagnosed with CD, who are clueless as
to where to start to distinguish gf products. Many of the folks, it seems,
who have been on the diet for 15 or so years, know their way around all the gf
items.   This is not the case for the new folks being diagnosed with CD. I
remember my first time in the supermarket after I was diagnosed-I had my CSA/USA
guide in hand, and I really needed it to find the basics.

    Here were the other suggestions that folks gave to me to find current
info. on gf products:

    The delphiforums is very current, and up to date on GF products.
    www.delphiforums.com( if anyone needs help signing on to this send me
mail
    and Ill help you out with it).

    http://www.Clanthompson.com -this is a guide to current gf foods and
medications
    they also have pocket-guides which one can purchase for home use.

    http://www.gfcfdiet.com.  This is a website for parents with kids with
gf/casein free
    diet. I just glanced at this webpage, but it looks very useful.

    For locals in Michigan, there is the Tri-County Celiac Group. They have
their own
    guide for members, and for others who request it.
    TCCSG GF Shopping Guide, 47829 Vistas Circle N., Canton, Mi. 48188
    http://www.tccsg.com

     Guidelines for a GF Lifestyle,  6/02 Ed. published by Celiac Disease
Foundation
     [log in to unmask]     http://www.celiac.org

     http://www.Celiac.com There's a search engine there listing GF products.



    Thanks to the many people who replied and who were kind enough to offer
to help me find products to go with my recipe. I really don't want to put you
all out of your way, as my mother has some beenie-weenie recipe which I think
Ill ultimately use.

     Thanks again to the group,
    Amy Kravitz [log in to unmask]

*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the Celiac List*