Manufacturer Correspondence – Gluten Free Finds

Gluten Content Test: Counter Culture Coffee Forty Six Coffee Beans + Nima Sensor False Positive

After being diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2016, I wrote Counter Culture Coffee to see if the coffee beans I get from them (Counter Culture Coffee Forty Six) are gluten free.

My email to them:

“I have recently been diagnosed with gluten intolerance. Because of that, I need to eliminate gluten from my diet. Does counter culture coffee contain gluten or any gluten containing additives? I can’t imagine you use gluten anywhere in the process, but I wanted to double check.”

Their reply back (dated 3/8/16): “Thanks for contacting us! Coffee is naturally gluten-free and we do not add anything in the process of roasting, so you should be good to go!”

Note: This is their reply to me personally, not an official position, contact Counter Culture Coffee with questions and verify currentness of information.

Fast forward to 11/2017. I decided to double check this with my Nima Sensor

Result: Gluten Found! What the what?!!!! This result baffled me and sent me into a spiral wondering – Just what can I trust??? Single ingredient item from (what I consider) to be a high end coffee roaster, that has told me their process includes not gluten ingredients. After some digging, I realized that this was false positive result. Nima has issues with intensely colored things. See link below.

I decided to perform a GlutenTox test on this coffee. GlutenTox allows you to choose between 5 and 20 PPM. I performed this test at the 5 PPM (parts per million) sensitivity level.

I used a cooled down shot of espresso to complete this test.

The bag of coffee, two glutentox solutions and test strip

Close up of the results

The test stick has two lines, the one on the left is the blue control line and should always become visible. There is another possible line just to the right of that, that one is red. That becomes visible if gluten is detected at the selected concentration. As you can see in this photo only the control line is visible. According to this result the sample I tested has a lower than 5 PPM gluten content.

Order has been restored in the world

More About GlutenTox

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Each GlutenTox test comes with single use pipettes, extract solution, dilution solution, sample scoop and a test stick. The testing process is relatively simple and the instructions are clearly written. This test gives you some flexibility as you have the choice between testing at 20 PPM (parts per million) or 5 PPM. Under 20 PPM allows manufacturers to label certain foods as gluten free.

GlutenTox Home is a quick, user-friendly test to detect gluten in foods, drinks, cosmetics, or any other substance. It’s useful for anyone who suffers from celiac disease, or keeps a gluten-free diet for any reason.

Adjustable sensitivity: test for 20ppm or 5ppm of gluten depending on your specific needs
No special equipment required; everything but the test material is included in the kit
Safe, non-toxic, and easy to use
Quick response: a reliable answer in less than 20 minutes
The included G12 antibody recognizes the toxic fraction of gluten in wheat, barley, rye, and even oat.

Kits contain everything you need to test for gluten in foods, drinks or cosmetics. Kits are available in 2-, 5- and 10-test quantities.

Price varies based on how many kits you buy

Visit GlutenTox

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A note about gluten content tests: These are performed in non-lab environments with small samples. Processes and ingredients change over time. Tests found on Gluten Free Finds should not be considered authoritative in nature. Always check product labels and consult manufacturers for additional information on ingredients and processes.

Manufacturer Correspondence: Is Perrier Gluten Free?

I emailed Perrier to ask about gluten content of their waters and flavored waters. Note that this is their response to me personally. Ingredients and procedures can change over time, check with manufacturers to get up to date information.

Response received 5/25/17…

We understand your concern of potential gluten in our Perrier® Sparkling Mineral Water, and we’ll be happy to clear up any concern.

Our products do not contain gluten. This includes the flavored products as well.

Have a great day!

Lori Blazosek
Consumer Satisfaction Ambassador

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Manufacturer Correspondence: Amy’s Kitchen

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Amy’s Gluten Free Rice Mac & Cheese. On my list of Gluten Free Things I Actually Like

I wrote to Amy’s Kitchen to ask if they had procedures in place to guard against cross contamination and I also asked if they test their gluten free foods for gluten content. Note that what follows is their response to me personally. Ingredients and procedures can change over time, check with manufacturers to get up to date information.

Response received 8/11/16…

Thank you for your inquiry.

We currently make more than 100 gluten free products, and we were one of the pioneers in producing a wide range of gluten free meals. Amy’s gluten free products do not contain any ingredients derived from wheat, rye, barley or oats (unless the oats are gluten free).

In 2007 we set up a lab to begin testing each batch of gluten free products to ensure that they meet the FDA Gluten Free requirement of <20 ppm. We continue to do this so that we can be sure that our food meets this requirement.

In addition to testing each batch, a wide range of cross-checks are completed to ensure that cross-contact or accidental use of the wrong ingredient does not happen in our facilities. Our vendor approval processes, cleaning procedures, and ingredient testing all help to address the risk of cross-contact.

We hope this helps answer your question.

Warm regards,

Mariana
Consumer Relations Coordinator

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Gluten Content Test: Chilli Man Chili with Beans

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Chilli Man Chili with Beans is made by Faribault Foods.

Find Chilli Man Chili: Amazon || Wal-Mart || Jet

I contacted Faribault Foods to ask if Chilli Man Chili with Beans is gluten free. Note that this is their response to me personally. Ingredients and procedures can change over time, check with manufacturers to get up to date information.

I received this response on March 9, 2016

Thank you for your contact concerning Chilliman Chili. This product does not contain any gluten ingredients.

Barb Edwards
Consumer Relations

To put that to the test, I performed a GlutenTox test. GlutenTox allows you to choose between 5 and 20 PPM. I performed this test at the 20 PPM (parts per million) sensitivity level.

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More About GlutenTox

Adjustable sensitivity: test for 20ppm or 5ppm of gluten depending on your specific needs
No special equipment required; everything but the test material is included in the kit
Safe, non-toxic, and easy to use
Quick response: a reliable answer in less than 20 minutes
The included G12 antibody recognizes the toxic fraction of gluten in wheat, barley, rye, and even oat.

Kits contain everything you need to test for gluten in foods, drinks or cosmetics. Kits are available in 2-, 5- and 10-test quantities.

Price varies based on how many kits you buy

Visit GlutenTox

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Manufacturer Correspondence: GSK Sensodyne and Pronamel – Gluten Content

sensodyne-range

I use Sensodyne Repair & Protect Sensitive Toothpaste. I had read on several websites that Sensodyne does not contain gluten. I decided to write GSK myself to see what they had to say. Note that this is their response to me personally. Ingredients and procedures can change over time, check with manufacturers to get up to date information.

Response received 6/24/16…

Thank you for your enquiry regarding presence of gluten and related products in Sensodyne and Pronamel range of oral products. Sensodyne and Pronamel range of oral products do not contain gluten as an ingredient either in the raw materials or in the list of ingredients used in Sensodyne formulations.

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSK CH) only uses the highest quality raw material specifications for use in its products. GSK CH does not screen/test final product for gluten, instead GSK CH relies on detailed responses from suppliers of the raw materials which are used in the supply chain for these products. These raw material suppliers have respectively confirmed the absence of gluten in their specifications. As GSK CH does not test for gluten we are unable to provide a specific detection method or threshold for gluten and its derivatives.

We always recommend using any GSK product as described in the product label. Toothpastes do not contain prescribing information.

For consumers, who are intolerant or highly allergic to certain ingredients, it is recommended if there are further concerns to consult your doctor before using this product.

You can visit our website www.gsk.com for more product information. There you will be able to find our products information including ingredients.

We appreciate your taking the time to contact us.
Sincerely,

Nola
Customer Service Representative
Consumer Relations

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