Erewhon Aztec cereal

[Guest guest]

I called US Mills to check on their Aztec cereal. The woman said that it is

not considered gluten free due to the Amaranth which is ok'd by some celiac

organizations and not others. I asked her if any of the other ingredients or

cross contamination were an issue to which she replied no. Does anyone eat

this? Is Amaranth considered ok for this diet? The ingredients are organic

corn flour, ground whole amaranth, apple juice concentrate, and sea salt.

It's a nice snack size and I remember my kids liked it when we found it on

vacation, but we were only dealing with allergies then, not gluten. Thanks,

Helene

[Guest guest]

At 12:08 AM 10/11/2001 -0400, you wrote:

>*

>Helene.

>Miss Robens sells amaranth flour as totally gluten free, so now I am

>puzzled. If I can remember (now thats funny!!), I will try and call Miss

>Robens and see or maybe JAY OF MISS ROBENS R U THERE?? They also sell an

>amaranth flake cereal.

> in New York

>*

>On Wed, 10 Oct 2001 14:06:58 EDT welsingcaufield@... writes:

> > I called US Mills to check on their Aztec cereal. The woman said

> > that it is

> > not considered gluten free due to the Amaranth which is ok'd by some

> > celiac

> > organizations and not others. > Thanks,

> > Helene

I'm the " other " Jay...but I can answer this one. Amaranth is gluten free.

The CSA (celiac sprue association) is the only major group in North America

which says to avoid Amaranth. They also say to avoid quinoa, buckwheat and

a few others. They've been under a LOT of pressure to change this as there

is no evidence that these contain gluten (when they are not contaminated by

gluten containing grains at a mill or in packaging)

They have recently modified their position:

From Celiac.com

================================

Celiac Sprue Association Revises its Dietary Guidelines Celiac.com 08/10/2001 -

The Celiac Sprue Association, under the new leadership of

Schluckebier, has recently taken an important step towards eliminating the

lingering confusion surrounding its position on gluten-free foods.

According to Janet Rinehart, the CSA's " Basics for a Celiac Diet "

guidelines have recently been revised to include the following key changes:

Canola oil is not mentioned (except where you might assume the connection

for " general recommendations for those with a depressed immune system). "

Rather than stating that quinoa, amaranth and teff are not safe for the

celiac diet, the document now says: " Some celiacs have demonstrated

toxicity or sensitivities to the following cereals: quinoa, amaranth and

teff. "

================================

This is a bit better as they now admit that theses grains are GF...just

that " some celiacs " can't tolerate them. Which of course would be expected.

Just as " some celiacs " can't tolerate dairy...or soy or yeast...and on and on.

FYI...

From Celiac.com

================================

New Guidelines from the American Dietetic Association

A team of American and Canadian dietitians wrote the new gluten-free

guidelines, including: Shelley Case, RD, Mavis Molloy, RD, n Zarkadas,

M.Sc.RD (all from Canada and all members of the Professional Advisory Board

of the Canadian Celiac Association), and Kupper, CRD, CDE

(Executive Director of the Gluten Intolerance Group and celiac). Additional

findings of this team regarding buckwheat and quinoa contradict what has

been accepted as common knowledge for years by some US support groups,

mainly that these two grains are more likely to be contaminated by wheat

than other grains. In fact, according to the team, buckwheat and quinoa are

far less likely to be contaminated than most other grains.

At the most basic level the new guidelines mean that celiacs do not need to

avoid foods containing unidentified vinegar or distilled alcohol, this

alone will allow much more freedom when shopping or eating out. Further,

celiacs who drink alcohol will have much more freedom and a far greater

choice when they want to have a drink. Additionally, celiacs will be able

to more easily maintain a well-rounded and nutritious diet because they

will have access to a far greater number of highly nutritious and safe grains.

================================

I have no knowledge of the manufacturing processes of Erewhon, but Amaranth

on it's own is fine on a GF diet, provided you are not sensitive or allergic.

----------------------------------------------

Jay Bigam

Marketing and Information Technology Manager

Kinnikinnick Foods Inc.

www.kinnikinnick.com

Toll Free: 1-