Is This Product Gluten Free?

[Callisto in NC]

It has: Rice meal, sesame seeds, sesame flour, safflower oil, tamari soy sauce powder, corn, salt, and garlic.

My boss is going gluton free and she wanted me to pick up some snacks for her from Trader Joe's. Did I hit or miss the mark?

 

[Andy M.]

The package ingredients often list specific ingredients that may be allergens.

e.g. Contains, wheat, nuts, etc.

 

[Callisto in NC]

Andy that doesn't answer the question. It's from Trader Joe's and those are the only ingredients listed.

 

[Andy M.]

Andy that doesn't answer the question. It's from Trader Joe's and those are the only ingredients listed.

I don't know the answer for all your ingredients. I was just trying to be helpful

In this situation, I would either contact Trader Joe's or use google to help me out one ingredient at a time.

 

[Callisto in NC]

use google to help me out one ingredient at a time.

I tried that, but it didn't work that's why I asked here. I'm sure there are people here living the gluton free lifestyle that would know based on the ingredient list.

 

[B'sgirl]

The only ingredient I see in question is the soy sauce powder. Some soy sauces are made with wheat and some are not. But if it has wheat the company is required to list it in the ingredients, so as far as I can tell it is gluten free and I would feel comfortable giving it to my son. What is it anyway, crackers? Snack bar?

Hints for the future--there can be hidden gluten in carmel color and MSG and they won't be listed because they aren't made from wheat. Also watch out for anything with malt, and some salad dressings are made from barley vinegars and barley is not required to be specified.

Hope that helps!

 

[Callisto in NC]

Thanks B'sGirl. The product is crackers. We're looking for gluten free crackers and these don't list any flour other than the sesame flour. We want them to go with our cheese and salami we have as snacks at the Renaissance Faire.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Callisto - I am sure it was not Andy M.'s intent to be contentious or facetious in his questions/comments. Not knowing the brand name, marketing name or what the product is makes it a little hard to dive a definitive answer to some questions. There is sometime more information on the product laabel or its information label ... I'm sure that is what Andy was trying to say.

Anyway - this might be gluten free. The question is the "tamari soy sauce powder" which can either be made with little or no wheat - the ingredients you listed are not specific.

If your boss has just decided to go gluten free for some elective reason then it shouldn't matter either way. If it is for "medical" reasons it might. You would have to contact the people who make the crackers to find out for sure. Unless the package specifically states "gluten free" you can't just assume it is.

 

[B'sgirl]

Callisto - I am sure it was not Andy M.'s intent to be contentious or facetious in his questions/comments. Not knowing the brand name, marketing name or what the product is makes it a little hard to dive a definitive answer to some questions. There is sometime more information on the product laabel or its information label ... I'm sure that is what Andy was trying to say.

Anyway - this might be gluten free. The question is the "tamari soy sauce powder" which can either be made with little or no wheat - the ingredients you listed are not specific.

If your boss has just decided to go gluten free for some elective reason then it shouldn't matter either way. If it is for "medical" reasons it might. You would have to contact the people who make the crackers to find out for sure. Unless the package specifically states "gluten free" you can't just assume it is.

Actually, if the soy sauce was made with wheat, even a small amount, it would be required to be listed on the label, in the United States anyway. And they would list it too because they'd be in for a nasty law suit if someone had an allergic reaction and died from it.

Also, even if the product says gluten free, it isn't necessarily true. I recently bought a package of "gluten-free" animal crackers that turned out to be wheat free, but not gluten free. Always read the ingredient list even if it says gluten-free.