OK- This is twice now that I have had a reaction to an Amy's gluten-free dinner. The first was the rice mac 'n cheese which after the fact, much to my chagrin, I looked on the BACK of the box because someone here said that if you read it, it says processed in a plant that also processes wheat. OK, I thought maybe it was the lactose then since the mac has cheese.

So I wait two weeks and yesterday, I ate Amy's gluten-free/ DF Shepherd's Pie which does NOT have that label on the back nor does it have dairy. Sick as a dog again- I hadn't even recovered from the first time yet! If you go to their website, it says a general blanket statement that SOUNDS LIKE, yes, we love our Celiac friends but the plant also processes wheat so we make no guarantees. No, if that were the case, why would they label some of their products with the CC warning and not others?

If it is Amy's, and I'm pretty sure it is, I'm going to be REALLY disappointed because I love their foods and I had respect for their company.

Has anyone else been glutened by an Amy's product without the CC warning? As many of you know, I am micro-sensitive. Thanks, Beverly

Have you cross referened the ingredents list to see if anything is in common, and might be a factor? A yet un detected food interolence?

I do not think I have had any of Amy's stuff yet so can not comment on that...

I eat Amy's stuff all the time, I am also micro sensitive and have not had problems with Amy's.

THat is so weird. The only two meals by Amy's I could eat are the mac and cheese and the teryaki bowl (I think that one is it - has tamari in it). But the teryaki bowl made me ill, later found out I can't have fermented tamari (has aspergillus mold in it) so I can't have that either. The only one I now can have is the mac and cheese.

I'm sorry - you have such a big mystery on your hands!!!

Stephanie

That is so odd! I love her meals-my favorite is the brown rice bowl with veggies-I did fine with it. Do the mac -n- cheese and terriayaki say gluten free in the corner? I don't buy the one's that don't say that. I am going to look again to see if the label mentions a wheat warning-I didn't think I would need to look!

That's too bad.

I rely on the Amy's Mac n Cheese for 2-3 of my meals per week.

Sorry to hear about your loss.....(of the Mac N Cheese)

The only other thing I can think of is peanut M and M's which I have never had a problem with before but I'm starting to wonder if it's a lactose issue (or casein). Huh... boo-hoo!

Try it some time with out peanut mm's around then. OR try the MM's with out Amy's. Either way will lowrk.. but eh MM's prbly cheaper.

Oops - that's the one I mean, the brown rice bowl, not teryaki. And yes, the mac and cheese says in big letters across the top it's gluten free...

I lived on those last year when I got my kitchen remodelled...

Stephanie

vydorScope- Not sure I want to try either again! But if I had to choose I'd go with the Amy's believe it or not.

How long does it take for a gluten reaction to show up in most of you? Mine usually shows up within hours. I usually throw up first and then it proceeds from there pretty typically. I threw up last night around 7- ate the Amy's at 2 and the M&M's at 5. Argh!

with my son its around 3-4 hours after eating that we out siders notice it.

Hi Beverly,

I'm fairly certain that I've reacted to Amy's Mac & Cheese before. However, I've eaten it several times since then and haven't had a problem. So, maybe there are some cross contamination issues once in a while?

Susan

Hi Everyone- Just got off the phone with an Amy's rep. Turns out that both items that I ate came from the same batch so they are sending two sample products from that batch to the University of Nebraska where they send their stuff to be tested routinely. U of N can test down to 1/1 millionth so either that batch got cross-contaminated or I am ridiculously sensitive to gluten (the dinners have no common ingredients).

The woman I spoke with was amazing. They may even actually test the two remaining ones I have in my fridge - talk about responding seriously!

She did say that there is wheat in the plant, but of course, they sanitize. So, I'll know in about a week and a half if I just got a bad batch or I am ridiculously sensitive. Either way, no prpared foods for me for awhile. Back to rice, chicken and veggies.

..

i myself haven't noticed issues with amy's. she is a godsend to me i have loved the pizza--putting on more sauce, toppings and cheese and baking.

anywho...good response from the company--it is refreshing that they care!! let us know what happens with the testing...

Cool! I am so glad they listen and care about us! We love her pizza too! I ate the brown rice & veggies one last night and feel fine-it probably was just that batch-let us know what they find out from the testing. It is nice to know what causes these reactions.

Yeah- they were really wonderful. I emailed them and they made an appointment to call me, called me (can you believe that?). the woman I spoke with was phenomenal and very concerned. I was very happy with their response. Hope I can eat their stuff agian as I love it!

Just wanted to let everyone know what the end result was. I got a call from Amy's Kitchen today. They sent a sample of the Shepherd's Pie and the gluten-free rice mac n cheese to the University of Nebraska. UN can test down as far as 10 parts per million and the Shepherd's Pie had 31 parts per million in it so, according to Amy's, it DID have gluten in it. They "think" (and are going to conduct some more tests) that the problem is that they started getting one of the ingredients in the Shepherd's Pie from a new distributor. They just found out that this distributor also processes wheat on the same equipment. So, they are going to investigate.

She is going to send me a copy of the test results from U of N and "compensation" (I didn't ask what that meant). Frankly, I was just relieved to find out that I wasn't insane- just insanely intolerant of gluten!

She told me that she had heard that most Celiac's do NOT react to under 200 parts per million. Does anyopne know if this is true?

Anyway, I was happy with their response and just wanted to let you all know. I applaud them for their honesty in the situation and the attention they paid to me. I don't know if there'll be a recall, but thought you shouldf all know. Beverly

I just read this about Australia: "There is an Australian Food Standard for processed foods labelled 'gluten free'. When foods are tested using the prescribed test, there must be 'no detectable gluten'. Currently (June 2001) this test is sensitive to 0.003% (3 parts per million)." So I guess 31 parts per million is pretty significant? Does anyone know the US standard?

Don't know the US standards myself, just writing to say that I am glad you got things figured out. I am extremely sensitive to gluten too. I wonder what other Amy's products may be at risk? I don't eat their frozen meals, but I do use thier ketchup and salad dressings. I haven't noticed anything per se as far as a gluten reactiont, but I have been glutened by other things lately, so if there is something bad there, I wouldn't have noticed.

Wow, that's amazing! You should be a gluten detector, Beverly! I wonder at what level I'd notice? That's interesting.

I am really impressed with their response. I would like to know if there is a way to tell batches, so if I was to buy some at the store I could avoid them. I was thinking of stocking up soon for my new job - kind of an eat lunch at your desk kind of place. I only eat the mac and cheese.

Anyway, what great validation of your experience. That is really cool!

Take care

Stephanie

PS BTW, there is no US standard at this point, from what I understand. I knew about Europe and the 200 ppm (maybe that's how they get away using wheat starch? ) and I was thinking Canada is 40 ppm (don't have anything to reference on that at the moment, just something I remember for some reason). There has been talk of making a standard for the US, but

Let us know what they say and if they found any gluten.

wow, that kind of brings it all home for me. i had the shepherd's pie not that long ago. i take almost no risks...don't want to cut out amy's too...did they not say anything about--"this hasn't happened before?" probably didn't much reassurance other than the testing. so great they did that!

I wanted to see what I could find out to better understand the contamination in our processed foods. I found this site and thought someone else might like to read it. http://www.glutenfreeindy.com/contamination/

Jo Ann

Jo Ann-- cool! that is from my support group's website

JoAnn- Great link! Jen- you're lucky to have such a great support group! I don't know what Amy's is planning to do but you might want to call them and ask them the batches to watch out for. The batch codes are imprinted on the products and you have to hold them strangely up to the light to see them. I don't know if they're going to recall (I doubt it because it was a small amount, but they were pretty upset, so you never know).

I guess I'm down to unprocessed foods and those only produced in a dedicated facility. I'd prefer not to be a gluten test victim anymore. Stinks though- I love Amy's and I still respect thyem this morning

hi i too thought i had a gluten accident from amys too i had the enchildars and i was ill and i have seizures from the gluten i had a really bad night then i had a shepards pie the other day and spent three days in bed from gluten .i had thought it had come from somewhere else but now i am wondering, i have only been gluten free for 5 weeks now i was really sick and was nearly in a wheel chair but i have been getting better, but these incedants knock me off my feet for days and takes longer to get over, i wont be buying anymore of her products, thanks

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

I think it's cool they are doing all this, despite the fact that it happened. I mean, that of course is not cool and I'm sorry you and anyone else has gotten sick from their products. But at least now they will be looking into it more. That is what is cool about their response. They actually care.

I think I'll hold off on getting any mac and cheese for the time being, just to be safe. I don't want to be a guinea pig.

Thanks for posting all of this! It was one of those "amazing" stories of the day I told my husband at dinner last night...

Stephanie

Lizzy- You should call them (and anyone else who has had a reaction to their products). They need to know so they can look into it. I probably won't be buying anymore Amy's Kitchen either, mostly because I think I am only going to buy anything processed only from places that are dedicated facilities, but you should let them know. as far as I know, my call was the first they'd heard of it. B

I got really sick from the mac n cheese a while back too, and stay away fom it now. I still eat the rice bowls, but stay away from all the other stuff. I hafta have some packaged foods, to deal with lunches, I just can't get myself together enough to make lunches, wish I could, but its one of those things I've given up on for now. And the rice bowls are tastey.
I just do Tinkyada and velveeta now, and that comes out super yummy. My bf ate it with me for dinner the other night, he thought it was really good.
Elonwy

I discovered Amy's Mac and Cheese a few weeks ago and was thrilled. I had about 3 or 4 of them and then the last one gave me bad cramps and diareha (sp). It's the only thing I can think of that I ate gluten free.

After that, I decided to stick to what I know. Cooking it for myself in a gluten-free kitchen from gluten-free ingredients. I miss the convenience of it all, but don't have to worry about it afterwards.

Helen.

I really think that anytime anyone of us gets sick from a product that is clearly leabeled gluten free, it should be reported to the company. Companies like Amy's, at least, really want to know. I'm sure there are companies that don't care.

I agree- I am sticking with what I know, cooked by myself in my kitchen. The convenience part really stinks but I am much more inconvenienced by three days of vomiting than I am by one hour of cooking what I know is safe.

I agree, too, Beverly, it's just so hard to be convinced that something labeled gluten free would be the culprit. That is why I think it's so cool they validated your experience. Definitely, if anyone gets sick on Amy's, they should get in touch with them. At least we know at this point.

Stephanie

Thank you very much for bringing me to a new level of awareness concerning cross contamination. I think I fell prey to the '"if it is in print it must be true " fallacy due to wishful thinking. It would be nice to be able to eat processed comfort foods but apparently that just will not be possible untill some legal guidelines are in place regarding contamination.

Amen to that!

Just thought I'd post this excerpt from the Wall Street Journal article on wheat free eating, published Nov 1, 2005.



So Whole Foods Bakehouse is ok up to 50 ppm. Since some people on this thread have reacted at what appears to be less than that amount, I would be concerned about eating their products. I don't eat them at this point because all the ones I saw have potato in them, anyway, but good info for the rest of you.

Stephanie

Too bad all gluten-free food manufacturers/suppliers don't have completely dedicated facilities so that we could relax a little. I heard at a meeting recently that the group that tests for Kosher foods will soon be testing for gluten-free compliance at the same time. Has anyone else heard about this?

I stopped eating Amy's a while ago for this reason... I usually just assumed it was something else I'd gotten into or something like that, especially since it was pretty early on in my gluten-free life, but I really think I may be pretty sensitive, as I also have had issues with food and restaurants that others on here haven't.

Good for you for being so proactive and contacting them... I'm so glad they were so concerned and tested and everything... but an occasional accidental 30 ppm is just a little too much for me!

Dedicated facilities would be wonderful... but as this story highlights, unless they make EVERYTHING on site, from start to finish, there can always be that "other supplier" contamination. Sad.

Heather

So sad but true! Beverly

..

You heard right, here's a link to the "Gluten-Free Certification Organization"
http://www.gfco.org/
and to the Kosher group who will be overseeing it.
http://oukosher.org/index.php/articles/single/5317/

Of course, we Canadians are S.O.L.

hi i was wondering if anyone had a problem with vans waffles as they too are made in a wheat enviroment too and i felt ill yeserday after having some for breakfast and besides a baked potato was all i had to eat

hi stephanie
i have a question why your concern over potaoe is they something i dont know about them i need to know liz

Lizzy, I stopped eating Vans waffles after I read their contamination statement. It's really too bad because they taste so good. But, I don't want to take any chances since I am very sensitive to gluten.

Stephanie is referring to Nightshade intolerance (potatoes, etc). If you do a search you will find some info. on this topic.

Helen -

Mac and Cheese is one thing that I used to cook for myself a lot but it is one thing I have never tried to duplicate gluten-free. When I used to cook it before going gluten-free, I started by making a white sauce with wheat flour and then adding cheese. Is it possible to make a gluten-free white sauce? If so, I would be eternally in debt to anyone who would share a workable recipe. I could use that for other dishes as well.

Chuck

If you can tolorate corn, you can use cornstarch in place of the flour in a whitesauce recipe. Before I went dairy free, I did it all the time.

Yess!! Glad it wasn't just me. My husband thought I was being over-reactive/over-sensitive, but I got so sick from them and refused to eat them afterwards. (He had to eat them, maybe that's why he wasn't too happy).

I have also stopped eating food not made in dedicated facilities. Very hard. After these postings, I stopped eating Amy's ketchup and mustard too. For those of you that have done the same, any suggestions on what condiments to buy or how to make your own? Sorry for the bold, just want my question to be noticed.

One brand that does use dedicated facilities (supposedly) is Enjoy Life. They make bread, bagels, breakfast bars, cookies and cereal. They also don't use other allergens, like soy, dairy, egg, corn, etc. Their plain bagels and cookies are great. Everything else is good, but not particularly excellent.

Do you know of any other products made in a decicated facilty? I love Enjoy Life cuz its one of the only gluten free foods I dont react to. I dont know if its just gluten traces or maybe something else in the other products that bothers me but I just do alot better eating Enjoy Life than any other brands I've tried.

Namaste is a dedicated facility (their Blondies mix rocks!) and as far as I know Mary's Gone Crackers is dedicated as well. I love the black pepper and the herb crackers.

Thanks so much for the GFCO info- that is awesome! Matilda- I'd offer to be your gluten detector but apparently I'm having enough problems detecting my own gluten. Waaaa! Sometimes I just wish they would make wheat illegal. For us, it's like drinking mercury. Waaa again!