I have just been reading our good friend Micki Rose’s blog – and she says that she has discovered that there is wheat in Tabasco…. Read more…
And while on the subject, those trying to avoid wheat should also read the labels very carefully on all bottled sauces, cheese spreads and dips, curry powders, horseradish creams, instant hot drinks, salad dresings, taramasalata, TVP (textured vegeable protein), prescription medicines and nutritional supplements – all of which may include wheat as an ingredient or manufacturing ‘aid’, usually called a cereal binder or filler, edible starch or modified starch.
Of course you also need to be able to recognise wheat when it appears under one of its many other names – such as bran, bulgar, chilton, dinkel, coucous, durum, einkorn, farro, Graham flour, kamut, spelt, semolina or triticum/triticale…
Good luck!
Seems like another excellent argument for a version of the ‘traffic light’ food labelling system. The Food Standards Agency should be relieved of their duties!
Just goes to show you shouldn’t take labels at face value unfortunately! I am now on the trail of Pure spread. I was checking out their new olive-based spread, which looks fine thankfully, but whilst there I looked at their other products. Now I want to know what the vinegar is in their Pure Slices and what starch it is in their Soft & Creamy Spread. ‘Vinegar’ and ‘starch’ are no good on labels, they need to be more specific. You would think a company producing goods for the allergy market would have more nouse. I will post on my blog when I get their answer.
I’ve just been reading your blog about where we can find hidden wheat. The truth is that it’s everywhere, though we don’t know it!
Glucose, maltodextrin, dextrose, alcohol, and vinegar are all starch derivatives used by the food industry. These may or may not be wheat. There are all sorts of fillers, binders, texture enhancers, emulsifiers, hydrolised vegetable proteins and flavouring agents that are made from gluten and added to our food in the name of ‘flavours’, ‘binding agents’ and ‘bulking agents’.
Food labels can’t always be relied upon to identify the source of these ingredients. If we really want to exclude all wheat derivatives from our diet the sad fact is that we have to avoid many processed foods.
Sue, the sources of the ingredients do have to be identified in the case of the 14 major allergens – among which is wheat and all other gluten grains. There are a few exceptions – but these are just glucose syrups from wheat and one or two others. In practice, they seem to be generally declared anyway.
Michelle, is TVP ever from wheat? I’m pretty sure it isn’t… but will gladly stand corrected!
I’ve commented on Micki’s blog as that wheat in the tabasco really should’ve been declared…
Alex.
I’ve just added another comment to Micki’s blog – think have resolved the wheat in tabasco issue. It’s a labelling exemption, and I suspect absolutely nothing to worry about, as we’re talking minuscule amounts.