While they indeed do have many varieties of their vegetable and potato chips that have no gluten ingredients, they do not have a dedicated facility or even dedicated production lines. This means gluten containing chips are run on the same line as gluten free versions. I also asked them if they currently tested their products for Gluten and they do not. This is not Gluten Free and not safe.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Word of Caution: Terra Chips
I was recently asked by a reader about Terra Chips and their GF status. I checked their Web site and found information about their ingredients but nothing about Gluten Free. I called their customer service number and spoke with someone at the company.
While they indeed do have many varieties of their vegetable and potato chips that have no gluten ingredients, they do not have a dedicated facility or even dedicated production lines. This means gluten containing chips are run on the same line as gluten free versions. I also asked them if they currently tested their products for Gluten and they do not. This is not Gluten Free and not safe.
While they indeed do have many varieties of their vegetable and potato chips that have no gluten ingredients, they do not have a dedicated facility or even dedicated production lines. This means gluten containing chips are run on the same line as gluten free versions. I also asked them if they currently tested their products for Gluten and they do not. This is not Gluten Free and not safe.
5 comments:
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: consumerrelations@hain-celestial.com
Date: Mon, Nov 17, 2008 at 3:56 PM
Subject: Hain-Celestial Ref. #: 1751212
To: glutenfreeraleigh@gmail.com
Dear Zach,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding our Terra Chip. We apologize for the delay in our reply and appreciate your patience. We strive to maintain the highest quality products and we appreciate your patronage.
We consider gluten to be in the following, barley, bulgur, couscous, durum, graham flour, kamut, malt , rye, semolina, spelt, triticale and any other types of wheat. We do not consider any oat products to be gluten free due to the fact that studies are needed to determine the long- term safety of oat consumption. The issue of cross contamination with oat and wheat remains a concern in North America.
We do not have lists of products that are specifically considered to be gluten free. Reading the label is the best way to check for the presence of ingredients which contain gluten. If gluten is an ingredient it is listed separately and not under "natural flavors" or "spices". Consumer health and safety is our number one concern, and we do not want to provide information which may not be accurate in the future.
The Hain Celestial Group's labeling declares major allergens (peanuts, soybeans, milk, eggs, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, and wheat) and we follow the U.S. FDA's regulations. In addition, our labeling always declares gluten containing ingredients. We recognize the serious nature of the allergen issue and we strive to minimize risk.
Both major and minor ingredients of all products, as well as all processing procedures and equipment, are closely scrutinized and all potential allergen issues as determined by the Hain Celestial Group are declared on our labeling.
We assure you that strict manufacturing processes and procedures are in place and that all of our manufacturing facilities follow rigid allergen control programs that include staff training, segregation of allergen ingredients, production scheduling, and thorough cleaning and sanitation.
Thank you for your continued support. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-434-4246, Monday through Friday from 7AM - 5PM Mountain Time.
Sincerely,
George
Consumer Relations Representative
Ref # 1751212
Thanks Zack.
But Darn. : (
I tell you after Great Specialty Products, if I don't make it, I have a hard time buying it if it's not certified Gluten Free.
I wish I had found this blog sooner; I ate some Terra Sweet Potato chips last week, and had a bad reaction within less than 24 hours, which is very fast for me.
I also have been reacting to their various plain flavors... sad as I really love these.
I just had a reaction to the exotic blend. Never again will I buy them. Sad, they used to be a favorite of mine :(
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