Is it Gluten Free or Not?

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erinrose07
erinrose07 Posts: 140
in Food and Nutrition
There is A LOT of controversy over gluten free ingredients. Some people say a specific ingredient is gluten-free, others say it isn't. Do any of you know if the following ingredients contain gluten and if so, what you're reasoning is for believing it to be so? The controversial ingredients here are mainly caramel color (which others have said is always made from corn in the US), vinegar, chicken broth and yeast extract (I've also heard yeast is gluten-free if made in US). Thanks!! :)

Ingredients: CHICKEN BREAST, WATER, CULTURED CORN SUGAR, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SALT, VINEGAR, ROTISSERIE CHICKEN FLAVOR (YEAST EXTRACT, FLAVOR, SALT, CHICKEN BROTH, CELERY SEED), SODIUM PHOSPHATES, SODIUM ASCORBATE, SODIUM NITRITE, CARAMEL COLOR.
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Replies

  • littlewrists
    littlewrists Posts: 25
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    If it's malt vinegar then definitely not.
  • amycal
    amycal Posts: 646 Member
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    http://www.celiac.com/articles/181/1/Safe-Gluten-Free-Food-List-Safe-Ingredients/Page1.html

    It looks gluten free based on what I see at this site. Personally though I avoid foods with corn sugar.
  • SafireBleu
    SafireBleu Posts: 881 Member
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    What I have heard is that caramel coloring is no longer made with gluten containing ingredients if it is made in the US. The rest of the ingredients should be gluten free as well.
  • momof8munchkins
    momof8munchkins Posts: 1,167 Member
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    Looking at the list I would say no. Carmel color, and chicken broth may or may not be gluten free.. if doesn't say it is certified GF then I would not take the chance personally.
  • amycal
    amycal Posts: 646 Member
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    If it's malt vinegar then definitely not.

    Oh yeah I didn't look at the vinegar - I was looking for yeast and the sodium stuff. Vinegars can have gluten
  • aahand
    aahand Posts: 27
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    I have Celiac and wouldn't eat it. (1) it only says "vinegar" without specifying what type. Is it Malt? If it happens to be, I'd be very sick. (2)Anything that just says "color" in ingredients, I avoid. I have other food allergies and dye allergies, so to be safe, I don't eat it. (3) My "chicken broth" consists of water, bone-in chicken, and seasonings. What do food manufacturers consider "chicken broth?" Not to mention--"sodium phosphates," "sodium ascorbate," "sodium nitrate???"
  • TropicalKitty
    TropicalKitty Posts: 2,298 Member
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    I think it kind of depends on how strict you have to be. Like other posters have said, without the GF certification and the generic names, it could be contaminated. If you aren't celiac and just trying to avoid gluten, I'd consider it basically gf. But, in reality, all those ingredients sound nasty (esp the preservatives), so I probably wouldn't eat it anyway.
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
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    SAFE - http://www.celiac.com/articles/181/1/Safe-Gluten-Free-Food-List-Safe-Ingredients/Page1.html

    UNSAFE - http://www.celiac.com/articles/182/1/Unsafe-Gluten-Free-Food-List-Unsafe-Ingredients/Page1.html

    RE: MALT & CARAMEL - http://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/topic/85321-malt-flavoring-and-caramel-color/page__p__733334__fromsearch__1#entry733334
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
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    I think it kind of depends on how strict you have to be. Like other posters have said, without the GF certification and the generic names, it could be contaminated. If you aren't celiac and just trying to avoid gluten, I'd consider it basically gf. But, in reality, all those ingredients sound nasty (esp the preservatives), so I probably wouldn't eat it anyway.
    ^^ this.
  • hockey7fan
    hockey7fan Posts: 281 Member
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    In that case when I can't tell, I call the manufacturer and ask. I've had to do that many a time with things that I'm just not sure about. They can tell you about the broth and the vinegar and the yeast.
  • itsjustme77
    itsjustme77 Posts: 102
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    Call the company. Depending on where it was made makes a difference. Sometimes flavor and extracts can have gluten.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    I don't have an answer whether it is gluten free or not - but I'm very curious to know what kind of product has corn sugar in chicken????
    I'd be just buying and eating chicken (no added sugar!) if it was me, then you know what you are getting (assuming a reputable supplier of course) and you know for sure there is no gluten.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    If I can't 100% identify it, it depends on the mood I'm in. There are times I just roll the dice and see what happens, but I usually only do that in the evenings or on weekends when I can afford to suffer the consequences of snake eyes.
  • tahoemads
    tahoemads Posts: 64 Member
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    If you're gluten intolerant the additives in processed food are risk you take, unless you err on the extreme side of caution like my Celiac family members who can't risk it because it's a matter of life or death. If you're trying to live a GF lifestyle, if your food comes in a package, don't eat it. Put together your own flours at home, buy bread from a GF baker you know, make it yourself or buy rice based GF products for crackers, etc. and just stick to whole plant based foods (unless you're eating meat, fish or chicken from a butcher or farm, etc.) And here's why:

    The "Codex Alimentarius" international standards for food labeling has a standard relating to the labeling of products as "gluten-free", but this standard does not apply to foods that "...in their normal form do not contain gluten."[10] Gluten is used as a stabilizing agent in products like ice cream and ketchup, where it might be unexpected.[11][12] Foods of this kind present a problem because the hidden gluten constitutes a hazard for people with celiac disease: In the United States, at least, gluten might not be listed on the labels of such foods because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has classified gluten as GRAS (generally recognized as safe).[13] Requirements for proper labeling are being formulated by the USDA. In the United Kingdom, only cereals currently must be labeled, while labeling of other products is voluntary.[14]
  • erinrose07
    erinrose07 Posts: 140
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    I don't have an answer whether it is gluten free or not - but I'm very curious to know what kind of product has corn sugar in chicken????
    I'd be just buying and eating chicken (no added sugar!) if it was me, then you know what you are getting (assuming a reputable supplier of course) and you know for sure there is no gluten.

    It's The Carving Board, oscar mayer, deli chicken breast. I was contemplating putting a couple of pieces in a corn tortilla with hot sauce. I didn't really want a WHOLE breast of chicken sitting in my fridge because it would probably go to waste after those couple of pieces. I'm SURE there are tons of creepy preservatives in ALL of the chicken we eat unless you kill the damn chicken yourself.....this is America after all, lol ;)
  • erinrose07
    erinrose07 Posts: 140
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    If I can't 100% identify it, it depends on the mood I'm in. There are times I just roll the dice and see what happens, but I usually only do that in the evenings or on weekends when I can afford to suffer the consequences of snake eyes.

    I hear ya. For the hours a week I spend researching this stuff, you'd think I'd have it down to a science. Too bad they don't have "WTF Is This?!" calculators, so you can enter in ingredients at the grocery store when you're reading a package.
  • smashatoms
    smashatoms Posts: 144 Member
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    Okay, quick suggestion. Look at the contains allergens info underneath the ingredients section. Does it say wheat?
    The problem with this list of ingredients is that it is not specific enough. Most times, you will see ingredients like chicken broth have sub ingredients, showing what it contains. Since this doesn't have that, I would be hesitant to eat it (I'm gluten free, and get wicked ill when I have anything that contains wheat). Since I know chicken broth typically contains wheat, that would be my reasoning for steering clear of it.

    The allergen info will specify whether a product has wheat or gluten. My rule of thumb is to check that allergen info first, as it saves me having to read down a list of ingredients in the first place.
  • erinrose07
    erinrose07 Posts: 140
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    Okay, quick suggestion. Look at the contains allergens info underneath the ingredients section. Does it say wheat?
    The problem with this list of ingredients is that it is not specific enough. Most times, you will see ingredients like chicken broth have sub ingredients, showing what it contains. Since this doesn't have that, I would be hesitant to eat it (I'm gluten free, and get wicked ill when I have anything that contains wheat). Since I know chicken broth typically contains wheat, that would be my reasoning for steering clear of it.

    The allergen info will specify whether a product has wheat or gluten. My rule of thumb is to check that allergen info first, as it saves me having to read down a list of ingredients in the first place.

    Good advice! Thank you :)
  • LJGmom
    LJGmom Posts: 249 Member
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    Caramel color is fine as long as the product was produced in USA. Vinegar should be fine as well, but I would call the company who makes it to be sure.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    I don't have an answer whether it is gluten free or not - but I'm very curious to know what kind of product has corn sugar in chicken????
    I'd be just buying and eating chicken (no added sugar!) if it was me, then you know what you are getting (assuming a reputable supplier of course) and you know for sure there is no gluten.

    It's The Carving Board, oscar mayer, deli chicken breast. I was contemplating putting a couple of pieces in a corn tortilla with hot sauce. I didn't really want a WHOLE breast of chicken sitting in my fridge because it would probably go to waste after those couple of pieces. I'm SURE there are tons of creepy preservatives in ALL of the chicken we eat unless you kill the damn chicken yourself.....this is America after all, lol ;)

    Actually, it's not America here, it's an international forum - but you're quite right, deli meat has all kinds of stuff in it, and if convenience outweighs my better judgement I just don't look at what's in it - but I appreciate that it's really important if you need to be gluten-free.
    I've never come across such an ingredient before, hence my question!

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