Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam: Wonderful Spam!!!!

Actually, Angelita is a bit wrong. To find the gluten-free list you do need to click on "FAQs" at the bottom of the page. On the next page the Gluten Free Product List, a pdf file, is in a sidebar on the right hand side, not under Health-Related Questions.

Spam Musubi here I come! But with wheat-free soy sauce of course.

"Thank you for contacting us SPAM is gluten free. A list of our gluten-free products is available at www.hormelfoods.com - under FAQs, which shows at the bottom of the screen. The gluten-free list selection is located under Health-Related Questions.

Please feel free to call us at our toll-free Consumer Response number, 1-800-523-4635 with any questions regarding specific ingredients in any Hormel Foods product.

Angelita
Consumer Response Specialist"

A Puzzling Email from Breyer's

I wrote to Unilever to ask them to indicate on their products which ones
are gluten free.  This is their enigmatic reply:

Hello,

Thank you for your inquiry about gluten in Breyers, Klondike, Good Humor
and Popsicle brand products.

Unilever Ice Cream is a member of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network
and the Food Allergy Resource and Research Program.

* We recommend consumers read the label each time before buying our
product.

* If gluten is present, it is clearly listed in plain language on the
ingredient label (i.e., wheat flour, rye, barley, oats, and malt). Malt
is a barley based ingredient.

* We do not publish a list of gluten-free flavors.

* We work closely with ingredient and packaging suppliers to verify
gluten in all ingredient components including natural flavors, colors,
and spices.

* Some flavorings may contain ethyl alcohol. However, because the
alcohol is distilled, they would not pose a threat to anyone who is
gluten intolerant. However, gluten is NOT listed if it is a natural
component of another ingredient.

* We apologize for any inconvenience.

Kind regards,
Your friends at Good Humor-Breyers

Christmas Eve, 2007

I'm 5 pm and up to my elbows in enchilada sauce when my cell phone rings. It's my doctor. "I've think we've found out why you're so anemic!" he says excitedly. "You have Celiac Sprue."

OK. What the heck is that? An intolerance (not really an allergy) to gluten. I can no longer eat wheat, rye, oats, or barley, or their derivatives. The little villi in my small intestine are damaged from eating gluten, and I'm not absorbing nutrients properly. Hence, the severe anemia.

He asks if I have any ancestors from England. As a matter of fact, I do. He explains that Celiac Sprue is much more common in people with northern European ancestry.

What do I do now, I ask. Stop eating gluten immediately, he replies.

Hmmm. I'm cooking Christmas dinner for 14 people. On the menu is broccoli pie, hot rolls, gravy, stuffing, and cake. Ooops!

Merry Christmas!